[author: Bernadette Hanson]

Four federal agencies have pledged to uphold the principles of fairness, equality, and justice in enforcement efforts against discrimination and bias in artificial intelligence (AI).

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Justice (DOJ), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforce various federal laws to protect civil rights. These agencies protect the public from unfair acts in the financial marketplace, deceptive business practices, civil rights violations, discrimination in employment opportunities, etc. While each agency enforces federal laws specific to their practice area, they are all united on enforcement efforts to protect the public from discrimination and bias in AI.

AI is increasingly popular because of its efficiency in streamlining processes, which is often cost-effective, but the advancement in technology can have negative consequences as well. Some harmful effects of AI can be unrepresentative data sets, lack of transparency about how automated systems work, and use of AI systems out of context. These consequences can result in unlawful discrimination and bias that impact civil rights, fair and equal access to employment, credit opportunities, fair competition, etc. As a response to some of the negative effects of AI, the CFPB, DOJ, EEOC, and FTC issued a joint statement pledging their commitment to protect individual rights from discrimination while also emphasizing that responsible innovation is possible within the bounds of the law.

To read the joint statement, click here.

Bernadette Hanson is a Law Clerk, based in the firm’s Minneapolis, MN office.

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