Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Fairness Initiative

In 2021, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Charlotte A. Burrows launched an agency-wide initiative to ensure that the use of software, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and other emerging technologies used in hiring and other employment decisions comply with the federal civil rights laws that the EEOC enforces.

While AI systems may offer new opportunities for employers, they also have the potential to discriminate.

Through the initiative, the EEOC will examine more closely how existing and developing technologies fundamentally change the ways employment decisions are made. The initiative’s goal is to guide employers, employees, job applicants, and vendors to ensure that these technologies are used fairly and consistently with federal equal employment opportunity laws.

As part of the initiative, the EEOC will:

• Issue technical assistance to provide guidance on algorithmic fairness and the use of AI in employment decisions;
• Identify promising practices;
• Hold listening sessions with key stakeholders about algorithmic tools and their employment ramifications; and
• Gather information about the adoption, design, and impact of hiring and other employment-related technologies.