Agenda Summary
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Supporting the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: Artificial intelligence systems are increasingly used to make or inform consequential decisions affecting residents in areas including housing, employment, credit, healthcare, education, public benefits, and public safety; and
WHEREAS: People affected by decisions made or informed by artificial intelligence systems typically cannot see how a system was used or how it reached its result, which hinders their ability to identify bias, verify results, or raise concerns; and
WHEREAS: Research has found racial bias in automated systems used to make consequential decisions, including a 2019 study in the journal Science that estimated racial bias in a widely used healthcare algorithm reduced the number of Black patients identified for extra care by more than half, and a 2026 study, “Algorithmic Monocultures in Hiring,” that found one vendor’s hiring algorithm recommended Black and Asian applicants less often than white applicants, with gaps at some jobs large enough to indicate adverse impact under federal employment guidance; and
WHEREAS: That residents of Somerville should be protected from discrimination, and should have transparency and accountability when artificial intelligence systems are used in consequential decisions affecting their lives in deeply impactful ways; and
WHEREAS: Without careful examination and stewardship artificial intelligence systems can become another pillar of support for structural racism and bias; and
WHEREAS: The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) would prohibit discrimination by covered algorithms on the basis of protected characteristics, require evaluations before deployment, and impact assessments after deployment; and
WHEREAS: The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) introduced by Senator Edward J. Markey and Representative Yvette D. Clarke, with Representative Ayanna Pressley as an original cosponsor of the House bill calls for requirements for human alternatives in appropriate circumstances, protections against retaliation, clear notices and disclosures, and enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and affected individuals; and
WHEREAS: The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) has received support from organizations and advocates working across civil rights, labor, digital rights, privacy, consumer protection, economic justice, disability rights, accessibility, human rights, environmental rights, and related fields; and
WHEREAS: Federal protections should be complemented by Massachusetts law and City of Somerville ordinance so that residents have clear and durable civil rights safeguards as the technology and its uses change; and
RESOLVED: That the Somerville city council supports the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S. 3308 / H.R. 6356) and urges the United States Congress to advance legislation establishing civil rights protections for consequential automated decision systems; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED: That the Somerville city council urges the Massachusetts General Court to enact legislation that mirrors the protections of the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act, including protections against algorithmic discrimination, independent testing and evaluation of automated decision systems, transparency and notice to affected residents, a right to human review, and accountability for developers and deployers of these systems; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED: That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, Representative Yvette D. Clarke, the Governor of the Commonwealth, the President of the Massachusetts Senate, the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, members of the Somerville, and Mayor Jake Wilson.