James Maroney

State Senators James Maroney and Saud Anwar Commit to Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Connecticut

This morning, state Senators James Maroney (D-Milford) and Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined with the Connecticut Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to discuss the implications of the state using algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for decision-making. The Advisory Committee that Senator Anwar is apart of recently released a report on the potential harms and abuse of Artificial Intelligence. While Artificial Intelligence can work to create a more efficient way to work and live, it is unknown the danger what this access to AI tools can produce online.

“It is so important that we begin to regulate the state government’s use of Artificial Intelligence,” said Sen. Maroney. “We need to require impact assessments ahead of implementing AI in the decision-making process and ensure that there are no disparate impacts. We have seen how AI can impact us all. Hiring algorithms have been shown to discriminate based on age and some algorithms have given higher interest rates for loans based on race. A method needs to be put in pace to eliminate discrimination based on internal data stored online.”

“Artificial intelligence is growing all around us, from ChatGPT to algorithms driving our preferred apps, but we need to make sure it is not used to propagate unfair systems,” said Sen. Anwar. “This report is illuminating and reinforces the need to make sure AI is not corrupted by the inherent bias of its users.”

This legislative session, Senator Maroney authored and introduced Senate Bill 1103, ‘An Act Concerning Artificial Intelligence, Automated Decision-Making, And Personal Data Privacy,’ will work to regulate the state’s use of Artificial Intelligence.

SB 1103 will require assessments ahead of the implementation of AI in specific high-risk incidences. It will create policies and procedures to govern the state’s use of AI, and it will create a task force to work toward creating a Connecticut AT Bill of Rights.,/p>

The online world has the increased capacity to store data online that can relinquish unwanted results. AI can produce ethical challenges including lack of transparency and un-neutralized decisions. Choices made through AI can be susceptible to inaccuracies, discriminatory outcomes, and inserted bias.