From Expectation to Habit: Why Do Software Practitioners Adopt Fairness Toolkits?
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.
Wed 30 AprDisplayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change
16:00 - 17:45 | Human and Social 1SE in Society (SEIS) / SE In Practice (SEIP) at 206 plus 208 Chair(s): Yvonne Dittrich IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
16:00 15mTalk | Systematizing Inclusive Design in MOSIP: An Experience Report SE In Practice (SEIP) Soumiki Chattopadhyay Oregon State University, Amreeta Chatterjee Oregon State University, Puja Agarwal Oregon State University, Bianca Trinkenreich Colorado State University, Swarathmika Kumar MOSIP-IIIT Bangalore, Rohit Ranjan Rai MOSIP-IIIT Bangalore, Resham Chugani MOSIP-IIIT Bangalore, Pragya Kumari MOSIP-IIIT Bangalore, Margaret Burnett Oregon State University, Anita Sarma Oregon State University Pre-print | ||
16:15 15mTalk | A Collaborative Framework for Cross-Domain Scientific Experiments for Society 5.0 SE in Society (SEIS) Muhammad Mainul Hossain University of Saskatchewan, Banani Roy University of Saskatchewan, Chanchal K. Roy University of Saskatchewan, Kevin Schneider University of Saskatchewan | ||
16:30 15mTalk | A First Look at AI Trends in Value-Aligned Software Engineering Publications: Human-LLM Insights SE in Society (SEIS) Ahmad Azarnik Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Davoud Mougouei , Mahdi Fahmideh University of Southern Queensland, Elahe Mougouei Islamic Azad University Najafabad, Hoa Khanh Dam University of Wollongong, Arif Ali Khan University of Oulu, Saima Rafi Edinburgh Napier University, Javed Ali Khan University of Hertforshire Hertfordshire, UK, Aakash Ahmad School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany Link to publication | ||
16:45 15mTalk | From Expectation to Habit: Why Do Software Practitioners Adopt Fairness Toolkits? SE in Society (SEIS) Gianmario Voria University of Salerno, Stefano Lambiase University of Salerno, Maria Concetta Schiavone University of Salerno, Gemma Catolino University of Salerno, Fabio Palomba University of Salerno Pre-print | ||
17:00 15mTalk | Not real or too soft? On the challenges of publishing interdisciplinary software engineering research SE in Society (SEIS) Sonja Hyrynsalmi LUT University, Grischa Liebel Reykjavik University, Ronnie de Souza Santos University of Calgary, Sebastian Baltes University of Bayreuth Pre-print | ||
17:15 15mTalk | What is unethical about software? User perceptions in the Netherlands SE in Society (SEIS) Yagil Elias Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Tom P Humbert Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Lauren Olson Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Emitzá Guzmán Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Pre-print |