White House Proposes ‘AI Bill of Rights’

(Photo: Kristina Volgenau/Unsplash) The White House this week introduced a blueprint for an “AI Bill of Rights,” which aims to reduce harm stemming from various automated systems. More a suggestion than a binding obligation, the proposed framework would help guide companies and government entities as they design and deploy AI-supported tools.

The blueprint, published Tuesday, includes five principles meant to “protect the rights of the American public in the age of artificial intelligence.” The first, “safe and effective systems,” emphasizes Americans’ right to safety from systems deemed ineffective by the creator or a third party, as well as those designed in bad faith. The second principle shuns algorithmic discrimination (i.e. “unjustified different treatment” based on demographic status). Two other principles assert individuals’ right to data privacy, as well as the right to know when an automated system is being used in a way that might impact personal outcomes. The last suggests individuals should be able to opt out of such systems and have access to “timely human consideration” in the event that a system produces an error.

According to the White House, these principles are designed to protect Americans’ civil rights and access to critical services, including healthcare, financial services, and safety resources. They’re also meant to help facilitate equal opportunities. There is mounting evidence that AI can be algorithmically biased due to the (often unintentionally) skewed data they’re based on. These biases have been known to negatively impact women and people of color in particular.

Jordan Crenshaw, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber’s Technology Engagement Center, recently met with Small Business Administration CTO Sanjay Gupta to discuss IT modernization. (Photo: Jordan Crenshaw/Twitter)

Not everyone is a fan of the proposed AI Bill of Rights. “There are some recommendations in the [AI Bill of Rights] that, if enacted into rules by policymakers, could handcuff America’s ability to compete on the global stage,” said the US Chamber of Commerce’s Jordan Crenshaw in a statement. (One could argue such competition decreases in value when it violates people’s privacy and results in a systemic loss of opportunities, but that might not be the Chamber’s stance.) Crenshaw went on to say that the Chamber’s bipartisan AI Commission would be publishing its own policy recommendations in early 2023 to help the US in its mission to lead the AI industry.

If the Chamber is really operating from a global perspective, the US is running behind. The European Union has been closing in on AI-regulating legislation since late last year, when the European Commission proposed the Artificial Intelligence Act. Though still in the process of becoming law, the AI Act would regulate automated systems according to their risk level. Canada has similarly been working on what it calls the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, while Brazil advanced its Artificial Intelligence Bill to the Federal Senate last fall.

As of now, US companies are left to “regulate” their own AI-based systems without external oversight. The White House’s AI Bill of Rights requests that companies and government entities approach their systems’ outcomes with transparency so that the public can make more informed decisions.

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