I would say fairness is when people have peace with the outcome. If the mechanism behind an algorithm cannot be easily explained, then the outcome will be dispu

I would say fairness is when people have peace with the outcome. If the mechanism behind an algorithm cannot be easily explained, then the outcome will be disputed. That is why I think fancy ML algorithms will never be considered fair. Note that fairness and equality are not the same thing. For example, what is the most fair way to share one cake among two people? First person cuts, second person chooses. It's unlikely that the cake is equally divided, but neither can object the outcome, if they agreed with the mechanism beforehand.