Politicians and public officials

Summer Lee

U.S. representative from Pennsylvania

3 records

Portrait source: U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain

Records

I represent neighborhoods that know what it feels like to be overpoliced, underinvested, and overlooked. If artificial intelligence is shaping people’s lives, then we must mitigate the harm it causes. This legislation puts up the necessary guardrails in an age of disinformation and misinformation. I’m grateful to Representatives Yvette Clarke, Pramila Jayapal, and Ayanna Pressley for co-leading this effort and for Senator Ed Markey for his partnership on this bill.

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Summer Lee

U.S. representative from Pennsylvania

In a 2025 congressional release, Summer Lee endorsed the AI Civil Rights Act, saying AI harms must be reduced and technology must never advance at the cost of civil rights.

U.S. Representative from PennsylvaniaDecember 3, 2025Joint congressional press release reintroducing the AI Civil Rights Act

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Our bill would place critical guardrails to ensure that the technologies of the future do not harden the injustices of the past,” said Rep. Jayapal. “I represent neighborhoods that know what it feels like to be overpoliced, underinvested, and overlooked. If artificial intelligence is shaping people’s lives, then we must mitigate the harm it causes. This legislation puts up the necessary guardrails in an age of disinformation and misinformation. I’m grateful to Representatives Yvette Clarke, Pramila Jayapal, and Ayanna Pressley for co-leading this effort and for Senator Ed Markey for his partnership on this bill. We can and should be innovative with our technology, but never at the cost of our civil rights,” said Rep. Lee. “The Lawyers’ Committee is proud to work in partnership with Senator Markey, Representatives Yvette Clarke, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, and Pramila Jayapal as they introduce the AI Civil Rights Act to help ensure that AI

What this quote does not say

The quote is preserved by a co-issuer's official office rather than Lee's own office, whose matching page could not be opened.
The page does not establish that Lee delivered this quote live at a press event; it supports an issuer-attributed written quote.

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AI carries the same biases humans do, and without oversight, those harms will be replicated if not amplified. The Eliminating BIAS Act puts real guardrails in place to demand transparency, accountability, and strong civil rights protections, especially in an age of rampant disinformation and misinformation. I’m proud to partner with Senator Markey to ensure innovation never comes at the cost of our civil rights or human dignity.

In a 2026 congressional release, Summer Lee endorsed the Eliminating BIAS Act, saying AI can amplify human biases without oversight and that innovation must not come at the cost of civil rights or human dignity.

U.S. Representative from PennsylvaniaJanuary 15, 2026Joint congressional press release reintroducing the Eliminating Bias in Algorithmic Systems Act

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As a growing hub for innovation in Artificial Intelligence, we have a responsibility to make sure AI does not deepen the inequities Black, brown, low-income, and other vulnerable communities already face,” said Representative Lee. “AI carries the same biases humans do, and without oversight, those harms will be replicated if not amplified. The Eliminating BIAS Act puts real guardrails in place to demand transparency, accountability, and strong civil rights protections, especially in an age of rampant disinformation and misinformation. I’m proud to partner with Senator Markey to ensure innovation never comes at the cost of our civil rights or human dignity.” While AI has already begun to revolutionize certain industries, the federal government must be committed to combating potential side effects of this emerging technology.

What this quote does not say

This is a policy endorsement, not a probability estimate or a claim that every AI use discriminates.
The quote is preserved by Senator Markey's official office rather than Lee's own office.

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While harnessing AI to drive scientific discoveries and pursue leading-edge research is promising, I'd like to direct attention to foundational and often unrecognized labor that has underlaid this technology for so long. The exploitation of both labor and mineral resources in Africa that fuels the AI industry and the tech industry more broadly must be a focal point of the AI regulatory conversation.

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Summer Lee

U.S. representative from Pennsylvania

At a 2024 House hearing, Summer Lee called AI's potential for scientific research promising but said labor and mineral exploitation in Africa must be central to regulation and that federal AI funding must not support labor exploitation.

U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania and member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and TechnologyFebruary 6, 2024House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology joint hearing, Federal Science Agencies and the Promise of AI in Driving Scientific Discoveries

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Ms. Lee. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to all of our witnesses for sharing your testimony today and for your important work addressing both the potential and risks of AI as it relates to scientific discovery. While harnessing AI to drive scientific discoveries and pursue leading-edge research is promising, I'd like to direct attention to foundational and often unrecognized labor that has underlaid this technology for so long. The exploitation of both labor and mineral resources in Africa that fuels the AI industry and the tech industry more broadly must be a focal point of the AI regulatory conversation. As the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy look to stand up major data and computational resources to support U.S. AI research and education, we must ensure Federal resources don't fuel labor exploitation. Recent news has highlighted troubling concerns around the exploitation of labor in the development of AI programs.

What this quote does not say

This concerns present-day labor and supply-chain harms, not catastrophic or existential risk.
Later in the same turn, Lee cited low-paid data workers' exposure to disturbing material, toxic e-waste in Ghana and Nigeria, and mining-related evictions and human-rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo; these examples reinforce and specify the selected passage.

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