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Main Authors: Tominaga, Tomu, Yamashita, Naomi, Kurashima, Takeshi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14264
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author Tominaga, Tomu
Yamashita, Naomi
Kurashima, Takeshi
author_facet Tominaga, Tomu
Yamashita, Naomi
Kurashima, Takeshi
contents In this study, we critically examine the foundational premise of algorithmic recourse - a process of generating counterfactual action plans (i.e., recourses) assisting individuals to reverse adverse decisions made by AI systems. The assumption underlying algorithmic recourse is that individuals accept and act on recourses that minimize the gap between their current and desired states. This assumption, however, remains empirically unverified. To address this issue, we conducted a user study with 362 participants and assessed whether minimizing the distance function, a metric of the gap between the current and desired states, indeed prompts them to accept and act upon suggested recourses. Our findings reveal a nuanced landscape: participants' acceptance of recourses did not correlate with the recourse distance. Moreover, participants' willingness to act upon recourses peaked at the minimal recourse distance but was otherwise constant. These findings cast doubt on the prevailing assumption of algorithmic recourse research and signal the need to rethink the evaluation functions to pave the way for human-centered recourse generation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_14264
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reassessing Evaluation Functions in Algorithmic Recourse: An Empirical Study from a Human-Centered Perspective
Tominaga, Tomu
Yamashita, Naomi
Kurashima, Takeshi
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Human-Computer Interaction
In this study, we critically examine the foundational premise of algorithmic recourse - a process of generating counterfactual action plans (i.e., recourses) assisting individuals to reverse adverse decisions made by AI systems. The assumption underlying algorithmic recourse is that individuals accept and act on recourses that minimize the gap between their current and desired states. This assumption, however, remains empirically unverified. To address this issue, we conducted a user study with 362 participants and assessed whether minimizing the distance function, a metric of the gap between the current and desired states, indeed prompts them to accept and act upon suggested recourses. Our findings reveal a nuanced landscape: participants' acceptance of recourses did not correlate with the recourse distance. Moreover, participants' willingness to act upon recourses peaked at the minimal recourse distance but was otherwise constant. These findings cast doubt on the prevailing assumption of algorithmic recourse research and signal the need to rethink the evaluation functions to pave the way for human-centered recourse generation.
title Reassessing Evaluation Functions in Algorithmic Recourse: An Empirical Study from a Human-Centered Perspective
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14264