NFHA Joins Biden-Harris Administration’s Inaugural AI Safety Consortium

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2024
Contact: Janelle Brevard | jbrevard@nationalfairhousing.org

Washington, D.C. — The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA™), the nation’s foremost civil rights organization dedicated to eliminating housing discrimination and ensuring all communities are well-resourced, announced today its membership in the Biden-Harris Administration’s first-ever consortium focused on AI safety.

Lisa Rice, President and CEO of NFHA, stated, “Joining this pioneering consortium aligns perfectly with our mission to eliminate the racial homeownership and wealth gaps and create fairer systems that well serve everyone. We are committed to ensuring that AI advancements serve as tools for equity and justice in America’s housing landscape.” She further highlighted the strategic importance of this collaboration. “By bringing our policy and research expertise to the consortium, we will drive the conversation on how AI can be regulated and used for good.”

The consortium’s goals resonate with NFHA’s core objectives of fostering equitable access to housing and related opportunities. NFHA will help develop risk management strategies that are based on its gold standard algorithmic auditing framework, ensuring responsible development and deployment of AI with contributions to setting standards that aim to prevent the misuse and harmful impacts of AI. In addition to working to benchmark AI capabilities and promoting technologies that support fair housing practices, NFHA will assist in establishing guidelines for AI red-teaming, a crucial step in safeguarding against biased AI systems.

NFHA’s Chief Responsible AI Officer, Dr. Michael Akinwumi, remarked, “We are at a historic juncture where our expertise can guide the development of AI systems that are safe, secure and trustworthy by design. NFHA’s involvement in the consortium is a testament to our dedication to harnessing technology to promote rights-centric solutions in housing and lending. Members of our Responsible AI Lab look forward to contributing to efforts that seek to advance AI benefits and mitigate its risks.”

The consortium, recently announced by the Biden-Harris Administration, brings together government, industry, and civil rights organizations to ensure that AI technologies are developed and deployed safely and ethically. NFHA’s participation reinforces its ongoing commitment to advocating for responsible AI that upholds and advances civil and human rights.

For more information, please visit the webpage for NFHA’s Responsible AI Lab, or the consortium’s website.

The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations and individuals throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.