Attorney General Raoul calls for Federal Artificial Intelligence Policy that requires transparency, considers potential risks

[June 14, 2023]  Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul urged the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to advance artificial intelligence (AI) governance policies that prioritize robust transparency, independent standards, testing and assessment requirements, and external audits, and allow for government oversight and enforcement where appropriate.

Raoul joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the NTIA. The attorneys general applaud the agency’s commitment to a rigorous and data-driven approach to developing AI governance policies. The coalition recommends that the NTIA create independent standards that require transparency about the use of AI and recognizes that some AI uses present greater risks and require more oversight than others.

“Consumers should be informed if companies are using AI in their products and services, and the potential impacts on people should be considered in shaping regulations,” Raoul said. “I am proud to join my fellow attorneys general in urging federal regulators to adopt standards that support the responsible development, use and deployment of AI systems.”

Raoul and the coalition suggest that NTIA standards should require companies to perform impact assessments of their AI systems where they could impact consumers’ safety or finances or could result in illegal discrimination. In addition, the standards should require companies that use or develop high-risk AI to submit to external audits of their systems. The letter raises the potential need for federal legislation and notes that any legislation should include provisions that consider the privacy of information used and collected by AI. Finally, the comments request that the state attorneys general have concurrent enforcement of any federal AI legislation or standards to maximize enforcement resources.

Joining Raoul in submitting the letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont and Virginia.

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