Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights: Making Automated Systems Work for the American People

The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights outlines a federal policy framework designed to guide the design, use, and deployment of automated and artificial intelligence systems in ways that protect civil rights and democratic values. It is not a statute but a “guide for a society that protects all people from these threats, and uses technologies in ways that reinforce our highest values.” The Blueprint identifies five principles that should be embedded in AI and automated systems: (1) Safe and Effective Systems, (2) Algorithmic Discrimination Protections, (3) Data Privacy, (4) Notice and Explanation, and (5) Human Alternatives, Consideration, and Fallback. Each principle articulates expectations for transparency, accountability, and human oversight. For instance, the document emphasises that “[people] should not face discrimination by algorithms and systems should be used and designed in an equitable way” and that individuals “should be protected from abusive data practices via built-in protections and agency over how data about [them] is used.”
Although the Blueprint is non-binding, it marks the first coordinated U.S. executive policy statement linking civil-rights protection with AI governance. It guides agency practice and underpins subsequent federal initiatives on trustworthy and rights-preserving AI, including the 2023 Executive Order 14110 on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI.