New York will tackle unfair biases in automated city services

Whether we're aware of them or not, algorithms affect a huge part of our lives. Now, in a US-first, New York is taking steps to address potential algorithmic biases in services provided by municipal agencies. City council has passed a bill that would -- if signed by Mayor de Blasio -- create a task force to examine if and how service algorithms are biased, how citizens can appeal decisions made by algorithms if they feel they're unfair, and if agency source code could be made publicly available. "Automated decision systems" are responsible for determining outcomes on a wide range of city/citizen matters. Take eligibility for bail, for example.