U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks through the Broadband Event on the White House in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2023.
Mostafa Bassim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The U.S. doesn’t must make a “false alternative” between artificial intelligence innovation and safety, Vice President Kamala Harris said ahead of a gathering Wednesday on the White House with civil society leaders within the space.
“It’s a false alternative to suggest that we either can advance innovation, or we protect consumers,” Harris said. “We will do each.”
Harris said rejecting that “false alternative” can be a “guideline” for the administration.
“We should always not dampen or in any way decelerate innovation that may improve the condition of individuals’s lives,” Harris said. “And we must also be certain that in that process, we are usually not trampling on people’s rights.”
The meeting Wednesday includes groups that advocate on behalf of specific populations or on digital rights issues. The White House confirmed the next list of participants:
- Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO, Center for Democracy and Technology
- Harlan Yu, Executive Director, Upturn
- Janet Murguia, President and CEO, UnidosUS
- Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO, AARP
- Lisa Rice, President and CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance
- Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO
- Mary Anne Franks, President, Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
- Maya Wiley, President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Sneha Revanur, Founder and President, Encode Justice
- Susan Henderson, Executive Director, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
It follows an identical discussion Harris hosted with CEOs of major tech corporations working on AI, including Microsoft, Google and OpenAI. AI experts have encouraged the federal government to take heed to a various range of voices on the technology in order to not be overly swayed by industry priorities.
It comes as Congress is weighing its role in creating safeguards around AI. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is working on a legislative framework to handle AI-related issues, though a timeline for its release shouldn’t be yet clear.
Harris said the group would discuss transparency in AI, so the general public can understand what’s going into these systems and the way they make decisions. She said her concerns concerning the technology included its effect on privacy, employees, misinformation and discrimination.
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