IMY investigates Swedish Public Employment Service's AI system

Sweden's data protection authority, Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten (IMY), has opened an investigation into the AI system used by the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen). Caseworkers at the agency use the system to assess whether a jobseeker should take part in the labour market programme "Rusta och matcha".

IMY says it will examine how the AI system works and how Arbetsförmedlingen informs jobseekers about the way their personal data is processed in it. Linn Sandmark, a unit head at IMY, said in a press release that people need to understand how their data is handled when AI is used in cases with a large impact on their lives, such as starting work or beginning studies.

The review has further parts. IMY will check whether it is lawful and necessary to process the personal data the system requires. It will also look at whether the AI system involves automated decision-making.

IMY says the supervision follows several tips and reports in the media. The source gives no timeline for the investigation and does not say what outcomes or penalties could follow.

The case matters because the system is used in decisions that shape jobseekers' paths into work or education, and the investigation tests whether the agency's use of AI meets data protection requirements on transparency, lawfulness and automated decisions.