It was supposed to be groundbreaking. When New York City’s task force to develop policy on algorithm technologies was introduced two years ago, it was praised as a beacon of transparent and equitable government. It was supposed to inform other policymakers grappling with how to address their own use of automated technologies that make decisions in place of humans.
But for all its good intentions, the effort was bogged down in a bureaucratic morass. The task force failed at even completing a first necessary step in its work: getting access to basic information about automated systems already in use, according to task force members and observers.
“The fact they were unable to even get information about what tools the city was using is very problematic,” said Deirdre Mulligan, associate professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information. Algorithmic tools “in and of themselves embed really significant policy choices.” A spokesman for New York City did not respond to an inquiry about why the task force did not provide a catalog of automated systems.
A shadow report published last week in response to the initiative has issued a stark warning cry about “the limitations of existing bureaucratic procedures” to tackle automated decisions.
Cities use algorithmic and automated technologies to make all sorts of decisions, from determining where kids are sent to school, to deciding whether someone should be released on bail before a criminal trial.
But thus far, there have been few protections to ensure these technologies are making fair decisions. And early experiences with AI tools have shown that they can be cat ..
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