AI and “Automated Employment Decision Tools” – Frequently Asked Questions

 

Does Indeed offer Automated Employment Decision Tools regulated by New York City’s Local Law 144?

How does Indeed use AI on the site?

What measures does Indeed take to use AI responsibly?

Local Law 144 regulates “Automated Employment Decision Tools,” which are defined in that law. This is not legal advice, and users are advised to consult counsel about their obligations under Local Law 144. 

We do not consider any of our offerings to be “Automated Employment Decision Tools.” On Indeed, anyone can apply to any job, and any employer can hire any candidate. (As discussed in our Terms of Service, however, we reserve the right to monitor activity on the Site and to not pass on or deliver messages or communications that may be malicious, spam, fraudulent, or unwanted, or for any other reason.) 

Employers have a responsibility to review all applications to their jobs and make employment decisions. We offer functionality that groups candidates based on whether they meet or may meet employers’ criteria, based on text in their resumes or answers to screener questions, and we offer employers the ability to set up calls or send messages to applicants who meet their criteria automatically as well, but in any case employers can view all applicants at all times and make their own decisions. (Note: Indeed’s offerings may be different in different markets, and the functionality described above may vary outside the United States.)

Indeed also offers employers the option to set screening questions for job seekers (such as “deal breakers”) in which case the employer may instruct Indeed to send rejection notices to candidates that answer the employer’s questions incorrectly. These candidates are still available to the employer, however, and a human, not a computer, sets the screening question and the correct answer.

While “Automated Employment Decision Tools” are defined in New York City’s Local Law 144, there is no single agreed-upon definition of “AI” and not all “AI” is an “Automated Employment Decision Tool”.

Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs. To do so, job seekers and employers must be able to easily and quickly find one another, connect over potential employment opportunities, and be equipped with information and recommendations that may be helpful in determining if a job seeker and employer are a good match for one another.

Doing this at Indeed’s scale requires using a variety of software, automation, and algorithms — some of which could be considered AI depending on the definition being used.  The exact models, algorithms, and procedures used vary and change as Indeed continues to innovate. Personalizing experiences, returning relevant search results, improving matches, and making the job search and hiring process faster and simpler require doing so. Indeed invests in these and other areas and will continue to develop and deploy solutions toward furthering these and other goals that make finding a job and finding the right candidate for a job better.

However, Indeed does not make employment decisions or determine candidates’ eligibility for employment for a job.

Indeed is committed to enabling a fair and inclusive hiring process for job seekers and employers. Our cross-functional AI Ethics team evaluates fairness and promotes responsible integration of AI into Indeed’s offerings. For more information, see Indeed’s Responsible AI Principles.