# Fairness Definitions > [!metadata]- Metadata > **Published:** [[2025-02-09|Feb 09, 2025]] > **Tags:** #🌐 #learning-in-public #artificial-intelligence #ethical-ai #bias-mitigation #cognitive-science #justice-system #social-impact Fairness in AI lacks a universally accepted definition, leading to various interpretations and approaches. Understanding these different definitions is crucial for developing ethical AI systems. ## Key Fairness Concepts 1. [[Distributive Justice]] - Focuses on the equitable allocation of resources among diverse members of a community 2. [[Procedural Justice]] - Emphasizes the fairness of the processes that lead to outcomes 3. [[Equality of Opportunity]] vs [[Equality of Outcome]] - Different approaches to achieving fairness 4. [[Fairness Through Unawareness]] - Excluding sensitive attributes from decision-making 5. [[Group Fairness]] vs [[Individual Fairness]] - Different levels of fairness consideration ## Challenges in Implementation - **Trade-offs**: Implementing one fairness criterion may compromise another - **Context Dependency**: Fairness requirements vary based on application domain - **Stakeholder Perspectives**: Different stakeholders may have varying views on what constitutes fairness ## Reconciliation Strategies 1. **Multi-Stakeholder Engagement**: Involving diverse perspectives in design process 2. **Transparent Documentation**: Clear documentation of chosen fairness definitions and rationale 3. **Dynamic Evaluation**: Continuous assessment and updating of fairness criteria ## Applications in AI Systems Fairness definitions guide the development of: - [[Bias Mitigation Techniques]] - [[Adversarial Debiasing]] - Fairness metrics and evaluation criteria - Regulatory frameworks and guidelines ## Real-World Examples - [[COMPAS Algorithm Case Study]] - Illustrates challenges in implementing fairness in criminal justice - [[Workday AI Discrimination Case]] - Shows importance of fairness in employment [Learn more about reconciling different fairness definitions](@https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3278721.3278779)