The New York City Council passed a bill aimed at addressing algorithmic bias by assuring greater transparency and understanding of how algorithms are used by the city's various agencies, according to an American Civil Liberties Union post. The legislation will usher in the creation of a task force to oversee the use of algorithms and provide recommendations on how algorithms should be made public, how to identify bias, and how to assess the impact of a known bias. The bill, which is the first of its kind, is expected to be signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The ACLU has said it will continue to monitor the development of the bill and the task force, adding, “Algorithms are not inherently evil. … But without transparency and a clear plan to address their flaws, they might do more harm than good.”
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