Assembly passes law requiring disclosure of state agencies' AI used in hiring

The New York State Assembly on the floor advanced a chapter amendment requiring state agencies to disclose use of artificial intelligence tools when those tools are used in employment decision-making and to publish an inventory of such systems.

The bill, advanced on a motion by Assemblymember Otis and described by him as a follow-up to last year’s AI transparency law, assigns the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) responsibility for maintaining an inventory of AI tools used in employment decisions and for issuing guidance to agencies on how to report into that inventory.

The measure applies to AI used in employment-related decisions by state agencies, including hiring and staffing processes. Assemblymember Otis said the law will require agencies to post notice on agency websites when AI is used and make an inventory available on ITS’s site. He characterized the change as the first statutory requirement in the nation focused on state agency AI use for employment decisions.

Members asked procedural and substantive questions during debate about which tools state agencies have used in the past and how ITS will complete the inventory. Otis said the inventory has not yet been compiled because the chapter amendment was not yet in effect and that ITS will be the entity to provide that information. He added that the law’s purpose is transparency and public scrutiny, including whether AI applications are accurate or discriminatory.

Assemblymember Bluminkrans explained his vote, saying the bill improved substantially after negotiations and that he supported it while noting the need to continue clarifying language as agencies implement technology changes.

The clerk recorded the vote: ayes, 144; noes, 0. The clerk read that the act will take effect immediately.