iTutorGroup recruitment algorithmic age discrimination

China-based English-language tutoring company iTutorGroup has been found to have been using artificial intelligence-powered software to reject older job applicants, resulting in job opportunity losses, litigation, and a regulatory fine.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces workplace bias laws, had first alleged in 2020 that iTutorGroup had developed and was operating online recruitment software to screen out women aged 55 or older and men who were 60 or older. iTutorGroup denied wrongdoing, and agreed to pay USD 365,000 to more than 200 job applicants.

In 2021, the EEOC launched an initiative to ensure that AI software used by US employers complies with anti-discrimination laws. The iTutorGroup lawsuit was the first by the EEOC under the initiative.