New York City mayor Bill de Paul has signed into law the first - ever US bill examining algorithmic bias . The bill allows for a task force to be appointed looking into how the city 's justice system uses technology . The legislation was sparked by a 2016 investigation by ProPublica into systemic digital bias among judicial risk management programmes , favouring the release of white inmates over black counterparts . New York City has unanimously passed a bill that will attempt to provide transparency to the way that city government agencies use algorithms. Bernard Harcourt , a law professor at Columbia University said the bill was a " critical first step " toward transparency and greater fairness within the criminal justice system , but more needs to be done .
New York City mayor Bill de Paul has signed into law the first - ever US bill examining algorithmic bias . The bill allows for a task force to be appointed looking into how the city 's justice system uses technology . The legislation was sparked by a 2016 investigation by ProPublica into systemic digital bias among judicial risk management programmes , favouring the release of white inmates over black counterparts . Bernard Harcourt , a law professor at Columbia University said the bill was a " critical first step " toward transparency and greater fairness within the criminal justice system , but more needs to be done .