Op-ed Proposes Measures to Mitigate Bias in the Use of A.I. for Hiring

Julia Stoyanovich, an affiliate of UW Urbanalytics, is co-author of a New York Times article with Alexandra Reeve Givens and Hilke Schellmann. The opinion piece, “We Need Laws to Take On Racism and Sexism in Hiring Technology”, was published on March 17, 2021.

The article explains how the use of artificial intelligence technology for hiring, such as pre-screening job applicants for specific characteristics, can exacerbate bias against people of color, women, those with disabilities and other marginalized groups.

The authors suggest several additional measures to strengthen a proposed New York City Council bill that would require vendors that sell automated assessment tools to audit them for bias and discrimination. The recommendations include requiring vendors to tell candidates how they will be screened by an automated tool in advance, expanding the scope of the bill to all automated hiring tools used within the city, and requiring public disclosure of audit results.

Stoyanovich is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Tandon School of Engineering, and the Center for Data Science, at New York University. Givens is the chief executive of the Center for Democracy & Technology. Schellmann is a reporter investigating artificial intelligence and an assistant professor of journalism at New York University.

The full article can be read here.