According to AP Newsthe US Department of Justice is sounding the alarm about of an increasingly discriminatory practice : recruitment by artificial intelligence. Such tools could violate the anti-discrimination law established in the country.
The government is leading an anti-discrimination campaign
Along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the United States Department of Justice has just warned most employers nationwide that the hiring and productivity systems fueled by artificial intelligence may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (the anti-discrimination law). These technologies, acclaimed by companies, could discriminate against people with disabilities by unfairly rejecting job candidates.
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According to the Commission, artificial intelligence would bias recruitment, by asking for sensitive or even illegal information. These same tools, used in companies with employees, limit salary increases and promotions for people with disabilities. As a result, government agencies have released documents outlining the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and offering assistance for improve the fairness of artificial intelligence systems At work.
Will American companies play the game?
In particular, the Department of Justice is asking American companies to ensure that their artificial intelligence tools do not widen inequalities, that they allow “reasonable accommodation”. The ministry also suggests that employers consider how their automated tools can interfere with the daily lives of people with various disabilities and find solutions to remedy them.
However, there is no guarantee that companies will follow this advice in order to apply a non-discrimination policy. This note nevertheless comes in a context of growing pressure on businesses to temper their use of artificial intelligence, at least for recruiting and tracking workers.
California recently enacted a productivity quota law banning algorithms that violate regulations in health, labor and safety, or which lead to the dismissal of people who fail to meet quotas. New York City, meanwhile, is now requiring AI hiring systems to pass annual audits looking for any discrimination.