The Federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has posted a request for information (RFI) and comment focused on the commission’s draft strategic enforcement plan for 2023-2027, including the plan’s aims to combat technology-driven hiring discrimination.
The plan covers a wide range of EEOC aims, but on the technology front the commission is looking to reduce hiring discrimination that stems from the use of algorithms and other technologies.
In the lengthy planning document, EEOC outlines goals to combat discriminatory hiring actions that may arise through “software that incorporates algorithmic decision-making or machine learning, including artificial intelligence; use of automated recruitment, selection, or production and performance management tools; or other existing or emerging technological tools used in employment decisions.”
In laying out that goal, the agency notes an increase in the “use of automated systems, including artificial intelligence or machine learning, to target job advertisements, recruit applicants, and make or assist in hiring decisions.”
EEOC has broached the issue before, including through the release of a guidance in May 2022 that addressed concerns surrounding the use of these software tools in the context of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The agency is seeking public comment on the draft plan by Feb. 9.
