After scaling back diversity and inclusion programs in workplaces, US technology companies now face a new challenge – this time over the future of artificial intelligence. The Associated Press reported Monday that the Trump administration is redefining priorities, centering its focus on combating what it terms "Woke AI."
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Republican Senator Jim Jordan, issued subpoenas last month to 15 technology companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI, to investigate their efforts to "promote equality" in artificial intelligence development and restrict its "harmful and biased outputs."
Simultaneously, the standards-setting department at the US Department of Commerce has eliminated references to fairness, safety, and "responsible AI" in its call for collaboration with external researchers. Instead, it guides scientists to concentrate on "reducing ideological bias" in ways that foster "human flourishing and economic competitiveness," according to a document obtained by the news agency.
Furthermore, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, stated at a Texas conference this month that the Biden administration's artificial intelligence policy "promoted social division and redistribution in the name of equality."
Professor Alice Monk, a sociologist from Harvard University who was previously recruited by Google to assist in developing more inclusive AI products, voiced concern about this trend, "Can future funding for such projects be affected? Certainly, when the political climate changes and when there's a lot of pressure to get to market quickly."
Monk previously developed a skin tone scale that Google adopted and improved upon, enhancing how its AI tools represent the diversity of human skin tones. This replaced the old standard originally designed for doctors treating white skin patients. While he isn't concerned his project is at risk, as it's already embedded in dozens of products at Google and elsewhere, he and his colleagues worry the new atmosphere could dampen future initiatives and funding.
The renewed discussion about bias in artificial intelligence emerged following an incident approximately a year ago when Google launched Gemini, an AI-based chatbot that generated historically inaccurate images. In response to requests for pictures of America's "founding fathers," the system displayed 18th-century figures who appeared to be African American, Asian, and Native American. Google apologized and temporarily removed the feature, but the outrage transformed into a political rallying point for the right.
At an AI conference in Paris in February, Vice President JD Vance denounced the promotion of "social agendas with no historical basis through artificial intelligence," specifically addressing the Google incident. "We must remember the lessons from that ridiculous moment," Vance declared at the conference. "And what we take from it is that the Trump administration will ensure that AI systems developed in America are free from ideological bias and will never restrict our citizens' right to freedom of expression."
The shift toward focusing on "ideological bias" concerns many experts in the field, who fear it will undermine numerous efforts to develop technology that works equitably for diverse populations worldwide.
