# Bias, diversity, and challenges to fairness in classification and automated text analysis. From libraries to AI and back

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.07207 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07207/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 27 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 7 Mar 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [Man is to Computer Programmer as Woman is to Homemaker? Debiasing Word Embeddings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1607.06520/) (2016)
- [Language (Technology) is Power: A Critical Survey of "Bias" in NLP](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14050/) (2020)
- [Semantics derived automatically from language corpora contain human-like biases](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.07187/) (2016)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [AI Literacy in UAE Libraries: Assessing Competencies, Training Needs, and Ethical Considerations for the Digital Age](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.01353/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Libraries are increasingly relying on computational methods, including methods from Artificial Intelligence (AI). This increasing usage raises concerns about the risks of AI that are currently broadly discussed in scientific literature, the media and law-making. In this article we investigate the risks surrounding bias and unfairness in AI usage in classification and automated text analysis within the context of library applications. We describe examples that show how the library community has been aware of such risks for a long time, and how it has developed and deployed countermeasures. We take a closer look at the notion of '(un)fairness' in relation to the notion of 'diversity', and we investigate a formalisation of diversity that models both inclusion and distribution. We argue that many of the unfairness problems of automated content analysis can also be regarded through the lens of diversity and the countermeasures taken to enhance diversity.