The Nature of Algorithms and Their Relation to Accountability

Abstract

This work carries out an analysis of algorithmic accountability from a computational perspective, that is, it tackles the question of how accountability relates to algorithms with a focus on the nature of the latter. The aim is to provide an analysis of what algorithms are and show that their abstract character sets them apart from the concrete problems of bias that have ignited many debates on accountabilty in recent years. This does not mean that algorithms are not part of these problems, but that what is achieved with algorithms is just one aspect of an articulated process that includes so much more, both within and outside the context of computer science. There is a fundamental distinction between an algorithm that is only described on paper and one that is actually executed. Moreover, whether the executor is a person or a computer and, in the latter case, whether the programming follows a top-down or a bottom-up approach can make a difference. All these variations around the execution of an algorithm are crucial when it comes to any attempt at defining accountability in this context, so any relevant discourse needs to take them into account