AB 1018 backs up Mobley discrimination lawsuit

Sacramento, CAOn June 2, California’s Automated Decisions Safety Act (AB 1018), passed the Assembly and moved on to Senate committee consideration. The bill is designed to protect employees, applicants for employment and consumers from AI-driven discrimination banned by federal law and the California Labor Code. The problem is also at the heart of Mobley v. Workday, Inc., a class action lawsuit in the Northern District of California.

AB 1018 is now part of a multi-front effort to address the invisible bias that can be buried in an algorithm. This issue has been raised and shot down a few times. Maybe this time now?

What’s the problem with automated decision-making systems?

The use of automated decision systems (ADS) has become part of Californian's daily lives – in areas such as housing, employment, and even in criminal justice sentencing and probation decisions. The good news is that ADS can make decision making faster and may produce more consistent results.

However, according to the bill’s author, the algorithms that power these systems are often vulnerable to issues such as unrepresentative data, faulty classifications and flawed design. These shortcomings can result in biased, discriminatory, or unfair outcomes. Rather than solving systemic problems, poorly designed ADS can hurt the people they are meant to help.

Real people

Derek Mobley puts a human face on the problem.

Mobley is an African American man, over the age...

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