Algorithms can decide your marks, work prospects and financial security, but are they fair?

Algorithms are becoming commonplace. They can determine employment prospects, financial security and more. The use of algorithms can be controversial; for instance, robodebt, as the Australian government’s flawed online welfare compliance system came to be known.

Algorithms are increasingly being used to make decisions that have a lasting impact on our current and future lives. Some of the greatest impacts of algorithmic decision-making are in education.

So what sort of decisions might involve algorithms? Some decisions will involve the next question for school students to answer on a test, such as the online provision of NAPLAN. Some algorithms support human decision-making in universities, such as identifying students at risk of failing a subject.