Attorney General Bonta Submits Comment Letter Calling for Greater AI Transparency and Accountability

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced that he has joined a bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that underscores the need for transparency and accountability in Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies. The NTIA is located within the U.S. Department of Commerce and advises the President of the United States on telecommunications and information policy matters. On April 13, 2023, the NTIA issued a request for public comment on AI regulation, and today’s letter responds to that request.

“AI is increasingly a part of our lives, influencing transactions and decisions big and small. We need policies governing this technology that prioritize transparency, audits, and accountability, and that put consumer protection front and center,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m pleased to join a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general to share with the NTIA our recommendations on this critical issue.”

In the letter, the Attorneys General:

• Call for independent standards for AI transparency, testing, assessments, and audits, such as by ensuring that consumers are told when they are interacting with AI rather than a human being, and by ensuring that companies regularly commit to third-party auditing of its AI systems;

• Highlight the need for AI legislation that both fosters innovation and protects consumers; and

• Stress that state attorneys general should have concurrent enforcement authority in any Federal regulatory regime governing AI, referencing the California Privacy Rights Act as a key tool that already gives Californians more control over the personal information that businesses collect about them and that allows the California Attorney General to take legal action against non-compliant entities.

In submitting the comment letter, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia.

A copy of the letter is available here.