Addressing Challenges at the Intersection of Civil Rights and Technology
Summary
Modern civil rights challenges are technically complex. Today, decisions made by algorithms, rather than people, limit opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups in critical areas like housing, employment, and credit. The next administration should establish a broad, new task force, led by the U.S. Chief Technology Officer (CTO), to address issues at the intersection of civil rights and emerging technologies. The task force should encourage federal agencies to prioritize regulatory and enforcement activities where tech and civil rights overlap, and to increase temporary exchanges of staff between agencies to facilitate cross-pollination of civil rights and tech expertise. The Administration should also prioritize appointment of key agency personnel who are committed to addressing tech/civil rights challenges.
At this inflection point, the choice is not between speed and safety but between ungoverned acceleration and a calculated momentum that allows our strategic AI advantage to be both sustained and secured.
Improved detection could strengthen deterrence, but only if accompanying hazards—automation bias, model hallucinations, exploitable software vulnerabilities, and the risk of eroding assured second‑strike capability—are well managed.
A dedicated and properly resourced national entity is essential for supporting the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI to drive widespread adoption, by providing sustained, independent technical assessments and emergency coordination.
Congress should establish a new grant program, coordinated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to assist state and local governments in addressing AI challenges.