AI Policy & Governance, Privacy & Data
CDT Testimony Before U.S. EEOC on Employment Discrimination in AI and Automated Systems
The Center for Democracy & Technology’s (CDT) Matt Scherer testified before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) January 31, 2023 meeting, entitled “Navigating Employment Discrimination in AI and Automated Systems: A New Civil Rights Frontier.“
Matt’s testimony notes the unique risks of discrimination that automated and other technology-driven selection procedures pose. It emphasizes the need for the EEOC to scrutinize employment decision tools that make decisions based on (1) personality testing, which has a particular tendency to discriminate against disabled workers, or (2) machine-learning methods that can lead the tool to focus on irrelevant and potentially discriminatory characteristics. It points to the Civil Rights Standards as a resource for future EEOC guidance and action on these issues.
