On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (“DOJ”), and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a “Joint Statement on Enforcement Efforts Against Discrimination and Bias in Automated System” (“Joint Statement”).  According to a press release from the EEOC, by the Joint Statement, the federal agencies pledged to uphold America’s commitment to the core principles of fairness, equality, and justice as emerging automated systems, including those sometimes marketed as “artificial intelligence,” or “AI,” become increasingly common in people’s daily lives – impacting civil rights, fair competition, consumer protection, and equal opportunity.

The EEOC, CFPB, DOJ, and FTC have previously expressed concerns about potentially harmful uses of automated systems.  While the Joint Statement does not indicate future regulatory action, all four agencies resolved to vigorously enforce their collective existing legal authorities and to monitor the development and use of automated systems.  The Joint Statement does not otherwise identify any specific actions the agencies will take regarding their respective future “enforcement efforts.”

Companies using or considering using automated systems for employment related purposes should view the Joint Statement as further confirmation that federal agencies, including the EEOC, CFPB, DOJ, and FTC, will continue scrutinizing automated systems and AI used in the workplace, to ensure that they do not discriminate against employees based on their legally protected characteristics or status.  Accordingly, before implementing workplace automated systems and AI, companies should affirmatively take steps to make sure that the tools are compliant with the laws enforced by the EEOC, CFPB, DOJ, and FTC, as well as the current and emerging state and local laws.

Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. will continue to monitor and report on developments in this rapidly developing area of the law.

Back to Workforce Bulletin Blog

Search This Blog

Blog Editors

Authors

Related Services

Topics

Archives

Jump to Page

Subscribe

Sign up to receive an email notification when new Workforce Bulletin posts are published:

Privacy Preference Center

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.