NYC Creates a High-Level Position To Oversee Ethics In AI

New York City has created a position primarily to ensure that there are no biases in AI and other algorithms. Engadget reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued an executive order creating a position for an Algorithms Management and Policy Officer. Whoever holds the position will work within the Mayor’s Office of Operations and serve as both an architect for algorithm guidelines and a go-to resource for algorithm policy. This person will make sure that city algorithms live up to principle of “equity, fairness and accountability,” the Mayor’s office said. The officer will have the help of advisory and steering committees that will respectively draw on appointed public members and city officials to “drive the conversation” around algorithms. To put it another way, the algorithms officer should have a better understanding of how algorithms apply in the real world. It’s not yet clear who will take the position.