Data is all around us. And as governments use it to make decisions that affect people's lives, some artificial intelligence experts are concerned.

Governments use algorithms to determine everything from what school a child can attend, to whether a person might be a gang member. But it is often unclear which decisions are being made by computer programs and how. In response to these concerns, the New York City Council passed a law in 2017 setting up a task force to shed more light on the process. But when its final report was released, some critics said it didn't go far enough.

"My view at the end of this process is that that report could have been written without a task force convened," said Meredith Whittaker, a co-founder of NYU's AI Now Institute and former member of New York City's Automated Decisions System Task Force.

She told WNYC's Jami Floyd that the city stonewalled the task force's efforts to get basic information on how its agencies use algorithms and computer programs.

The report, she added, "reflects a clear bias toward the city's use of ADS, and the suggestions that were made were effectively to create an office that has very little authority that would help government make determinations about which systems were important and which weren't."

City Hall spokeswoman Laura Feyer told WNYC that "while not everyone agreed on every issue, after 18 months the final report reflected overwhelming consensus on key, actionable recommendations for the City."

You can hear the full conversation with Meredith Whittaker by clicking "Listen."