The New York City Council voted 38-4 on November 10, 2021 to pass a bill that would require hiring vendors to conduct annual bias audits of artificial intelligence (AI) use in the city’s processes and tools. Companies using AI-generated resources will be responsible for disclosing to job applicants how the technology was used in the hiring process, and must allow candidates options for alternative approaches such as having a person process their application instead. For the first time, a city the size of New York will impose fines for undisclosed or biased AI use, charging up to $1,500 per violation on employers and vendors. Lapsing into law without outgoing Mayor DeBlasio’s signature, the legislation is now set to take effect in 2023. It is a telling move in how government has started to crack down on AI use in hiring processes and foreshadows what other cities may do to combat AI-generated bias and discrimination.
In recent years, companies have accelerated AI deployment in their hiring processes. As the economy recovers from the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and the ensuing “Great Resignation,” emerging technologies like AI have helped companies streamline mass hiring, while reducing some operational costs. But in the rush to deploy new technological tools, hiring professionals have not adequately addressed the intended and unintended consequences of increased AI usage, including the systematized biases that machine learning algorithms may perpetuate...
The Department of Health and Human Services capped off a week of intensive anti-fraud activity with the launching of a six-month healthcare False Claims Act self-disclosure pilot program in partne...