Towards Effective Human Intervention in Algorithmic Decision-Making

Understanding the Effect of Decision-Makers' Configuration on Decision-Subjects' Fairness Perceptions

Conference Paper (2025)
Author(s)

Mireia Yurrita (TU Delft - Perceptual Intelligence)

Himanshu Verma (TU Delft - Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence)

Agathe Balayn (TU Delft - Organisation & Governance)

Ujwal Gadiraju (TU Delft - Web Information Systems)

Sylvia C. Pont (TU Delft - Perceptual Intelligence)

Alessandro Bozzon (TU Delft - Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence)

DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713145 Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2025
Language
English
Article number
1028
Publisher
ACM
ISBN (electronic)
979-8-4007-1394-1
Event
Downloads counter
256
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Abstract

Human intervention is claimed to safeguard decision-subjects’ rights in algorithmic decision-making and contribute to their fairness perceptions. However, how decision-subjects perceive hybrid decision-maker configurations (i.e., combining humans and algorithms) is unclear. We address this gap through a mixed-methods study in an algorithmic policy enforcement context. Through qualitative interviews (Study 1; N1 = 21), we identify three characteristics (i.e., decision-maker’s profile, model type, input data provenance) that affect how decision-subjects perceive decision-makers’ ability, benevolence, and integrity (ABI). Through a quantitative study (Study 2; N2 = 223), we then systematically evaluate the individual and combined effects of these characteristics on decision-subjects’ perceptions towards decision-makers, and fairness perceptions. We found that only decision-maker’s profile contributes to perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity. Interestingly, the effect of decision-maker’s profile on fairness perceptions was mediated by perceived ability and integrity. Our findings have design implications for ensuring effective human intervention as a protection against harmful algorithmic decisions.