By Clarence Williams Jr.
History has taught us many lessons, but perhaps the most valuable one is that those in power tell the version of history that they want remembered. It is this notion that brings me to the realization that there are many versions of truth in history, usually from the point of view of whatever interests it best serves.
Black history, particularly in this country, is nuanced and complex. We have struggles, and we have reached great achievements. The problem is that those achievements came out of those struggles, and it is difficult for history to tell the story while simultaneously discussing that struggle. It is like reading a book when a chapter is missing, but it doesn’t matter because we know how it ends. Those who would erase Black history would say, “What’s important is we are all here now.”
Denying one’s history is failing to acknowledge who we are as a people. In essence, it minimizes a group’s contributions while ignoring individuality and the uniqueness that makes us who we are.
There is hope, however: Artificial intelligence (AI) is here. It is supposed to take away bias and opinion, and give the facts without prejudice or compromise. But there is a problem. As an August 2024 article about AI from IBM.com said:
“Directly underneath AI, we have machine learning, which involves creating models by training an algorithm to make predictions or decisions based on data. It encompasses a broad range of techniques that enable computers to learn from and make inferences based on data without being explicitly programmed for specific tasks.”
An algorithm requires data input. We have to ask ourselves who is feeding the data to the computer. Recently, I asked AI to identify the biggest problems facing America today. Its response was:
“As of mid-2025, the biggest problems facing the United States are dominated by persistent economic anxieties and political division, according to recent public opinion polls and government analyses.”
What is important here is not just the answer, but also where the answer came from. It stated economic anxieties (a broad term that could mean anything) and political division (which has been the case ever since we had a two-party system). It also says the information came from public opinion and polls. Whose opinions and who was polled?
Microsoft founder Bill Gates published an article on Gatesnotes.com in July 2023, saying that: “Another risk with artificial intelligence is that it reflects or even worsens existing biases against people of certain gender identities, races, ethnicities, and so on.” He further stated that: “Similarly, AI models inherit whatever prejudices are baked into the text they’re trained on. If one reads a lot about, say, physicians, and the text mostly mentions male doctors, then its answers will assume that most doctors are men.”
This is why it is important for people of color to be at the forefront of AI. It is a unique opportunity to tell our story and provide information about the story we want to tell, thus changing the narrative for future generations. We have to be the data entry people; we have to represent what will be defined as intelligence. We have to contribute to the algorithm, so answers to questions will reflect a broader view. Otherwise, we are just repeating the cycle of misinformation.
AI cannot correct the wrongs of bias and discrimination by itself. In the world of social media, it can continue it or even exacerbate it. If AI is our child and our child will grow up to be independent of us, they will still be a product of how we raised them and the values we instilled in them. I think it is time for us to read the entire book and fill in the missing pages. We need to teach AI to respond to our voice, thus “writing” the wrong of a system that is conveniently blind to our causes.
Dr. Clarence Williams Jr. is a retired assistant superintendent in the New York City public school system.
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