This is the weekly Careers newsletter.
Déjà Leonard is a copywriter and freelance journalist based in Calgary.
Companies around the world are looking for different ways to use artificial intelligence to boost productivity and create operational efficiencies.
At the same time, there has been growing concern about how companies, and people in general, are using AI, and if it’s being used ethically.
Recently, New York City introduced a first-of-its-kind AI bias law. It requires businesses that use AI in the hiring process to show that the process is free of sexism and racism and they must publish the audit results.
It is a law that could affect a lot of companies. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chair Charlotte Burrows has stated that “as many as 83 per cent of employers, and as many as 90 per cent among Fortune 500 companies, are using some form of automated tools to screen or rank candidates for hiring.” Although a KPMG survey of large Canadian and U.S. companies found “overall adoption of AI among Canadian organizations is less than half of that in the U.S.”
Using technology to help recruit and hire candidates isn’t a new idea, but AI has added another layer that can increase the biases companies have been working hard to remove.
In the past, studies have shown that AI has introduced racial biases into health care algorithms. In another case, Amazon had to scrap their recruiting engine after they realized that it heavily favoured male candidates, and penalized resumes that included the word “women’s.”
Asha Palmer, senior vice-president of compliance at Skillsoft, a global online training company, has been working with companies to ensure they are compliant.
Ms. Palmer said there are similarities between the AI bias law and other privacy and protection laws like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
“In order for an organization to consider itself compliant, it must ensure proper guardrails are in place and have a process in place to monitor, test and re-evaluate the guardrails as the technology expands and impacts organizations beyond recruitment,” she said.
Ms. Palmer said that similar proposals for laws have already been appearing elsewhere. For example, the Algorithmic Accountability Act that was considered in 2022, but did not reach Congress. There have also been dozens of proposed laws that regulate AI use across the United States and some in the European Union.
As for Canadian companies and others that have yet to encounter these AI laws, “we should not wait, however, for these laws to begin incorporating proper governance into AI use within our companies,” she advised.
There are a few ways companies can get a head start so they aren’t scrambling when laws are introduced.
“I suggest companies begin with a risk assessment to identify what risks are present to them as an organization in the use and potential misuse of AI,” she said.
Companies should also consider educating their employees so they can understand AI, and the innovations and risks associated with its use.
“Establishing a sustainable, trustworthy and transparent governance structure requires shared accountability from the company and its employees,” she said.
“There are serious implications beyond fines in its misuse,” she said, suggesting companies may be adding bias to their processes.
What I’m reading around the web
- According to this Financial Post article, it’s more than just your boss who wants you back in the office. With the potential collapse of commercial real estate looming – not to mention how it’s deeply intertwined with the public’s quality of life via property taxes and foot traffic that supports businesses – many stakeholders may step in to help.
- Firing people while working from home is posing new challenges for managers. They lack established norms and guidelines, but experts offer advice in this CBC piece on how to treat virtual terminations with the same decency as you do for the in-person hiring processes.
- Looking for a little inspiration? Check out this Maclean’s list of 100 Canadians who are shaping our country this year. From sports stars to gaming tycoons and food titans, Canada is home to some incredible individuals who are making the world brighter.
- There are some nuances between preparing for an in-person interview and an online one. Listen to this podcast, or read the transcript, for advice on how to sell yourself during a video interview.
Have feedback for this newsletter? You can send us a note here.