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U.S. NEWS Friday 13 May 2022
U.S. civil rights enforcers warn employers against biased AI

By MATT O'BRIEN ministration to foster posi-
The federal government tive advancements in AI
said Thursday that artificial technology while reining in
intelligence technology to opaque and largely unreg-
screen new job candidates ulated AI tools that are be-
or monitor worker produc- ing used to make important
tivity can unfairly discrimi- decisions about people's
nate against people with lives.
disabilities, sending a warn- "We totally recognize that
ing to employers that the there's enormous poten-
commonly used hiring tools tial to streamline things,"
could violate civil rights said Charlotte Burrows,
laws. chair of the EEOC, which
The U.S. Justice Department is responsible for enforc-
and the Equal Employment ing laws against workplace
Opportunity Commission discrimination. "But we
jointly issued guidance to cannot let these tools be-
employers to take care be- come a high-tech path to
fore using popular algorith- discrimination." A scholar
mic tools meant to stream- who has researched bias in
line the work of evaluating AI hiring tools said holding
employees and job pros- employers accountable
pects — but which could for the tools they use is a
also potentially run afoul of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke speaks at a news conference at the De- "great first step," but added
the Americans with Disabili- partment of Justice in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. that more work is needed
ties Act. Associated Press to rein in the vendors that
"We are sounding an alarm make these tools. Doing
regarding the dangers tied AI tools were resume scan- physical or mental impair- Experts have long warned so would likely be a job for
to blind reliance on AI and ners, employee monitoring ments, the officials said. that AI-based recruitment another agency, such as
other technologies that software that ranks work- Tools built to automatically tools — while often pitched the Federal Trade Commis-
we are seeing increasingly ers based on keystrokes, analyze workplace behav- as a way of eliminating sion, said Ifeoma Ajunwa, a
used by employers," Assis- game-like online tests to ior can also overlook on- human bias — can actu- University of North Carolina
tant Attorney General Kris- assess job skills and vid- the-job accommodations ally entrench bias if they're law professor and founding
ten Clarke of the depart- eo interviewing software — such as a quiet worksta- taking cues from industries director of its AI Decision-
ment's Civil Rights Division that measures a person's tion for someone with post- where racial and gen- Making Research Program.
told reporters Thursday. speech patterns or facial traumatic stress disorder or der disparities are already "There is now a recognition
"The use of AI is compound- expressions. more frequent breaks for a prevalent. of how these tools, which
ing the longstanding dis- Such technology could po- pregnancy-related disabil- The move to crack down on are usually deployed as
crimination that jobseekers tentially screen out people ity — that enable employ- the harms they can bring an anti-bias intervention,
with disabilities face." with speech impediments, ees to modify their work to people with disabilities might actually result in
Among the examples giv- severe arthritis that slows conditions to perform their reflects a broader push by more bias – while also ob-
en of popular work-related typing or a range of other jobs successfully. President Joe Biden's ad- fuscating it," Ajunwa said.q

Wind, drought combine to make western U.S. fires unstoppable

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRY- least 170 homes, but Brian Mountains were headed
AN Fennessy, chief of the Or- northeast and away from
Associated Press ange County Fire Authority, the area's biggest popula-
The flames of a northern said drought and climate tion center of Taos, a pop-
New Mexico wildfire have change have combined to ular tourist destination 40
become unstoppable as make fires that were once miles (64 kilometers) south
the largest blaze in the U.S. easy to contain extremely of the state line with Colo-
burns trees sucked dry of dangerous for people and rado.
moisture over decades of property The winds have made it
drought amid a forecast From New Mexico to Col- difficult for aircraft to fly
Thursday of more winds ex- orado and parts of the to help firefighters on the
pected to fan the blaze, Midwest, forecasters on ground, but some planes
according to wildfire fight- Thursday issued red flag managed to drop retar-
ing managers. warnings of extreme wild- dant on the blaze Wednes-
Meanwhile, winds in South- fire danger because of day despite winds gusting
ern California sent embers low humidity levels, erratic in some areas above 45 A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire
flying in the coastal com- winds and warm tempera- mph (72 kph). Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif.
munity of Laguna Niguel tures. The same combina- Some evacuation orders Associated Press
on Wednesday. More than tion of weather conditions were relaxed along the
20 homes were destroyed, have contributed over the southern flank of the fire casters said weather con- homes that have been in
many of them multimillion- last month to much worse near the town of Las Ve- ditions should improve on their families for genera-
dollar mansions. No injuries than normal spring wildfires gas, New Mexico. Friday. tions. Some evacuated res-
were reported. in the U.S. Additional crews were on The fire already has burned idents who were allowed to
The California fire was much In New Mexico, the fastest- order to join the more than through a forested land- return home Tuesday and
smaller than the New Mexi- moving flames in the south- 1,800 personnel fighting the scape held sacred by its Wednesday found only
co blaze that has burned at ern foothills of the Rocky New Mexico fire, and fore- rural residents, many losing charred rubble.q