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Published

race

vr.tr.race · thing-q3254959

Let an agent discuss race as a social classification accurately and neutrally, reflect the scientific consensus, and avoid reproducing racist typologies or slurs.

Thing Registry Activities and processes ACT.EVT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Concept What race means.

Science

Consensus.

Science

Scientific consensus.

  1. What do genetics and anthropology bodies state about race? provenance
  2. How does ancestry differ from race? definition

History

Classification history.

History

History.

  1. How did racial classification develop, and how was it used? provenance
  2. Which theories are discredited? boundary
Statistics Categories in data.

Census

Categories.

Census

Census categories.

  1. Which categories does this census use, and how are they defined? provenance
  2. Are they self-identified? definition

Comparison

Across countries.

Comparison

Comparability.

  1. Can categories be compared across countries? boundary
  2. What caveats apply? boundary
Law Discrimination.

Protection

Rights.

Protection

Legal protection.

  1. Which laws prohibit racial discrimination here? provenance
  2. How can a complaint be made? action

Equality data

Monitoring.

Equality data

Equality monitoring.

  1. How is equality data collected lawfully? boundary
  2. Is it voluntary? boundary
Language Respect.

Terms

Respectful terms.

Terms

Respectful terms.

  1. Which terms do communities prefer? provenance
  2. Which are slurs to avoid? boundary

Neutrality

Balance.

Neutrality

Balanced account.

  1. Is the account neutral and evidence-based? boundary
  2. Are contested political terms attributed? boundary

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Activities and processes
Entry kind
thing
Plane
ACT
Domain
ACT.EVT
Other names and narrower kinds
race traitor, political Blackness, local race, geographical race, Giants, historical race concept, mythical humanoid race, whiteness theory, race and ethnicity in Latin America

What it is Filled

A system of categorising humans into groups based on perceived physical traits, ancestry or social identity; scientific consensus holds that races are not discrete biological categories but social constructs, while race and racism have real social and legal consequences.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent discuss race as a social classification accurately and neutrally, reflect the scientific consensus, and avoid reproducing racist typologies or slurs.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Social classification of people
  • Not supported as discrete biological categories
  • Categories vary by country and period
  • Racism causes real harm

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Present races as discrete biological categories or rank them.
  • Infer a person's race from images or data without consent.
  • Use race to deny people services, jobs or rights.
  • Generate or spread racist content.

Only with a human decision

  • Collecting race data about people.

May

  • Explain race as a social construct and summarise scientific consensus.
  • Report official statistics on race with their categories and sources.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Racial categories have been used to justify slavery, segregation and genocide.
  • Race data can protect people by revealing discrimination, or harm them if misused.

Who is affected

  • People subject to racial categorisation
  • Minority communities

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns the concept; statistical authorities define the categories they use.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q13582682 - registry parent class

related

  • classification - category
  • ethnicity and ancestry - concepts
  • racism - harm
  • anti-discrimination law - law

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.race
  • Wikidata: Q3254959 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3254959)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Census and legal categories
  • Historical race theories (discredited)
  • Ancestry and ethnicity are related but distinct
  • Not a physical object; a classification system.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain the history of racial classification
  • use census categories as defined by the source
  • apply anti-discrimination law
  • discuss ancestry with genetics sources

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Presenting discredited race science as fact
  • Reproducing slurs or offensive labels
  • Stereotyping

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
  • EU Race Equality Directive 2000/43/EC
  • National census classification standards

Context of use required Filled

  • A concept used in history, law, statistics and anti-discrimination work.
  • historical race concepts
  • census and statistical categories
  • legal categories in anti-discrimination law
  • political and self-identified categories

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q3254959: race - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Race (human categorization) - general description of the item

Open questions

  • How should census categories be linked per country?
  • How should historical concepts be marked as discredited?
  • Registry aliases include offensive or fringe terms; how should they be handled?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q3254959/spec.json