DOJ convenes meeting on equity, civil rights in artificial intelligence 

The Justice Department convened a meeting of civil rights office leaders and senior officials from across the government to discuss civil rights and equity in artificial intelligence, the agency disclosed Thursday.

The meeting, which was required by President Joe Biden’s recent AI executive order, was held on Wednesday and included conversations about protecting civil rights through enforcement, policy, and education, in addition to how to “leverage shared resources to address discrimination or other adverse situations that may arise through the use of AI and other advanced technologies,” according to the release.

“All participants highlighted the importance of educating the public about how AI and similar systems can violate federal protections and the need to develop holistic remedies to address those harms,” the release said.

The meeting comes as agencies across the federal government are taking initial actions outlined by the AI order. So far, many agencies appear to be on track with 30-, 45-, and 60-day requirements, according to FedScoop reporting. Under the order, the DOJ was required to convene such a meeting within the first 90 days, which would be the end of January. 

According to the release, all participants at the meeting “pledged to continue collaboration to protect the American public against any harms that might result from the increased use and reliance on AI, algorithms and other advanced technologies.”