WASHINGTON – February 3, 2022 – BSA | The Software Alliance offered the following statement on today’s introduction of the Algorithmic Accountability Act by Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Yvette Clarke.

“We appreciate Senator Wyden and Representative Clarke’s contribution to this important issue. We agree with the core proposition of the Algorithmic Accountability Act that all organizations that develop and use high-risk AI systems should be required to perform impact assessments. Our belief that impact assessments are such a crucial accountability mechanism is what prompted us to publish Confronting Bias: BSA’s Framework to Build Trust in AI to provide a methodology for effectively performing them,” said Craig Albright, Vice President, Legislative Strategy at BSA | The Software Alliance.

“While the Algorithmic Accountability Act is an important recognition of the utility of impact assessments, the mechanics included in the legislation will require fine tuning,” Albright continued. “We look forward to working with the sponsors and committees of jurisdiction to improve on the legislation to ensure that any new law clearly targets high risk systems and sensibly allocates responsibilities between organizations that develop and deploy them. BSA will continue to work with all interested Members of Congress to pass legislation to ensure there are meaningful guardrails for high-risk uses of AI technologies.”

Read Confronting Bias: BSA’s Framework to Build Trust in AI here: https://ai.bsa.org/confronting-bias-bsas-framework-to-build-trust-in-ai