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 R...
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