Latham & Watkins Forum – Accountability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

“Worries over “black box” systems, especially those involving machine learning and artificial intelligence, have spurred renewed efforts to increase transparency and accountability for public agencies adopting new technologies. From criminal justice to housing to education to health care, governments around the world are experimenting with and deploying automated decision systems in almost every aspect of their work, often without any accountability framework in place. Recently, the New York City Council passed the first general algorithmic-accountability legislation in the country. At the same time, the European Union has been moving forward on its own data accountability regime in the new General Data Protection Regulation. But what does it mean to hold a machine accountable? And how does this differ from the methods we currently use in law to hold humans accountable? How do traditional notions of fairness, due process, or equal protection play out within these new approaches? This Forum will bring together leading thinkers with a range of professional perspectives to discuss these issues–and answer audience questions.”