WASHINGTON — Today, in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)and Representatives Yvette Clarke, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, and Pramila Jayapal introduced the AI Civil Rights Act to establish a regulatory system to ensure that algorithms are free from discrimination and to hold tech companies accountable for any harm their AI tools may cause to users.
The AI Civil Rights Act includes provisions that prohibit the development and use of AI tools that discriminate; require independent audits to ensure they do not treat Black people, people of color and other protected groups negatively; and establish legal protections for people harmed by AI tools.
The Lawyers’ Committee is a leader in digital equity, dedicated to ensuring that historically marginalized communities have access to new technology while our rights are protected and abuses are mitigated. For years, the Lawyers’ Committee has recognized that digital equity is crucial for preserving our democracy. We have been on the frontlines of this issue, fighting for equitable tech policies and holding tech companies accountable for discriminatory practices.
Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement:
“As AI increasingly permeates our everyday lives, algorithms are now being used on an automated basis to make life-altering decisions—including who can get a mortgage, what type of healthcare someone can secure, and what employment and education opportunities they receive. Because these algorithms are created with data that reflects generations of systemic injustice, racial bias, and blind spots, AI tools have already caused disproportionate harm to Black people and other people of color.
We all deserve technology that works for us, not against us. Policymakers can help achieve this by creating human-centered guardrails, increased transparency, and accountability in the development and deployment of AI. That is exactly what the AI Civil Rights Act will do.
We thank Senator Markey, and Representatives Yvette Clarke, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, and Pramila Jayapal and all of their co-sponsors in the House and Senate for being fierce defenders of civil rights and democracy and for their partnership on the AI Civil Rights Act. Together, we are making important and necessary progress that will pay dividends now and in the future.”
Read the Bill & Learn More: https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/ai-civil-rights-act/
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. The Lawyers’ Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights. The Lawyers’ Committee convenes the national, nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition, which administers the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.
