When AI goes too far

New York’s city council recently passed a bill (38-4) that aims to reign in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the employee hiring process. Accordingly, the bill would “require that a bias audit be conducted on an automated employment decision tool prior to the use of said tool.” The bill also requires that companies evaluating their employees via AI provide such notice to those applicants. Passed on November 10, the bill has yet to be signed into law, and time is running out with the current mayor Bill De Blasio set to leave office at the end of the year. Even if signed, the law would only come into effect in 2023.

New York is not the only U.S. governmental body interested in this area. Last month, the White House proposed a technology Bill of Rights designed to limit the potential harms associated with artificial intelligence, including technologies like facial recognition that are used in some AI hiring processes.

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