Learning Lab

AI Isn't the Magic Solution

Artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies are increasingly touted as a solution to increase efficiency, objectivity, or cost-savings in government programs. But the reality is far from the hype as AI can have devastating consequences for low-income and marginalized people. This session will help attendees understand the scope of AI use and gain skills in spotting AI-related issues to identify potential advocacy solutions, including litigation. It will also dig deeper into a few hot topic examples, including H.R. 1 and public education, so attendees will have practical next steps.

  • Understand the scope of AI use and its impact on low-income and marginalized communities.
  • Issue-spot AI-related harms, even those that hide behind typical processes.
  • Identify litigation and non-litigation advocacy strategies in each phase of the technology life cycle.

Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards

Susan Garcia Nofi

Susan Garcia Nofi

Senior Attorney

TechTonic Justice

Susan Garcia Nofi is a Senior Attorney at TechTonic Justice. She spent most of her career as a frontline legal aid attorney at Vermont Legal Aid, Central West Justice Center (MA) and New Haven Legal Assistance (CT), where she also served as Deputy Director and Executive Director. As an advocate, Susan represented clients in housing, public benefits, employment, and disability rights matters. She also worked for the Connecticut Department of Labor’s unemployment appeals division for ten years, where she served as an Appeals Referee, as legal staff to the Board of Review, and most recently as Chair of the Board of Review and executive head of the appeals division.
Clarence Okoh, JD

Clarence Okoh, JD

National Director of Civil Rights and Technology

TechTonic Justice

Clarence serves as National Director of Civil Rights and Technology at TechTonic Justice, a national nonprofit organization that leverages law and organizing to defend the rights of poor and working-class people from AI injustice. Clarence is also a co-founder of the NOTICE Coalition: No Tech Criminalization in Education, a national advocacy network leading the fight to defeat digital pushout and defend youth justice in the digital age. Across his work, Clarence works closely with community partners to craft legal and policy strategies that expand digital rights for marginalized communities. His expertise is informed by his role in leading groundbreaking campaigns for racial and digital justice, including a multi-year campaign to defeat one of the first known school-based predictive policing programs in the United States. Clarence served as an inaugural fellow of the Just Tech Fellowship program hosted by the Social Science Research Council. He has authored numerous publications, including Dangerous Data: What Communities Should Know About Artificial Intelligence, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and School Surveillance. He has worked across a range of civil society organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Center on Law and Social Policy (CLASP), and the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology.
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