Proposed Law Could See Government Use AI to Make Decisions About People's Benefits

New law will allow AI to make benefit decisions to modernise welfare system, Govt says

By RNZ Digital Reporters The Government says a new law, which will allow the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to use AI to make benefit decisions, will...

Government uses Budget urgency to pass bill allowing the automation of welfare decisions

The Government is paving the way for automated decision-making within the social security system.

Govt pushing law change to allow AI to make benefit decisions

A proposed new law would allow the Ministry of Social Development to use AI to make decisions about people's benefits.

Proposed law could see government use AI to make decisions about people's benefits

Coalition parties say the proposed law would make welfare system administration more efficient.

$55m less in benefit payments as Govt automates welfare decisions under urgency

Parliament is debating a law change that will vastly expand the range of welfare decisions which can be made by computers, with the reforms set to pass under urgency over the weekend. The specific focus of the legislation is to enable the Ministry of Social Development’s automated systems to cancel a wide array of benefits if beneficiaries do not respond sufficiently quickly to regular eligibility reviews. “MSD makes millions of decisions every …

Government Clears The Way To Automate Decisions About People's Survival

"Handing decisions about people's ability to survive to a machine is a deliberate choice to make it harder for people to get the help they need," says Green Party social development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March.