On the heels of President Joe Biden’s executive order intended to regulate certain aspects of the emerging artificial intelligence sector, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks from the White House that highlighted the ostensible threat of “algorithmic discrimination” that the powerful technology poses.
Instead of focusing on security threats, job losses and other real-world issues that AI could cause or exacerbate, Harris opted to harp on the perceived need to teach machines the biases of far-left social justice warriors.
“I believe we have a moral, ethical and societal duty to make sure that AI is adopted and advanced in a way that protects the public from potential harm and ensure that everyone is able to enjoy its benefits,” she said. “Since we took office, President Biden and I have worked to uphold that duty.”
Her latest take on the topic was at least somewhat more coherent than her disjointed remarks during a roundtable conversation with industry leaders earlier this year.
Nevertheless, Harris made her own racial preoccupation obvious during the latest address.
“Before generative AI captured global attention, President Biden and I convened leaders from across our country, from computer scientists to civil rights leaders to legal scholars and business leaders, all to help make sure the benefits of AI are shared equitably and to address predictable threats, such as algorithmic discrimination, data privacy violations and deep fakes,” she said. “We named it the ‘Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.”
A number of critics have already weighed in on the White House’s call to action, including American Accountability Foundation President Tom Jones, who opined earlier this year: “Under the guise of fighting ‘algorithmic discrimination’ and ‘harmful bias,’ the Biden administration is trying to rig AI to follow the woke left’s rules.”
President Biden has signed an executive order that will require AI companies to "address algorithmic discrimination" and "ensure that AI advances equity." They want to embed the principles of CRT and DEI into every aspect of AI. pic.twitter.com/30L8soHk6q
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) October 31, 2023
Jones went on to conclude that the president “is being advised on technology policy, not by scientists, but by racially obsessed social academics and activists,” adding: “We’ve already seen the biggest tech firms in the world, like Google under Eric Schmidt, use their power to push the left’s agenda. This would take the tech-woke alliance to a whole new, truly terrifying level.”
