Laura Carter

There is scientific consensus that AI can exacerbate bias and discrimination in society: even when its developers have the best of intentions. I'm proud to be one of the more than 140 academic researchers to sign a statement affirming this consensus and stating in no uncertain terms the need for appropriate mitigations to the harms that this bias and discrimination can cause.

We, the undersigned researchers, affirm the scientific consensus that artificial intelligence (AI) can exacerbate bias and discrimination in society, and that governments need to enact appropriate guardrails and governance in order to identify and mitigate these harms.

Over the past decade, thousands of scientific studies have shown how biased AI systems can violate civil and human rights, even if their users and creators are well-intentioned. When AI systems perpetuate discrimination, their errors make our societies less just and fair. Researchers have observed this same pattern across many fields, including computer science, the social sciences, law, and the humanities. Yet while scientists agree on the common problem of bias in AI, the solutions to this problem are an area of ongoing research, innovation, and policy.

These facts have been a basis for bipartisan and global policymaking for nearly a decade. We urge policymakers to continue to develop public policy that is rooted in and builds on this scientific consensus, rather than discarding the bipartisan and global progress made thus far.

The full list of signatories is here: https://www.aibiasconsensus.org/