Building Fairer Futures: The Role of AI in Equitable Government Decision-Making

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Vinhcent Le

Interim Director of Economic Equity

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Vinhcent Le

Interim Director of Economic Equity

As Senior Legal Counsel of Tech Equity, Vinhcent Le (he/him/his) leads Greenlining’s work to close the digital divide, protect consumer privacy, ensure algorithms are fair and that technology builds economic opportunity for communities of color. In this role, Vinhcent helps develop and implement policies to increase broadband affordability and digital inclusion as well as bring transparency and accountability to automated decision systems. Vinhcent also serves on several regulatory boards including the California Privacy Protection Agency. Vinhcent received his J.D. from the University of California, Irvine School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to Greenlining, Vinhcent advocated for clients as a law clerk at the Public Defender’s Office, the Office of Medicare Hearing and Appeals and the Small Business Administration.

Economic Equity Policy Staff

The use of artificial intelligence is transforming how public resources and services are allocated and quickly becoming a critical tool in government decision-making. As billions of dollars in funding pours into Government AI systems–also known as GovAI–it is essential that lawmakers establish robust regulations to ensure these tools won’t perpetuate or exacerbate systemic inequities, particularly for communities of color and other marginalized communities.

Building Fairer Futures: The Role of AI in Equitable Government Decision Making examines how three different GovAI systems operate and provides actionable recommendations for embedding fairness into their design and implementation. This policy brief offers a starting point for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of various GovAI systems and their role in resource allocation and prioritization by focusing on a subset of GovAI tools used to distribute community benefits, drive public investment, and advance equitable development. The report builds on our 2021 report Algorithmic Bias Explained: How Automated Decision-Making Becomes Automated Discrimination. 

Emerging legislation in states like California is now mandating the creation of a public inventory of consequential GovAI systems. Lawmakers and advocates have a critical responsibility to ensure these tools are designed with equity in mind. Just as we regulated redlining, lawmakers must regulate AI to prevent digital discrimination and deeper inequity.

Policy Recommendations

The report offers the following recommendations for advocates and policymakers to ensure these GovAI tools support equitable outcomes.

• Mandate Algorithmic Audits: Require regular, independent audits to evaluate GovAI systems for bias and fairness.
• Ensure Transparency: Establish public portals where system data, design criteria, and decision-making processes are accessible for review and feedback.
• Develop Equity Standards: Set benchmarks for equitable outcomes, ensuring that GovAI tools do not replicate or deepen historical inequities.
• Empower Marginalized Communities: Create avenues for impacted groups to participate in the design and evaluation of GovAI systems.

Vinhcent Le

Interim Director of Economic Equity

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