White House releases AI Bill of Rights to hold tech companies accountable
The White House on Tuesday issued a "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights," a roadmap to holding technology companies accountable for internal biases that might threaten the civil rights of citizens in an increasingly digital world, The Associated Press reports. The framework is meant to align AI technology with "the values of democracy and equity," AP writes.
The blueprint does not detail specific enforcement methods against companies that fail to follow its guidelines; instead, it's focused on five ways to ensure AI programs are being developed with built-in protections for users' civil liberties.
In addressing the blueprint, White House officials reiterated Biden's commitment to holding technology developers accountable for the potential impact their programs can have on people in real life.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"These technologies are causing real harms in the lives of Americans," said a senior administration official, per Axios. "Harms that run counter to our core democratic values, including the fundamental right to privacy, freedom from discrimination, and our basic dignity."
The document was the culmination of a year-long study carried out by over two dozen government departments, and features feedback from civil society groups and various industry researchers, AP writes. The report also includes real-life examples of AI technology causing harm due to apparent internal biases. Such examples include an AI system that discriminated against student loan seekers who attended a Historically Black College or University, and an algorithm that overwhelmingly suggested the families of Black children be investigated by child welfare agencies.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Top Russian general killed in Moscow blast
Speed Read A remote-triggered bomb killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
NATO chief urges Europe to arm against Russia
Speed Read Mark Rutte said Putin wants to 'wipe Ukraine off the map' and might come for other parts of Europe next
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Syria government takes charge, urging 'stability'
Speed Read The rebel forces that ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad announced an interim government
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
South Korea roiled by short-lived martial law
Speed Read President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law was a 'clear violation of the constitution,' said the opposition parties who have moved to impeach him
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Syrian rebels seize Aleppo in surprise offensive
Speed Read The rebels made gains against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and reignited Syria's 13-year-old civil war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published