Civil Rights Advocates on Senate Commerce Committee Markup: This is a Missed Opportunity to Meaningfully Act on AI This Congress

A PDF copy of this statement can be found here

American public is calling for federal privacy and AI guardrails

WASHINGTON — On behalf of the undersigned organizations, The Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology released the following statement in reaction to today’s markup of several technology bills in the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation: 

“The American people deserve federal AI legislation that is enforceable, requires transparency from companies building and using AI, and protects against bias and discrimination. We welcome the Senate joining the House in taking some action on federal AI and privacy protections this morning. However, this is a missed opportunity to protect all constituents from AI harms. Senator Ted Cruz and other members of the committee are blatantly ignoring what their constituents are calling for: privacy protections and meaningful federal guardrails around AI for all of us. According to a recent poll from The Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology, 75% of people surveyed support requiring companies that use AI for decisions about jobs, loans, and housing to prove that their AI systems do not discriminate. Support for anti-discrimination AI requirements was strong across gender, age, race, education, and party, and even held for people who viewed AI favorably: 81% of people who believe AI will help them also believe companies should have to prove their AI doesn’t discriminate.

“While these bills would advance privacy protections for users under 18, there are no protections from what AI does with our data at any age. To be clear: Guardrails absent civil rights protections are not meaningful guardrails. Civil rights protections help everyone. They can ensure that AI doesn’t discriminate. That it’s unbiased. that it’s fair for everyone, especially communities most often pushed to the margins. That people with the same financial outlook don’t pay more on a home loan. That people don’t pay higher prices for the same good. That qualified job applicants don’t get screened out from a new job. That voters can be sure the information they see online about the upcoming election is true. That we can all be certain that our most personal details are protected.

“Our elected leaders are running out of time to act on AI during this Congress. We deserve a national standard that truly makes certain that everyone reaps the benefits of AI, and we cannot afford to wait.”

The Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Hispanic Federation
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
National Action Network
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Urban League
UnidosUS

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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