December 10, 2025
The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act aims to put strict guardrails on companies’ use of algorithms for consequential decisions, ensure algorithms are tested before and after deployment, and help eliminate and prevent bias.
Since its inception, generative AI has evolved with no signs of slowing down. Within the next 10 years, AI will become a significant fixture in our personal and business lives. That’s why Congressional Democrats are reintroducing a bill to eliminate discrimination in the use of AI.
Authored and introduced by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA), the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act will put strict guardrails on companies. It aims to prevent companies from using AI-powered algorithms to make critical decisions in Americans’ lives, and will ensure that algorithms are tested before and after deployment. The legislation also helps to prevent bias and renew Americans’ faith in the accuracy and fairness of complex algorithms.
“Artificial intelligence is the hottest topic of the year, but these complex algorithms have a darker side as well. One that has real consequences for everyday people, especially marginalized communities,” said Sen. Markey. “I am introducing the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act to ensure that the AI Age does not replicate and supercharge the bias and discrimination already prevalent in society today.”
Americans Do Not Trust AI
According to PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study, AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Even with the expected growth, Americans remain wary of AI.
A 2024 Gallup poll found that most Americans view AI’s potential impact negatively. Seventy-seven percent of people distrust businesses and the government to use AI responsibly, and 72% believe AI will help spread false information. Even more concerning is that Americans believe AI will reduce jobs in the next decade. During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) echoed the sentiments of mistrust, stating that Black and marginalized communities are at risk of exploitation with AI regulations.
“As AI innovation grows, it is incumbent on us all to prioritize the safety, rights, and opportunity of all people—especially the Black, brown, and marginalized communities who disproportionately bear the burden of biased and discriminatory systems,” Rep. Pressley, a co-sponsor of the bill, stated.
She added, “We cannot allow AI to be the latest chapter in America’s history of exploiting marginalized people. That is why the AI Civil Rights Act is necessary—to invest in an approach rooted in equity that safeguards all of our civil rights and liberties.”
President Donald Trump has promised to sign an Executive Order that would nullify individual state laws and instead create a federal order governing rules and approvals for A.I., eliminating a patchwork of state laws that have emerged in recent years, according to The New York Times.
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