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Brand AI

Appen

Controversies

Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.

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  1. 2021

    Appen faces backlash over recruitment complexion question

    Public backlash

    Appen faced public outrage after a prospective applicant shared a screenshot of a recruitment question asking Black or African American applicants to specify their complexion.

    Stated objective. “Our goal is to eliminate bias and make AI that works for everyone”

    Company response

    • Apology — Appen

      While apologising for “the way the question is phrased”

    Source excerpt

    • asking applicants who identify as Black or African American to specify the tone of their complexion.
    • Predictably, Twitter users were outraged at what Graham called a “paper bag test”
    • Last week, would-be applicant Charné Graham, a digital content specialist and social media strategist based in Texas, shared a screenshot of the question on Twitter
    Source