Child welfare officials in Oregon will stop using an algorithm to help decide which families are investigated by social workers, opting instead for a new process that officials say will make better, more racially equitable decisions. The move comes weeks after an Associated Press review of a separate algorithmic tool in Pennsylvania that originally inspired Oregon officials to use the technology, and was found to have initially flagged a disproportionate number of Black children for “mandatory” neglect investigations. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said he had long been concerned about the algorithms used by his state’s child welfare system and reached out to the department again following the AP story.
Oregon dropping AI tool used in child abuse cases
