Is My Boss a Bot? The Role of Data Protection in Algorithmic Recruitment and Employment

  • Panel
  • Orangerie
  • Friday 23.05 — 14:15 - 15:30

Organising Institution

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

United Kingdom

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is an independent UK regulator that exists to empower people about their information rights. We regulate the whole economy, including government and the public sector. We believe information rights is about people: relationships, trust, equality, democracy and dignity. We help people to confidently take part in our increasingly digital world.
  • Academic 2
  • Business 1
  • Policy 3
Algorithms are hiring, firing and managing performance of workers all over the world. To support these AI decisions, increasing quantities and types of data are collected from workers through automated monitoring. This panel will explore the ways in which legal regimes can empower workers to individually and collectively control the use of their data, focusing on data protection law—including the principles of transparency and fairness. The panel will also examine the motivation for using AI to make decisions about recruitment and employment; whether AI-driven recruitment and employment practices can be fair; and how that can be achieved if so. The discussion will focus in particular on whether and how legal regimes can support and promote effective and fair deployment of algorithmic tools in the employment context.

Questions to be answered

  1. Can algorithmic management of workers be effective and fair?
  2. Is Article 22 GDPR sufficient to protect workers from unfair AI-driven employment practices?
  3. What does AI explainability mean in the workplace?
  4. Do workers need new or different data rights?

Moderator

Declan McDowell-Naylor

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) - United Kingdom

Declan is a Principal Policy Adviser on AI, at the Information Commissioner's Office. His brief focuses on Automated Decision Making and Generative AI. He has worked with a number of stakeholders on adoption of AI across the public sector. Prior to policy, Declan was an academic researcher focussed on the governance of new technologies, digital political communication, and data-driven campaigning.

Speaker

Aislinn Kelly-Lyth

Blackstone Chambers - United Kingdom

Aislinn is a barrister at Blackstone Chambers, where her practice includes both data protection and employment law. She has advised on matters such as data sharing within the advertising technology (AdTech) context, the lawfulness of international transfers of personal data, the appropriate technical and organisational measures required for ensuring data security in high-risk contexts, and the minimum standards for data protection impact assessments (DPIAs). Before entering private practice, Aislinn was a researcher at the University of Oxford, where her work focused on algorithmic discrimination and the regulation of automated decision-making systems in the workplace.

Speaker

Halefom Abraha

Utrecht University School of Law - Netherlands

Halefom H. Abraha is an Assistant Professor at the International and European Law (IER) Department of the Utrecht School of Law. Halefom is a member of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and the Utrecht Centre for Regulation and Enforcement in Europe (RENFORCE). His research and teaching interests focus on Digital Human Rights including privacy, data protection and the regulation of AI and algorithmic management in the labour market. He also researches cross-border data access in the context of law enforcement and digital sovereignty.

Speaker

Lindsey Zuloaga

HireVue - United States

Dr. Lindsey Zuloaga is the Chief Data Scientist at HireVue, where she leads the development of AI-driven hiring solutions that prioritize skills validation and job matching over traditional methods. With a Ph.D. in Applied Physics, she applies scientific rigor and ethical AI principles to reduce bias in recruitment while driving responsible innovation. She works on data governance and strategy to ensure AI transparency and fairness across the organization. A recognized thought leader in AI ethics, Dr. Zuloaga regularly shares her insights through media appearances and speaking engagements. Passionate about educating others on AI, she strives to inspire individuals and organizations to harness its power responsibly and effectively.