FeedbackLogs: Recording and Incorporating Stakeholder Feedback into Machine Learning Pipelines

Matthew Barker, Emma Kallina, Dhananjay Ashok, Katherine M. Collins, Ashley Casovan, Adrian Weller, Ameet Talwalkar, Valerie Chen, Umang Bhatt

Abstract: As machine learning (ML) pipelines affect an increasing array of stakeholders, there is a growing need for documenting how input from stakeholders is recorded and incorporated. We propose FeedbackLogs, addenda to existing documentation of ML pipelines, to track the input of multiple stakeholders. Each log records important details about the feedback collection process, the feedback itself, and how the feedback is used to update the ML pipeline. In this paper, we introduce and formalise a process for collecting a FeedbackLog. We also provide concrete use cases where FeedbackLogs can be employed as evidence for algorithmic auditing and as a tool to record updates based on stakeholder feedback.