Ellis Monk is Professor of Sociology.
CAMBRIDGE Mass. (AP) — After scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, tech companies now face fresh political pressure over their efforts to address bias in artificial intelligence (AI).
“Woke AI” Becomes a New Battleground in Washington
In Washington, Republican leaders and the White House are shifting the conversation. “Woke AI” has replaced concerns about harmful algorithmic discrimination. Last month, the House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, issued subpoenas to Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and 10 other tech giants. The investigation seeks to determine whether previous efforts to “advance equity” in AI development amounted to political collusion under the Biden administration.
Simultaneously, the U.S. Commerce Department’s standard-setting division removed references to AI fairness and safety from its collaboration appeals. Instead, it urged researchers to focus on “reducing ideological bias” to “enable human flourishing and economic competitiveness,” according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
Experts Warn of Chilling Effects on Inclusive AI Initiatives
For many in the tech industry, such political shifts are not new. However, AI experts now express concern that efforts to make AI more inclusive could lose momentum.
Harvard University sociologist Ellis Monk, who helped Google improve its AI’s ability to recognize diverse skin tones, fears future projects could suffer. Monk’s “Monk Skin Tone Scale” replaced outdated standards and improved AI image tools across products like smartphones, video games, and image generators.
“Consumers definitely had a huge positive response to the changes,” Monk said. While he believes his contributions are safe, he warned that funding for future DEI-driven tech initiatives could decline. “Political pressure and the race to bring products to market could jeopardize inclusive innovation,” he added.
Trump’s Broader Attack on DEI Efforts
Former President Donald Trump’s administration has already cut hundreds of science, technology, and health grants tied to DEI themes. Although the effects on commercial AI development are indirect, investigations like Jordan’s reflect a broader campaign.
Michael Kratsios, former director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, criticized Biden-era AI policies for “promoting social divisions in the name of equity.” The Trump administration cited Biden administration documents that warned AI could “amplify inequitable outcomes” as evidence of biased federal influence.
Past AI Failures Sparked Urgency for Fairness
The urgency to address AI bias predates Biden’s term. Studies have repeatedly exposed racial and gender disparities in AI systems:
- Self-driving cars struggled to detect darker-skinned pedestrians.
- AI image generators overwhelmingly depicted white men as surgeons.
- Facial recognition software misidentified Asian faces.
- U.S. police agencies arrested Black men based on faulty AI matches.
Google notably faced backlash years ago when its photo app mislabeled Black people as “gorillas,” prompting urgent reforms. Even Trump-era government scientists confirmed in 2019 that facial recognition technology showed racial, gender, and age biases.
AI Fairness Efforts Accelerated — Then Collided With Political Backlash
Biden’s election intensified tech companies’ focus on AI fairness. OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in 2022 triggered a surge in generative AI applications, pressuring Google to innovate quickly.
However, Google’s Gemini AI chatbot rollout became a political flashpoint. Efforts to correct biases led Gemini to overcompensate — producing historically inaccurate images, such as portraying American founding fathers as people of color. The mistake fueled conservative outrage over “woke AI.”
At an AI summit in Paris earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance cited Google’s missteps as examples of “downright ahistorical social agendas” infecting AI systems. “The Trump administration will ensure AI developed in America is free from ideological bias and protects free speech,” Vance declared.
Future of AI Equity Remains Uncertain
Former Biden science adviser Alondra Nelson argued that conservatives’ new focus on “ideological bias” ironically validates years of research on algorithmic discrimination.
“To say AI systems are ideologically biased is to recognize the existence of algorithmic bias,” Nelson said. However, she doubts there will be collaboration across political divides. “Unfortunately, algorithmic bias and ideological bias are now seen as two separate problems — when they should not be.”
As political tensions rise, experts warn that efforts to create fairer, more inclusive AI tools may stall — just when the world needs them most.
