Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world in unprecedented ways. It can improve our productivity, creativity and well-being. This could help us solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change, poverty and healthcare.
But machines can also discriminate.
They can, and often do, reflect and amplify the biases of their creators and data sources. A study on the ability of AI systems from IBM, Microsoft and Amazon to guess the gender of a face found that they were excellent at identifying light-skinned men, leading to a lower error rate less than 1%. Yet for darker-skinned women, the machines encountered serious problems, misclassifying them at a rate of up to 35%.
These prejudices have concrete impacts. Facial recognition software, which relies on AI, can misidentify people of color and women, leading to false arrests. Without safeguards, AI can and will negatively impact underrepresented communities and communities of color.
However, the world today finds itself confronted with an ongoing “AI revolution”. In the last four years alone, the percentage of companies employing AI has increased 270%. Indeed, governments and businesses are increasingly relying on AI-based learning algorithms for everyday functions such as credit scoring, hiring, healthcare and education, all of which present a vast potential for discrimination.
Ultimately, AI algorithms are as aware of unconscious bias as the humans who code them. Without a concerted effort to avoid bias in AI programming, these industry-specific AI algorithms are doomed to repeat the mistakes of AI facial recognition software.
Recognizing this, the Biden administration released a white paper in October 2022 to address these concerns, called the “White Paper.” Plan for an AI Bill of Rightsand, more recently, a decree on new standards for AI safety and security. These aim to support the development of policies and practices that protect civil rights and promote democratic values in the construction, deployment and governance of trustworthy AI.
Despite this, Congress has yet to take action to regulate automated systems.
The Internet also doesn’t recognize boundaries, which is why comprehensive legislation ensuring that AI machine learning model inputs and algorithms take diversity and equity into account will only be effective if our allies Global markets are adopting similar models. The United States must implement a regional AI strategy in the Western Hemisphere that protects the rights and interests of all.
This is why we urge Congress to support H.Res. 649, presented by MP Espaillat, who calls for such a strategy. This resolution will ensure that artificial intelligence is a tool used for the public good, promoting ethical and inclusive systems. It would also strengthen America’s position as a leading force in the international AI race through three key provisions:
First of all, it will develop and implement a regional strategy for safe and responsible AI in the Americas, guided by principles that will protect and advance civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, equal opportunity and access to essential resources and services.
Second, it will leverage government funding from U.S. economic and international development agencies to invest in AI research and development (R&D), education, training, and infrastructure across the Western Hemisphere.
Third, it will increase the government’s cooperation and dialogue with international organizations, such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to share resources and coordinate the implementation of ethical rules for the AI governance, investment and AI. and development.
As we lay the groundwork for responsible technological development, new AI threats are already here, including threats to democracy itself.
Before the 2024 presidential election, MP Espaillat was also the author of RH 4611 — the law prohibiting voice fraud among candidates. This legislation aims to protect working-class families from misinformation generated by automated systems and to prohibit the malicious use of unreal, albeit convincing, fabricated audio (“deepfakes”) of a candidate’s voice in campaign advertisements.
Continued inaction by the United States and our Democratic allies to protect voting rights in the face of these new AI threats is not an option and is just one of many new problems that AI presents for the hemisphere.
The United States has a unique but short window of opportunity to shape the direction of AI regulation in the Western Hemisphere in ways that ensure justice and equity in AI. H.Res. 649 would help place the Americas at the forefront of developing those regulations and policies that will govern our future world. We need to make AI work for us, not against us, before it’s too late.
Espaillat represents New York’s 13th Congressional District covering uptown Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Pierre-Louis is executive director of the NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research.
