UK Watchdog to Investigate Possible Recruitment Discrimination by Artificial Intelligence

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) responsible for data protection will investigate whether artificial intelligence used by employers for staff recruitment discredits ethnic minorities or other groups of population in the country, a spokeswoman for the watchdog said on Thursday.

"We will be investigating concerns over the use of algorithms to sift recruitment applications, which could be negatively impacting employment opportunities of those from diverse backgrounds," the spokeswoman said, as quoted by the Guardian.

Any possible bias by artificial intelligence systems is likely to result in "damaging consequences for people's lives," given that some people may be rejected for a job, loan or social benefit without objective ground, the ICO representative said, according to the media outlet.

The check of algorithms will reportedly take place amid increasing fears that they are adversely affecting job opportunities for certain groups of people.

The investigation will be announced by John Edwards, the country's new information commissioner, later on Thursday as part of his three-year plan for the ICO, the Guardian cited the spokeswoman as saying. Edwards will officially confirm the ICO's plans to study "the impact AI use could be having on groups of people who aren't part of the testing for this software, such as neurodiverse people or people from ethnic minorities," according to the ICO representative.

In 2021, the UK data watchdog expressed concerns that algorithms used by artificial intelligence may accidentally or deliberately produce results that discredit certain groups of people, which directly violates the 2010 UK Equality Act, protecting individuals from a bias by both other people and automated systems.