What New York City Wants in an Algorithm Officer

New York City is hiring. The city earlier this month unveiled a description of its new Algorithms Management Policy Officer role. But some worry the creation of a procedural position forced to maneuver within an arguably flawed bureaucratic structure only perpetuates the city's imperfect approach to developing policy for government AI use. "It appears this role will simply provide a rubber stamp to current and future use of [Automated Decision Systems] without evaluating or even attempting to address known concerns with ADS currently used by city agencies," Rashida Richardson, director of policy research at the AI Now Institute at NYU and a critic of the city's task force, told RedTail. "This role is unique in urban governance and is intended to help provide protocols and information about the systems and tools City agencies use to make decisions," the city said in a statement.