Extract from Brian Lee’s article “‘A Litigation Frenzy’?: New York Lawmakers Hear From Stakeholders in Latest Bid to Regulate AI”
An effort from New York lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence has provoked a sharp debate in reaction to a bill proposing to make it easier for plaintiffs to bring private lawsuits over the technology’s use in decisions that impact people’s lives, such as for hiring and housing.
The New York Senate Standing Committee on Internet and Technology invited the business industry and other stakeholders to testify at a public hearing on Thursday in New York City, with a focus on a bill proposed by the committee chair called the New York AI Act.
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, D-Brooklyn, and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, D-Elmont, have proposed the legislation to place testing and transparency requirements on companies that develop or use the technology in housing, employment, healthcare and other important contexts, with an aim of preventing algorithmic discrimination.
It would require companies that use AI systems to make decisions to inform impacted people beforehand, and give them the right to opt out or appeal a decision.
