New Mexico lawmakers hear talk on AI technology, transparency measures

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – With artificial intelligence on the rise, so is concern about whether it might inadvertently discriminate against people. “I’m not here to trash talk AI, it can do amazing things and I think that at its best, it really can make, I think it can make society fairer. I think it can make us more prosperous,” said Santa Fe Institute professor Cris Moore.

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As AI technology spreads, there are concerns over how exactly it works and whether it runs the risk of being discriminatory. “I think that in order for these systems to be in use in decisions that really matter to people’s lives and livelihoods the people affected by them and the decision makers advised by them need to understand them to some extent,” said Moore.

In a presentation to a committee of lawmakers, Moore explained there needs to be more research into systems used by government agencies. For instance, when law enforcement uses AI to predict criminal behavior, or when a housing agency might use it to predict whether someone will be a reliable tenant. “There needs to be some transparency there. Again, what data did they use? What do they do with that data? What are their strengths and weaknesses?” said Moore.

Especially when it comes to race. “If a system is trained on data from other states maybe it works very well in those states it may or may not work here in New Mexico we have unique demographics,” said Moore.

For Moore, an important question is, what data does AI use about a person when making a decision? “The output is only as good as the input so if you have biases from historical data those would be represented arguably in outputs that are generated,” said working group member, Alisa Lauer.

The group discussed legislation passed in other states, including the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act requiring AI developers to prevent discrimination in their algorithms. But how to ensure they actually do, is still tricky.

New Mexico still with a lot of unanswered questions. “We have to be prepared for a lot of struggles over this area,” said State Representative Gail Chasey.

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