How the ‘California effect’ could shape a global approach to ethical AI

How the 'California effect' could shape a global approach to ethical AI

World Economic Forum: Amid growing concern over the threat of AI-enabled systems to perpetuate discrimination and bias and infringe upon privacy, California has introduced several bills intended to curb negative impacts. Primary among them are bills related to mitigating the negative impacts of specific AI-enabled technologies such as facial recognition systems. On May 14, 2019, San Francisco became the first major US city to ban the use of facial recognition technology by city agencies and law enforcement. Two months later, the neighbouring city of Oakland implemented similar restrictions.

These may be city-level laws, but their passing has influenced state and federal legislation. In California,a bill called the Body Camera Accountability Act seeks to prohibit the use of facial recognition in police body cameras, while another would require businesses to publicly disclose their use of facial recognition technology. At the federal level, four pieces of legislation are currently being proposed to limit the use of this technology, especially in law enforcement.

Image: Jeff Turner / Flickr