From Expectation to Habit: Why Do Software Practitioners Adopt Fairness Toolkits?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Voria, Gianmario, Lambiase, Stefano, Schiavone, Maria Concetta, Catolino, Gemma, Palomba, Fabio
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Voria, Gianmario
Lambiase, Stefano
Schiavone, Maria Concetta
Catolino, Gemma
Palomba, Fabio
author_facet Voria, Gianmario
Lambiase, Stefano
Schiavone, Maria Concetta
Catolino, Gemma
Palomba, Fabio
contents As the adoption of machine learning (ML) systems continues to grow across industries, concerns about fairness and bias in these systems have taken center stage. Fairness toolkits, designed to mitigate bias in ML models, serve as critical tools for addressing these ethical concerns. However, their adoption in the context of software development remains underexplored, especially regarding the cognitive and behavioral factors driving their usage. As a deeper understanding of these factors could be pivotal in refining tool designs and promoting broader adoption, this study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of fairness toolkits from an individual perspective. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), we examined the factors shaping the intention to adopt and actual use of fairness toolkits. Specifically, we employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from a survey study involving practitioners in the software industry. Our findings reveal that performance expectancy and habit are the primary drivers of fairness toolkit adoption. These insights suggest that by emphasizing the effectiveness of these tools in mitigating bias and fostering habitual use, organizations can encourage wider adoption. Practical recommendations include improving toolkit usability, integrating bias mitigation processes into routine development workflows, and providing ongoing support to ensure professionals see clear benefits from regular use.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_13846
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From Expectation to Habit: Why Do Software Practitioners Adopt Fairness Toolkits?
Voria, Gianmario
Lambiase, Stefano
Schiavone, Maria Concetta
Catolino, Gemma
Palomba, Fabio
Software Engineering
Artificial Intelligence
As the adoption of machine learning (ML) systems continues to grow across industries, concerns about fairness and bias in these systems have taken center stage. Fairness toolkits, designed to mitigate bias in ML models, serve as critical tools for addressing these ethical concerns. However, their adoption in the context of software development remains underexplored, especially regarding the cognitive and behavioral factors driving their usage. As a deeper understanding of these factors could be pivotal in refining tool designs and promoting broader adoption, this study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of fairness toolkits from an individual perspective. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), we examined the factors shaping the intention to adopt and actual use of fairness toolkits. Specifically, we employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from a survey study involving practitioners in the software industry. Our findings reveal that performance expectancy and habit are the primary drivers of fairness toolkit adoption. These insights suggest that by emphasizing the effectiveness of these tools in mitigating bias and fostering habitual use, organizations can encourage wider adoption. Practical recommendations include improving toolkit usability, integrating bias mitigation processes into routine development workflows, and providing ongoing support to ensure professionals see clear benefits from regular use.
title From Expectation to Habit: Why Do Software Practitioners Adopt Fairness Toolkits?
topic Software Engineering
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.13846