Meta and IBM are joining the Data & Trust Alliance, a corporate-backed group that has developed an evaluation it hopes will combat bias in artificial intelligence systems that are used in hiring and employment decisions.
The group — which launched Wednesday and also includes Deloitte, Mastercard, Walmart and other major companies — has developed a 55-point questionnaire, according to the New York Times.
The alliance was put together by former chief executives of American Express and IBM, the Times reported. Through the evaluation, the alliance aims to identify discrimination in resume-screening and other algorithms companies are using in employment.
Alongside areas like access to finance, housing and education, discrimination in hiring is a major concern with regard to AI systems, both because of legal exposure if bias exists in these sensitive areas and the reality that the algorithms train on data about job decisions that have often benefitted white men over others, historically.
Even as companies, which are wary of regulation, try to show they're on top of the issue, policymakers are also signaling it'll be a major concern of theirs. In November, for instance, the New York City Council passed a bill requiring companies that sell AI technologies for hiring to obtain audits assessing the potential for discrimination against job candidates.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE