AIAC-RECF · Fundamentals grade · Assurance
Certified AI Recruitment Bias — Fundamentals
US recruitment-bias law and the employer’s compliance programme: automated employment decision tools under NYC Local Law 144 and the state statutes, adverse impact and the four-fifths rule, and engaging the independent bias audit the law requires.
2 hours examination · remote, proctored · valid 2 years
US$695
First membership year included
§ 1 — Intended candidates
Who this certification is for
The competency standard for running a compliant hiring-AI programme in the United States — where an independent bias audit is required by law and the rules differ state by state. Employer-side by design: not the audit itself, but the programme that keeps an employer compliant in every jurisdiction it hires in.
- Prerequisites
- No formal prerequisites. Candidates are expected to have professional experience in an HR, talent-acquisition, legal, or compliance function.
This is the Fundamentals grade of the AI Recruitment Bias family — Professional and Fellow follow it.
§ 2 — Examination domains
What the examination covers
The examination is mapped to New York City Local Law 144 and the DCWP rules, the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (29 CFR 1607), California’s automated-decision rules under FEHA and the CCPA, and the Colorado and Illinois statutes. Weightings are indicative until each syllabus is published.
- 01
US recruitment-bias law across states25%
NYC Local Law 144 and the DCWP rules, California’s FEHA and CCPA automated-decision rules, Colorado and Illinois — what each requires of an automated employment decision tool, and where they differ.
- 02
Disparate-impact fundamentals20%
Selection rates, the four-fifths rule, and adverse-impact analysis — what a disparity finding does and does not establish, and the rule’s contested standing in 2026.
- 03
Running an AEDT compliance programme25%
Tool inventory, deciding whether a tool is an automated employment decision tool under each statute, vendor management, and the programme that keeps an employer compliant across jurisdictions.
- 04
Engaging and overseeing the bias audit15%
Selecting and instructing the independent auditor, what the audit must cover, publishing the summary, and acting on the findings — remediation, suspension, or replacement of the tool.
- 05
Notice, transparency, and records across jurisdictions15%
Candidate notice, transparency obligations, and the record-keeping each statute requires — and the one set of records that satisfies all of them.
Curriculum mapping indicates alignment of learning content with published frameworks. It does not constitute endorsement by, or certification under, any standards organisation or regulator.
§ 3 — Preparation
What preparation is anchored to
Candidates prepare independently against the published materials.
§ 4 — Assessment
How candidates are assessed
Examination centred on a supplied multi-state hiring deployment, requiring the applicable obligations in each jurisdiction and a compliant programme design — inventory, audit engagement, notice, and records.
Every script is marked twice — an AI assessor first and provisional, an independent human assessor second and final. The credential carries a unique identifier any employer can check on the public register.
§ 5 — FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does this qualify me to conduct an independent bias audit?
No, and it is not meant to. Local Law 144 requires the audit to be independent of the employer, and this credential certifies the employer side: knowing when a tool is covered, engaging an auditor, giving notice, keeping the records, and acting on the findings. The auditor’s competence is a different credential.
Why only US law?
Because that is where the audit is mandated. New York City requires an annual independent bias audit; California, Colorado and Illinois impose their own duties on automated employment decisions; and they differ. A programme built for one state is not compliant in the next, which is the competence this credential examines. The EU AI Act’s employment provisions are examined in the EU AI Act credential.
Is the four-fifths rule still in force?
At the EEOC, yes: 29 CFR part 1607 stands unamended. The position is contested — a Department of Justice opinion in June 2026 found the Uniform Guidelines unlawful, and OFCCP rescinded its own part in August 2026. The examination tests the analysis and the current position, not a settled rule.
What does the fee not cover?
The US$695 covers one sitting and the first year of membership. A re-sit is charged again, revalidation at the end of the two-year term is charged separately, and an endorsement is its own fee. Nothing else is sold.
Scheme-wide questions are answered on the FAQ and in the candidate handbook.
§ 6 — Further reading
Background reading
- What is AI assurance? A practitioner's definition
Producing credible, independently reviewable evidence that an AI system works as intended — and how that differs from governance and compliance.
- How to build an AI risk profile for a deployment
A seven-step method for producing a risk profile a sceptical reader can challenge, with the failure mode at each step and what the finished artefact contains.
§ 7 — Register
Be notified when registration opens
Registration opens soon through the candidate portal — the examination fee is US$695, with the first year of membership included. Leave an address and the Council will write the moment it opens — certification announcements only, no marketing.