Rep. Sara Jacobs, Sen. Ed Markey Urge VP Kamala Harris to Continue Leadership Ensuring AI Governance Promotes Civil Rights and Democratic Values at AI Safety Summit
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) led 19 bicameral colleagues to urge the Biden-Harris Administration to promote the importance of civil rights and democratic values in the governance of AI as the Vice President joins the UK AI Safety Summit this week. In a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris, the lawmakers praised the Administration’s efforts related to AI, including the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, and called for their continued leadership in elevating the principles of AI transparency, data privacy, and protection from algorithmic discrimination on the world stage. The lawmakers’ letter follows the Administration’s landmark Executive Order to ensure responsible and ethical usage of AI.
The lawmakers wrote: “As the United States engages in the Summit, we underscore the importance of ensuring that efforts to govern AI promote fundamental rights and democratic values. Your Administration has already shown clear leadership in developing the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, and we urge you to promote these principles at the Summit.”
The lawmakers continued: “In addition to mitigating global security risks, which is an important priority, there are existing harms to workers, consumers, and marginalized communities that must be urgently addressed. As you participate in the Summit, we ask that you continue to uplift the principles of fairness, accountability and safety, while promoting an inclusive definition of AI safety. We applaud the UK government’s inclusion of a roundtable discussion on societal risks. During this discussion, we hope you will emphasize the impact of algorithmic decision-making on access to opportunities and critical needs, including housing, credit, employment, education, and criminal justice. This work requires participation from a broad range of stakeholders, such as civil society organizations and those most likely to be impacted by AI harms, including marginalized communities across the globe who often do not have a representative voice in these conversations.”
Read the full text of the letter here. In addition to Rep. Sara Jacobs and Sen. Ed Markey, the letter is also signed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Reps. Anna Eshoo (CA-16), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Don Beyer (VA-08), and Raul Grijalva (AZ-07).
Last week, Rep. Sara Jacobs also led a letter to Secretary Antony Blinken calling for the U.S. delegation to promote an open and transparent process that respects human rights and democratic values in its engagement with the Council of Europe process to establish the first global treaty on AI.
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