Pressley, allies reintroduce AI Civil Rights Act
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D‑Mass.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D‑Mass.), joined by Reps. Yvette Clarke (D‑N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (D‑Wash.) and Summer Lee (D‑Pa.), reintroduced the AI Civil Rights Act last week to curb biased and discriminatory AI systems, with civil‑rights groups backing the effort. Pressley also used a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday to argue that AI trained on biased data can exacerbate racial inequities and called for oversight and protections.
📌 Key Facts
- Sponsors: Pressley, Markey, Clarke, Jayapal, and Lee reintroduced the AI Civil Rights Act last week
- Pressley emphasized impacts on Black, Brown and marginalized communities and urged AI protections during a Wednesday House Financial Services hearing
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law endorsed the push, warning algorithms can replicate historic discrimination without transparency and accountability
📊 Relevant Data
In the U.S. tech workforce, Black workers account for about 6% and Hispanic workers for 5.9%, compared to 12.8% Black and 18.8% Hispanic in the general U.S. labor force.
Diversity in Tech Statistics 2025: Who's Still Left Out? — SQ Magazine
AI systems exhibit racial bias in generating images, with White people more accurately depicted than people of color in various racial contexts.
Racial bias in AI-generated images — AI & SOCIETY - Springer
AI systems show racial bias in psychiatric treatment recommendations, amplifying existing biases in care even when diagnostic outputs appear unbiased.
Racial bias in AI-mediated psychiatric diagnosis and treatment — Nature
In Boston, the life expectancy in a Cambridge census tract is 91.9 years, compared to approximately 69 years in Roxbury, a difference of about 23 years.
Life Expectancy Report 2024 Press Release — Atrius Health Foundation
The median household income in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is $126,469, compared to $77,540 in Roxbury, a difference of about $49,000.
Demographics and Statistics FAQ — City of Cambridge
Roxbury, Boston, has a racial composition of 43.1% Black, 19.6% White, while Cambridge is 55% White, 19.6% Asian, 10.2% Black.
Roxbury, Boston, MA Demographics: Population, Income, and More — Point2 Homes