Yet another algorithmic bias: A Discursive Analysis of Large Language Models Reinforcing Dominant Discourses on Gender and Race

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bonil, Gustavo, Hashiguti, Simone, Silva, Jhessica, Gondim, João, Maia, Helena, Silva, Nádia, Pedrini, Helio, Avila, Sandra
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866916898385428480
author Bonil, Gustavo
Hashiguti, Simone
Silva, Jhessica
Gondim, João
Maia, Helena
Silva, Nádia
Pedrini, Helio
Avila, Sandra
author_facet Bonil, Gustavo
Hashiguti, Simone
Silva, Jhessica
Gondim, João
Maia, Helena
Silva, Nádia
Pedrini, Helio
Avila, Sandra
contents With the advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLMs) have gained prominence and been applied in diverse contexts. As they evolve into more sophisticated versions, it is essential to assess whether they reproduce biases, such as discrimination and racialization, while maintaining hegemonic discourses. Current bias detection approaches rely mostly on quantitative, automated methods, which often overlook the nuanced ways in which biases emerge in natural language. This study proposes a qualitative, discursive framework to complement such methods. Through manual analysis of LLM-generated short stories featuring Black and white women, we investigate gender and racial biases. We contend that qualitative methods such as the one proposed here are fundamental to help both developers and users identify the precise ways in which biases manifest in LLM outputs, thus enabling better conditions to mitigate them. Results show that Black women are portrayed as tied to ancestry and resistance, while white women appear in self-discovery processes. These patterns reflect how language models replicate crystalized discursive representations, reinforcing essentialization and a sense of social immobility. When prompted to correct biases, models offered superficial revisions that maintained problematic meanings, revealing limitations in fostering inclusive narratives. Our results demonstrate the ideological functioning of algorithms and have significant implications for the ethical use and development of AI. The study reinforces the need for critical, interdisciplinary approaches to AI design and deployment, addressing how LLM-generated discourses reflect and perpetuate inequalities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_10304
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Yet another algorithmic bias: A Discursive Analysis of Large Language Models Reinforcing Dominant Discourses on Gender and Race
Bonil, Gustavo
Hashiguti, Simone
Silva, Jhessica
Gondim, João
Maia, Helena
Silva, Nádia
Pedrini, Helio
Avila, Sandra
Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
With the advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLMs) have gained prominence and been applied in diverse contexts. As they evolve into more sophisticated versions, it is essential to assess whether they reproduce biases, such as discrimination and racialization, while maintaining hegemonic discourses. Current bias detection approaches rely mostly on quantitative, automated methods, which often overlook the nuanced ways in which biases emerge in natural language. This study proposes a qualitative, discursive framework to complement such methods. Through manual analysis of LLM-generated short stories featuring Black and white women, we investigate gender and racial biases. We contend that qualitative methods such as the one proposed here are fundamental to help both developers and users identify the precise ways in which biases manifest in LLM outputs, thus enabling better conditions to mitigate them. Results show that Black women are portrayed as tied to ancestry and resistance, while white women appear in self-discovery processes. These patterns reflect how language models replicate crystalized discursive representations, reinforcing essentialization and a sense of social immobility. When prompted to correct biases, models offered superficial revisions that maintained problematic meanings, revealing limitations in fostering inclusive narratives. Our results demonstrate the ideological functioning of algorithms and have significant implications for the ethical use and development of AI. The study reinforces the need for critical, interdisciplinary approaches to AI design and deployment, addressing how LLM-generated discourses reflect and perpetuate inequalities.
title Yet another algorithmic bias: A Discursive Analysis of Large Language Models Reinforcing Dominant Discourses on Gender and Race
topic Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10304