arXiv:2601.19035cs.LG2026-01

揭示统计均等与平等机会在不同群体基数下存在冲突,指导公平算法设计权衡。

Unravelling the (In)compatibility of Statistical-Parity and Equalized-Odds

  • 分析敏感群体基数差异如何导致统计均等与平等机会不可兼得
  • 指出在基数不平衡时强制统计均等可能违背平等机会原则
  • 建议在应用统计均等前先检验基数平衡性,适合政策制定者与算法设计者

在数据与算法系统中实现公平性的关键挑战在于采用合适的公平度量。统计均等(Statistical-Parity)不依赖真实标签,适用于实际场景中的公平性评估,已被广泛用于法律和专业框架。而平等机会(Equalized-Odds)需依赖可靠的真实标签,在实践中常难以满足。本文分析了二者在敏感群体基率差异下的关系,揭示基率不平衡如何导致两者的不相容性。研究为实际设计中权衡两者提供依据,并呼吁在采纳统计均等前审查基率平衡性,推动现有实践与法律框架优化。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

A key challenge in employing data, algorithms and data-driven systems is to adhere to the principle of fairness and justice. Statistical fairness measures belong to an important category of technical/formal mechanisms for detecting fairness issues in data and algorithms. In this contribution we study the relations between two types of statistical fairness measures namely Statistical-Parity and Equalized-Odds. The Statistical-Parity measure does not rely on having ground truth, i.e., (objectively) labeled target attributes. This makes Statistical-Parity a suitable measure in practice for assessing fairness in data and data classification algorithms. Therefore, Statistical-Parity is adopted in many legal and professional frameworks for assessing algorithmic fairness. The Equalized-Odds measure, on the contrary, relies on having (reliable) ground-truth, which is not always feasible in practice. Nevertheless, there are several situations where the Equalized-Odds definition should be satisfied to enforce false prediction parity among sensitive social groups. We present a novel analyze of the relation between Statistical-Parity and Equalized-Odds, depending on the base-rates of sensitive groups. The analysis intuitively shows how and when base-rate imbalance causes incompatibility between Statistical-Parity and Equalized-Odds measures. As such, our approach provides insight in (how to make design) trade-offs between these measures in practice. Further, based on our results, we plea for examining base-rate (im)balance and investigating the possibility of such an incompatibility before enforcing or relying on the Statistical-Parity criterion. The insights provided, we foresee, may trigger initiatives to improve or adjust the current practice and/or the existing legal frameworks.

公平算法统计均等基率偏差

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