Disparate impact
A form of unlawful discrimination in which a facially neutral practice, such as an AI screening tool, disproportionately disadvantages a protected group without adequate job-related justification. Liability is outcome-based, so no discriminatory intent is required.
Defined in 4 GAGE programs, which carry 7 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in AI Governance: Applied Mastery.
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
A form of unlawful discrimination in which a facially neutral practice, such as an AI screening tool, disproportionately disadvantages a protected group without adequate job-related justification. Liability is outcome-based, so no discriminatory intent is required.
A legal theory holding that a facially neutral policy or system, including an AI-driven hiring or lending tool, can be unlawfully discriminatory if it produces significantly worse outcomes for a protected group, even without intent to discriminate.
A systematically worse outcome for a protected group produced by a policy or tool, regardless of intent. The thing you test an assessment's outputs for, because a tool can encode bias without anyone intending it, as Amazon's recruiting tool did.
A legal standard under which a facially neutral system produces disproportionately adverse effects on a protected group, even with no discriminatory intent; screened in practice with the four-fifths rule.
A workforce outcome that falls disproportionately on a protected group (age, gender, race, disability) regardless of intent, creating legal exposure. An AI-driven or AI-selected reduction must be checked for it before the affected list is final.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first 7 topics of every program are free with a free account.
- AI Ethics: Bias, Fairness, and Accountability · Ethical and Responsible AI and Operational Governance, AI Literacy & Professional Conduct
- The US mosaic: federal signals, state laws, and the agencies that already reach workplace AI · The World's Rulebooks, AI Governance: Applied Mastery
- Skills Gap Analysis and Reskilling Strategy · Workforce and Talent in the AI Era, Business AI Transformation
- Managing Workforce Transition and Resistance · Workforce and Talent in the AI Era, Business AI Transformation
- Ethics and Responsible AI in Practice · Governance and Responsible AI, Business AI Transformation
- Building the Audit-Ready AI Program · Lab: Regulated Industries, Business AI Transformation
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.