Ensuring Artificial Intelligence Systems Used by Employers Do Not Result in Discriminatory Hiring Practices

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the safeguards to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) systems used by employers do not result in unfair or discriminatory hiring practices; and (b) what measures can be taken to ensure accountability for hiring practices and human resource decisions which are influenced by AI, including the outsourcing of human resource analytics to contractors that use AI.

The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and the upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation protect employees against workplace discrimination. If an employer intentionally uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make a discriminatory decision, the affected employee will be protected from discrimination in the workplace and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) can take action against the employer.

At the same time, the use of AI in hiring and other human resource decisions may unintentionally result in outcomes that are discriminatory. To address this risk, the Government has implemented measures to establish a trusted environment where people can have confidence that the use of AI itself does not add to the risk of discrimination in the workplace. This includes facilitating the development of Model AI Governance Frameworks to guide businesses in the development and deployment of AI and providing practical support, such as open-source testing toolkits, to validate the performance of AI systems against internationally recognised governance principles, including fairness. If certain AI systems result in discriminatory employment decisions, they can be reported to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, which will work with the employer to ensure that the use of such systems are in line with the principles of workplace fairness.