MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIAL WARNS AI SYSTEMS SUBJECT TO CONSUMER PROTECTION, ANTI-BIAS LAWS

Developers, suppliers, and users of artificial intelligence must comply with existing state consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and data privacy laws, the Massachusetts attorney general cautioned this week.

In an advisory, Attorney General Andrea Campbell pointed to what she described as the widespread increase in the use of AI and algorithmic decision-making systems by businesses, including technology focused on consumers.

The advisory is meant in part to emphasize that existing state consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and data security laws still apply to emerging technologies, including AI systems ― despite the complexity of those systems just as they would in any other context.

"There is no doubt that AI holds tremendous and exciting potential to benefit society and our commonwealth in many ways, including fostering innovation and boosting efficiencies and cost-savings in the marketplace," Cambell said in a statement.

"Yet, those benefits do not outweigh the real risk of harm that, for example, any bias and lack of transparency within AI systems, can cause our residents," she added.