Last June, Antonio Radić, the host of a YouTube chess channel with more than a million subscribers, was live-streaming an interview with the grandm

Why a YouTube Chat About Chess Got Flagged for Hate Speech

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2021-07-22 01:30:04

Last June, Antonio Radić, the host of a YouTube chess channel with more than a million subscribers, was live-streaming an interview with the grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura when the broadcast suddenly cut out.

Instead of a lively discussion about chess openings, famous games, and iconic players, viewers were told Radić’s video had been removed for “harmful and dangerous” content. Radić saw a message stating that the video, which included nothing more scandalous than a discussion of the King’s Indian Defense, had violated YouTube’s community guidelines. It remained offline for 24 hours.

Exactly what happened still isn’t clear. YouTube declined to comment beyond saying that removing Radić’s video was a mistake. But a new study suggests it reflects shortcomings in artificial intelligence programs designed to automatically detect hate speech, abuse, and misinformation online.

Ashique KhudaBukhsh, a project scientist who specializes in AI at Carnegie Mellon University and a serious chess player himself, wondered if YouTube’s algorithm may have been confused by discussions involving black and white pieces, attacks, and defenses.