Chinese Media Raises Concerns Over AI Increasing Job Discrimination
Chinese media highlights concerns about AI increasing job discrimination, urging regulations to prevent bias and ensure ethical use in recruitment processes.
In recent weeks, Chinese state media has raised alarms about the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to exacerbate job discrimination, the South China Morning Post reports.
This draws attention to significant social and legal implications as the nation increasingly adopts AI in several important sectors.
Chinese State Media Warns Against Possible Job Discrimination Caused by AI
The Economic Daily, an official Chinese publication, said that AI could lead to heightened gender and age discrimination in job recruitment processes.
SCMP reported that the paper emphasized the risks of "algorithmic bias and discrimination" when AI is used to evaluate job candidates. The use of AI for preliminary screening, while potentially efficient, often fails to capture the complexity and diversity of human behavior, according to the publication.
This limitation raises concerns that AI-driven assessments could reinforce existing biases against certain demographic groups.
Personal information such as gender, age, and place of birth might unduly influence AI assessments, worsening workplace discrimination. The Economic Daily called on employers to be vigilant about these risks and urged government agencies to implement measures to prevent such biases and investigate any violations of labor laws arising from AI usage.
The publication stressed the need for a robust regulatory framework to curb the misuse of AI technology in the employment sector.
Alipay employees work in the Shanghai office building of Ant Group in Shanghai, on August 28, 2020. Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images
Chinese AI Regulations
The Chinese government views AI as a critical component in its efforts to revitalize the economy and address long-term challenges, including a shrinking workforce. As part of this strategy, China has also sought to exert stringent regulatory control over AI technologies, citing cybersecurity and ethical concerns.
This regulatory approach includes the introduction of AI guidelines by the Cyberspace Administration of China, effective from August 15, 2023, aimed at regulating the burgeoning AI sector.
These guidelines require generative AI service providers to conduct security checks and register their algorithms with the government to prevent misinformation and protect user privacy.
How AI Is Impacting the Global Job Market
In the global context, AI-enabled technologies are extensively used to screen and evaluate applicants, assist recruiters, and rank candidates.
A recent report revealed that 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies employ AI tools in their hiring processes, especially for lower-wage jobs, where historically marginalized workers are disproportionately represented.
Consequently, these workers are at a higher risk of facing AI-driven employment discrimination, as noted by People Management. AI algorithms, shaped by the datasets they are built on, can perpetuate existing biases if the underlying data is biased.
SCMP tells us that China's labor laws explicitly prohibit gender-based discrimination, yet issues persist. Public debate has increasingly focused on the "age 35 phenomenon," referring to job discrimination that typically begins around that age.
Researchers have warned that such age discrimination could have severe economic repercussions as the country's population ages and the workforce diminishes.
Chinese lawmakers and political advisers have echoed these concerns, calling for effective regulation to address potential issues arising from AI use.
