The AI Bill Of Rights: Protecting Americans from the Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract futuristic digital and technology on dark blue color - AI Bill of Rights
Abstract futuristic digital and technology on dark blue color background. AI(Artificial Intelligence) wording with the circuit design.

As AI is implemented across a wide range of industries, the US government has realized the need to regulate it.

Companies find it harder to operate in an unregulated environment and prefer to have a regulatory framework. As mentioned in “Why Are Technology Companies Quitting Facial Recognition?” AI companies want federal regulations. This is because if a regulatory framework is not designed at the federal level, the state and municipalities will be forced to create their own regulations. This will lead to companies needing to abide by hundreds of slightly different laws.

It is up to the board of directors to govern how a company incorporates AI. The lack of a federal framework increases the risk of violations. For instance, Facebook has paid a $650 million settlement to the state of Illinois for violating a biometric law.

The EU has made significant progress in AI regulation and has emerged as the leader in the western world. Since the EU has defined a regulatory framework for AI regulation, companies can now lobby to ensure that any regulation balances the needs of the individual with the needs of the company. 

The White House has recently published a document to open a discussion about a Bill of Rights in an AI-Powered World. This article summarizes the document.

AI is fast becoming the winning ingredient for successful companies. Companies that are adopting AI-based solutions are getting ahead of competitors. According to a study by McKinsey, the top 10% of companies that adopted AI experienced an increase in revenue of over 10%.

AI solutions are Not Perfect

AI has many biases that can lead to substandard results, discrimination, and other problems. Irrespective of the source of the biases, the outcomes are bad for both the company and the consumer.

Decisions made by AI will significantly impact our lives. A problem arises here because not only are consumers not aware of the impact of AI on their lives but there is no regulation to protect them from its unintended consequences.

Ways AI-Based Systems Can Negatively Impact People’s Lives

Assume you were impacted by AI in the following ways:

  • Wrongfully arrested because of a defective facial recognition system
  • Rejected from a job you were qualified for because of a resume evaluation system
  • Incorrectly diagnosed and recommended a medical procedure
  • Denied a loan you qualified for because of wrong assumptions about credit score

These are some examples of people or companies who suffer because of poor quality recommendations from AI systems.

Details of the AI Bill of Rights Proposal

The White House has proposed a Bill of Rights to protect against these issues and ensure that AI systems don’t harm people or companies. The following are the themes being explored:

  • A right to compensation should an algorithm’s recommendations impact you negatively
  • Protection from surveillance (including voice-activated systems, computer-usage monitoring systems, facial recognition, etc.)
  • Protection from AI decisions made on biased sets of data
  • The right to know when AI is impacting your civil rights

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy engages with everyone from individual citizens, to the private sector, academia, and government officials.

This policy-making effort is focused on two areas; the first is biometric systems including tracking voice, gestures, heart rate, facial expressions, etc. The second one is software being used in the hiring process.

These are the White House’s first steps to what will most likely become a Bill of Rights for anyone impacted by AI. To ensure your voice is heard, please email the White House at ai-equity@ostp.eop.gov.

This is a summary of the original Forbes article. To read it, click here.