Int intensifies California's actions to govern Artificial Intelligence
In a proactive move to oversee the application of artificial intelligence, California's lawmakers are strategizing ways to prevent algorithmic discrimination. Under the umbrella of the bill AB 331, the Golden State is gearing up to monitor the usage of AI systems that shape critical decisions in people's lives, such as employment, financial, medical, and education, among others.
Presented by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan in March, AB 331 emphasizes scrutiny and transparency in AI systems, including the popular chatbot, ChatGPT. The bill mandates entities who deploy AI systems for consequential decisions to conduct rigorous impact assessments by January 1, 2025, and provide annual updates. These assessments must specify the AI system's purpose, advantages, applications, and deployment contexts.
Dominique Shelton Leipzig, a partner at Mayer Brown law firm, explained that this preliminary scrutiny is essential to uncover potential harm that these algorithms may cause in crucial areas.
The proposed bill demands heightened vigilance, particularly in the use of automated decision tools (ADTs). ADT developers and deployers are incentivized to review the following key stipulations:
- Impact Assessments: By 2025, players in the AI industry must perform comprehensive impact assessments detailing their ADT’s purpose, potential benefits, applications, and contexts. They must then annually update these assessments.
- Reporting: The completed impact assessments are to be submitted to the California Civil Rights Department within 60 days of their completion.
- Notifying Individuals: Before applying an ADT to decisive decisions, deployers must inform the affected individuals about the AI's role in those decisions.
- Right to Opt-Out: Individuals are entitled to request to be excluded from AI-driven decisions and instead have their cases evaluated through alternative means, provided these alternatives are technically achievable.
- Ban on Algorithmic Discrimination: The bill prohibits AI systems from contributing to algorithmic biases.
- Privilege for Private Lawsuits: AB 331 grants individuals the ability to bring lawsuits, potentially increasing litigation risks for AI system users.
Such provisions foster transparency, accountability, and fairness in the application of AI-driven automated decision systems, safeguarding individuals from discrimination and ensuring they are well-informed of AI's impact on life-altering decisions. [Refer to the enrichment data for further details.]
Technology and artificial-intelligence policy-and-legislation are at the forefront of California's political agenda, as evidenced by the proposed bill AB 331. This legislation emphasizes the importance of scrutiny and transparency in AI systems, including artificial-intelligence applications in general-news areas like the popular chatbot, ChatGPT. The bill requires rigorous impact assessments to be conducted by January 1, 2025, and mandates annual updates, outlining the purpose, advantages, applications, and deployment contexts of AI systems.
