Democrats Warn Biased Algorithms Could Worsen Inequity As They Reintroduce AI Civil Rights Act – AfroTech
As AI continues to spread across the United States and its influence shows no signs of fading, several Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) first introduced the AI Civil Rights Act in 2024 to “establish protections for individual rights with respect to computational algorithms, and for other purposes,” The Grio reports. On Dec. 2, the progressive senator explained that AI tools are “biased against marginalized communities,” per the outlet.
“We must address AI-powered bias and discrimination in the AI age,” Markey said in a news release shared on Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s website.
“Under the AI Civil Rights Act, America would show leadership in AI — not just technological leadership, but moral leadership,” he continued. “We cannot abandon our principles in reckless pursuit of technological superiority. Otherwise, we risk building a future where innovation races ahead, but justice falls behind.”
The legislation — co-sponsored by Representatives Pressley (D-MA) Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Summer Lee (D-PA), and several others — aims to establish guardrails on algorithms and block companies from using biased or discriminatory AI systems in critical decisions that affect Black Americans and other marginalized communities. It also requires pre- and post-deployment testing of algorithms and increased transparency around how automated tools influence people’s lives.
Studies Reveal AI Bias Across Hiring, Purchasing, And Everyday Tools
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, research has shown that AI-powered resume screening tools show bias against Black people based on their names, which can limit the advancement of their applications.
“And many employers now use AI-driven tools to interview and screen job seekers, many of which pose enormous risks for discrimination against people with disabilities and other protected groups,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote in a 2021 report.
The report highlighted how AI can worsen racial and economic inequities. The ACLU is also among several organizations supporting the AI Civil Rights Act.
A 2024 Stanford Law School study found that AI chatbots show similar patterns of bias. Researchers identified significant disparities in the advice given to people with names perceived as “associated with Black women” compared to those with white-perceived names when using tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Google AI’s PaLM-2.
The study suggests chatbots appear to inherit systems built around “common stereotypes,” which often disadvantage marginalized groups while offering the greatest benefit to white men.
Stanford researchers tested scenarios involving purchases, chess, public office, sports, and hiring. Across these examples, the advice provided to users with “Black-perceived names” consistently showed biases that were “disadvantageous.” Other areas of concern include policing, access to bank loans, and accuracy of health screenings.
“Companies put a lot of effort into coming up with guardrails for the models,” said Julian Nyarko, a co-author of Stanford Law School’s paper, USA Today reports. “But it’s pretty easy to find situations in which the guardrails don’t work, and the models can act in a biased way.”
How The AI Civil Rights Act Will Curb Algorithmic Bias
Situations like this are where the AI Civil Rights Act is intended to step in. Rep. Pressley emphasized that she and the bill’s co-sponsors will not allow AI to become synonymous with injustice.
“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,” Pressley said in the statement posted to her website.
“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,” she added.
