WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, House AI task force co-chairs Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) released the Bipartisan House Task Force report on Artificial Intelligence. The report makes clear that Congress has a role and responsibility to protect Americans from the ills caused by the rapid adoption of AI, and details ways in which rampant data collection and AI deployment can create and exacerbate discrimination and other harms. The report details the history of businesses, government, and law enforcement using AI in a way which contributes to flawed decision-making, discrimination, and bias. The report comes seven months after the release of the Senate’s own AI report, “Driving US Innovation in Artificial Intelligence.”
Damon T. Hewitt, President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, participated in a task force panel with lawmakers on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which informed the report.
“We are pleased that this report underscores what we’ve been saying for years—for AI to benefit all of us collectively, Congress must act to ensure that this emerging technology doesn’t violate our civil rights,” said Damon T. Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. “Now that both chambers of Congress have analyzed this issue, it is time for action. Nuanced and comprehensive legislation, like the A.I. Civil Rights Act, must immediately follow to address the harms AI is known to cause, especially for Black people and communities of color. Without intentional safeguards and tangible legislative steps, these technologies will be used as tools of systemic oppression. There is not a moment to lose; Congress must act swiftly and decisively to protect the rights of the people of our country in the digital age.”
“While this report is a positive step, we’re focused on ensuring Congress doesn’t neglect the real problems uncovered by the AI taskforce. We can’t allow Congress to sign blank checks funding AI development, while Black people and other communities of color pay the cost of AI adoption. The House Taskforce Report recognizes that trust is needed for these technologies to truly benefit everyone. That can’t happen if individuals continue to have their data scraped to build tools that work against them, or are kept in the dark as to how and when AI tools are determining facets of their lives.” said Alex Ault, policy counsel, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. “Last year, the Lawyers’ Committee released the “Online Civil Rights Act,” and we’ve been proud to endorse the AI Civil Rights Act – concrete policies squarely aimed at ensuring AI has the safeguards needed to protect our rights, and make AI work for everyone. It is imperative that our lawmakers do more than just discuss the necessary measures needed to ensure that AI serves the public good and doesn’t exacerbate longstanding inequities.”
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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.
