Day: June 30, 2021

Law Commission of Ontario on The Rise and Fall of Algorithms in American Criminal Justice: Lessons for Canada

The Law Commission of Ontario has posted “The Rise and Fall of Algorithms in American Criminal Justice: Lessons for Canada” on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms are often referred to as “weapons of math destruction.” Many systems are also credibly described as “a sophisticated form of racial profiling.” These views are widespread in many current discussions of AI and algorithms.
The Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) Issue Paper, The Rise and Fall of Algorithms in American Criminal Justice: Lessons for Canada, is the first of three LCO Issue Papers considering AI and algorithms in the Canadian justice system. The paper provides an important first look at the potential use and regulation of AI and algorithms in Canadian criminal proceedings. The paper identifies important legal, policy and practical issues and choices that Canadian policymakers and justice stakeholders should consider before these technologies are widely adopted in this country.

Levy, Chasalow & Riley on Algorithms and Decision-Making in the Public Sector

Karen Levy (Cornell University), Kyla Chasalow (University of Oxford), and Sarah Riley (Cornell University) have posted “Algorithms and Decision-Making in the Public Sector” (Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Vol. 17 (2021)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

This article surveys the use of algorithmic systems to support decision-making in the public sector. Governments adopt, procure, and use algorithmic systems to support their functions within several contexts—including criminal justice, education, and benefits provision—with important consequences for accountability, privacy, social inequity, and public participation in decision-making. We explore the social implications of municipal algorithmic systems across a variety of stages, including problem formulation, technology acquisition, deployment, and evaluation. We highlight several open questions that require further empirical research.