AI gender identification tool Genderify faced accusations of gender bias before being quickly shut down. 

An AI-powered API service launched in July 2020, Genderify claimed to be able to determine a person's gender from their name, email address or username and was was marketed as a tool for businesses to personalise communications and target marketing.

However, Genderify was criticised for producing biased and stereotypical results almost immediately after launch, including  misgendering people with non-Western names and demonstrating clear biases, such as associating terms like "doctor" with male and "nurse" with female. 

In addition, the company's API returned probabilities for only binary male/female options, ignoring non-binary identities.

Genderify was taken offline after a few days of intense criticism on social media, and the company's website and social media accounts deleted without explanation.

The episode was seen as a cautionary tale about the need for diverse teams and extensive bias testing in the development of AI systems.

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/30/genderify_shuts_down/

• https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/29/21346310/ai-service-gender-verification-identification-genderify

• https://dev.to/fossheim/thoughts-on-genderify-gender-discrimination-transphobia-and-un-ethical-ai-168g

• https://syncedreview.com/2020/07/30/ai-powered-genderify-platform-shut-down-after-bias-based-backlash/

• https://venturebeat.com/2020/07/31/ai-weekly-big-techs-antitrust-reckoning-is-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-ai-industry/

• https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/i0ulhh/d_aipowered_genderify_platform_shut_down_after/