Vice Presidential Pool Reports of July 12, 2023

VPOTUS Supplemental Pool #1

Good afternoon,

Gerren Keith Gaynor with theGrio here! I'm your pooler for Vice President Kamala Harris' meeting with civil rights leaders and consumer protection experts to discuss the societal impact or AI.

The meeting is being held in the VP's Ceremonial Office.

Pool was ushered in at 1:16pm. Dr. Prabhakar, director of White House office on science and technology opened up with remarks.

On background from a White House Official:
Today, Vice President Harris will convene consumer protection, labor, and civil rights, leaders to discuss risks related to artificial intelligence and reaffirm the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to protecting Americans from harm and discrimination.

Some AI tools have been shown to threaten safety and security, and deepen existing inequality and discrimination. At the meeting, leaders will discuss risks posed to vulnerable Americans, including seniors targeted with AI-generated scams, women denied job interviews because of a biased algorithm, and warehouse workers monitored by automated trackers, forcing them to skip breaks, move too fast, and risk their health and safety. The discussion will also highlight opportunities to leverage AI to improve worker safety and expand economic opportunity.

At tomorrow's meeting, Vice President Harris will emphasize that it a false choice to suggest we can either advance innovation or protect consumers and rights, but rather our collective duty to do both. She'll also highlight the work underway to implement the principles and practices outlined in the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, which was announced last fall. The Vice President's convening comes as the Administration is weighing and planning action in the coming months on AI.

The Vice President will deliver brief open press remarks at 1:15 PM ET, which will be streamed onwww.whitehouse.gov/live. She will be joined by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar and Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden.

Confirmed Participants

• Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO, Center for Democracy and Technology
• Harlan Yu, Executive Director, Upturn
• Janet Murguia, President and CEO, UnidosUS
• Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO, AARP
• Lisa Rice, President and CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance
• Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO
• Mary Anne Franks, President, Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
• Maya Wiley, President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights
• Sneha Revanur, Founder and President, Encode Justice
• Susan Henderson, Executive Director, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

Biden-Harris Administration's Actions on AI

The Biden-Harris Administration has moved to address the enormous promise and risks posed by AI and to protect Americans' rights and safety.

• Last Fall, the Biden-Harris Administration published a landmark Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights to safeguard Americans' rights and safety, and U.S. government agencies have ramped up their efforts to protect Americans from the risks posed by AI, including through preventing algorithmic bias in home evaluation and leveraging existing enforcement authorities to protect people from unlawful bias, discrimination, and other harmful outcomes.
• President Biden signed an Executive Order that directs federal agencies to root out bias in the design and use of new technologies, including AI, and to protect the public from algorithmic discrimination. The Office of Management and Budget also plans to soon release draft policy guidance for federal agencies to ensure the development, procurement, and use of AI systems is centered around safeguarding the American people's rights and safety.
• Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation announced a $140 million investment to establish 7 new National AI Research Institutes, bringing the total to 25 institutions across the country. The Biden-Harris Administration has also secured independent commitments from leading AI developers, areworking with international partners, including the EU, to further research on AI, and released aNational AI R&D Strategic Plan to advance responsible AI.

The Vice President's Record

In May, Vice President Harris convened the CEOs of four American companies at the forefront of AI innovation—Alphabet, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI—to underscore this responsibility and emphasize the importance of driving responsible, trustworthy, and ethical innovation with safeguards that mitigate risks and potential harms to individuals and our society.

• Vice President Harris has long been a leader in protecting consumers from privacy breaches, seniors from online scammers, and women and girls from online harassment.
• As Attorney General of California, she created a privacy unit in the California Department of Justice, one of the first in the U.S. to specifically focus on educating consumers and enforcing their privacy rights online. She led first-of-their-kind prosecutions to address online harassment, including of women and girls, and brought law enforcement and the tech sector together to keep people safe.
• In the U.S. Senate, Vice President Harris introduced a bipartisan bill to address cyber-crimes and exploitation. She also participated in the Intelligence Committee investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which produced empirical evidence that, left unchecked, technology will be used to undermine democracy.

VPOTUS Supplemental Pool #2

VP Harris began her remarks at 1:19pm.

Because this is being live-streamed, just a few highlights:

VPOTUS said she plans to listen more than she talks about the societal impacts and "vulnerabilities" of AI on communities, including the economy.

Harris said it's important to get in front of the advancement of AI, particularly as it relates to racial bias.

She highlighted that it is a "multifaceted" technology and that it's imperative to understand what the AI technologies are learning and how that data is being used.

The VP also expressed concerns about how AI can be used to spread misinformation.

She said it is a "false choice" that the issue AI is either about advancement of AI and it's benefits and protecting consumers.

The VP wrapped her remarks at 1:27pm and the pool was quickly ushered out shortly after.