This week, the U.S. House of Representative’s bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) released a report outlining policy proposals and recommendations for the regulation of AI. The report acknowledges that AI can lead to inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise flawed outputs and exacerbate existing biases in systems even when it is accurate, leading to discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability status. The report also highlights the Biden administration’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, which suggested key steps to address bias in AI, machine learning, and other automated decision-making systems.
In response to the report, Demetria McCain, Director of Policy at the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), released the following statement:
“For years, LDF has encouraged policymakers and industry experts to consider and mitigate the threats that AI, machine learning, and other automated decision-making systems pose to people’s civil rights, especially Black communities. We are pleased to see the House acknowledge the need to address the bias and harm that these systems can perpetuate, including when used by law enforcement, and the need for federal regulators to use their existing authority to regulate AI.
“From disproportionate surveillance and perpetuating aggressive policing of Black communities to discrimination in hiring and access to health care services, it is clear that AI and algorithmic technologies have inherited many of the human biases we have long sought to overcome. We need to remain vigilant as these technologies have the potential to reinforce systemic inequality and widen opportunity gaps. Otherwise, we risk thwarting the chances of economic prosperity for marginalized groups.
“We look forward to continuing our advocacy and working with lawmakers and federal regulators to ensure AI does not undermine civil rights protections, and hope today’s report from the House is the catalyst the country needs to prohibit AI from further interfering with the livelihood, privacy, and freedom of Black communities.”
Since 2020, LDF has worked to ensure civil rights laws are considered throughout every sector adopting artificial intelligence – from fair lending practices to the dangerous surveillance of Black and Brown children. LDF has also urged federal regulators to use their authority to regulate AI, and recently called on the U.S. Senate to better incorporate legal safeguards against algorithmic bias in their policy planning.
As AI adoption rapidly advances, it is important to assess whether these technologies advance our values and comply with civil rights protections, or exacerbate existing racial and other biases in our systems, even when the algorithms are accurate. LDF will continue to urge lawmakers and industry experts to protect the civil rights of Black communities against potential AI abuses.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
