# Bias-Aware Agent: Enhancing Fairness in AI-Driven Knowledge Retrieval

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.21237 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21237/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Web, search, and research agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 13 of its 42 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 27 Mar 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Web, search, and research agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/web-search-and-research-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Knowledge-Intensive NLP Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.11401/) (2020)
- [A Survey on Bias and Fairness in Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.09635/) (2019)
- [Bias in Bios: A Case Study of Semantic Representation Bias in a High-Stakes Setting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.09451/) (2019)
- [FA*IR: A Fair Top-k Ranking Algorithm](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.06368/) (2017)
- [Measuring Fairness in Ranked Outputs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.08559/) (2016)
- [Policy Learning for Fairness in Ranking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.04056/) (2019)
- [Information Retrieval: Recent Advances and Beyond](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.08801/) (2023)
- [Societal Biases in Retrieved Contents: Measurement Framework and Adversarial Mitigation for BERT Rankers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.13640/) (2021)
- [Reducing Disparate Exposure in Ranking: A Learning To Rank Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.08716/) (2018)
- [An In-depth Survey of Large Language Model-based Artificial Intelligence Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14365/) (2023)
- [Dbias: Detecting biases and ensuring Fairness in news articles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.05777/) (2022)
- [Does RAG Introduce Unfairness in LLMs? Evaluating Fairness in Retrieval-Augmented Generation Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.19804/) (2024)
- [Improving Retrieval Augmented Open-Domain Question-Answering with Vectorized Contexts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.02022/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Agentic AI: A Comprehensive Survey of Architectures, Applications, and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.25445/) (2025)
- [Bias Mitigation Agent: Optimizing Source Selection for Fair and Balanced Knowledge Retrieval](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.18724/) (2025)
- [DebiasRAG: A Tuning-Free Path to Fair Generation in Large Language Models through Retrieval-Augmented Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.16113/) (2026)
- [The Other Side of the Coin: Exploring Fairness in Retrieval-Augmented Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.12323/) (2025)
- [A Framework for Identifying, Categorizing, and Explaining Bias in AI-Generated Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.30642/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Advancements in retrieving accessible information have evolved faster in the last few years compared to the decades since the internet's creation. Search engines, like Google, have been the number one way to find relevant data. They have always relied on the user's abilities to find the best information in its billions of links and sources at everybody's fingertips. The advent of large language models (LLMs) has completely transformed the field of information retrieval. The LLMs excel not only at retrieving relevant knowledge but also at summarizing it effectively, making information more accessible and consumable for users. On top of it, the rise of AI Agents has introduced another aspect to information retrieval i.e. dynamic information retrieval which enables the integration of real-time data such as weather forecasts, and financial data with the knowledge base to curate context-aware knowledge. However, despite these advancements the agents remain susceptible to issues of bias and fairness, challenges deeply rooted within the knowledge base and training of LLMs. This study introduces a novel approach to bias-aware knowledge retrieval by leveraging agentic framework and the innovative use of bias detectors as tools to identify and highlight inherent biases in the retrieved content. By empowering users with transparency and awareness, this approach aims to foster more equitable information systems and promote the development of responsible AI.