How a new bill would help stop AI discrimination

Artificial intelligence has quickly entered every part of our lives. There is a lot of hype about AI. There’s a lot of talking. There is also a lot of fear.

Too often we ask the wrong questions. The important question is not whether AI is inherently bad or good, but who will benefit from it?

Will AI make our lives easier or will it be used to worsen inequality, exploitation and discrimination? Who will be at the table when these decisions are made? Who is going to be in control? And who will be held accountable?

We know this much: AI is a civil rights issue. Algorithmic decision-making is a civil rights issue. Data collection is a civil rights issue.

But civil rights laws have not caught up to the age of AI and big data. That has to change.

Legislation that would curb AI discrimination

On September 24, I joined Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and civil rights leaders to Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act – landmark legislation that would ban the use, sale or promotion of AI systems that discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.

Markey said he made the bill “Unpleasant Ensure that the AI ​​era does not repeat and reinforce the prejudices and discrimination that are already prevalent in society today.”

“Make no mistake: We can have an AI revolution in this country while protecting the civil rights and freedoms of everyday Americans,” he said. “We can support innovation without fueling prejudice and discrimination, and we can promote competition while protecting people’s rights.”

Free Press Action has endorsed the legislation, along with groups such as the Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, UnidosUS, Fight for the Future and the ACLU.

This bill recognizes that we need to evaluate and examine AI and algorithmic decision-making tools for bias and harm for they go to market and sooner they are imbued with the most important, sensitive and private corners of our lives – from access to education and housing, to healthcare and insurance, to life and death decisions made by courts, police and immigration officials.

This legislation requires those who design and deploy AI tools to conduct audits for potential harm and share the results publicly. For too long, there has been no public input or redress when these hidden systems cause real problems.

The AI ​​Civil Rights Act takes an important step toward addressing these pressing issues and empowering federal regulators to keep pace with these evolving technologies. Free Press Action is forcing Congress to pass it into law.

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