Michigan Civil Rights Department Hosts AI Summit Focused on Discrimination Risks
Michigan’s civil rights agency gathered technology experts and government officials at a 2026 virtual summit to address how AI tools can enable discrimination — and what guardrails should be put in place.
LANSING, MICHIGAN — The Michigan Department of Civil Rights held a 2026 virtual summit this week to examine how artificial intelligence tools used by businesses, public agencies, and technology platforms can harm protected groups. Panelists urged government decision-makers and employers to establish safeguards against AI-driven discrimination.
The event, themed around civil rights in the age of algorithms, brought together technology experts and government employees to discuss the risks and responsibilities tied to expanding AI use. It followed discussions held at the department’s 2025 Civil Rights Summit.
Department Director Calls for Responsible Integration
John Johnson, the department’s executive director, opened the summit by acknowledging both the promise and risks of artificial intelligence in public service. He said the department’s own enforcement division is exploring how automation tools can improve efficiency.
“Artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities to improve public service, and our enforcement division is actively exploring how AI — including automation tools and resources — can improve work efficiency while still ensuring that these tools are consciously and responsibly integrated,” Johnson said. “A key part of that work is ensuring that civil rights protections, equity, and accessibility are embedded in how these technologies are evaluated and used.”
Panelists at the summit called for clear guardrails on how AI systems are designed, trained, and deployed, particularly in government decision-making contexts where outcomes can directly affect people’s access to services, housing, employment, and interactions with law enforcement.
Civil Rights Commission Previously Approved Two AI Resolutions
The summit builds on formal action the Michigan Civil Rights Commission took in 2024, when it approved two separate resolutions addressing artificial intelligence.
The first resolution focused specifically on AI use in policing, warning that tools trained on biased data could perpetuate discrimination against individuals based on their race, ethnicity, or nationality. The second resolution established guiding principles for AI use within state and local governments, emphasizing preventing discrimination in automated systems used for public administration.
Those resolutions set the foundation for the department’s ongoing engagement with AI policy, and the 2026 summit continued that work by bringing in outside experts to offer concrete guidance to agencies and businesses navigating the rapidly evolving technology sector.
Businesses and Agencies Encouraged to Act Proactively
Speakers at the virtual event urged both private employers and public service providers not to wait for regulation before assessing the civil rights implications of their AI systems. Panelists offered guidance on how organizations can audit existing tools, evaluate training data for potential bias, and build accountability structures into AI procurement and deployment processes.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights indicated it will continue monitoring how AI is used across the state and how those uses intersect with existing civil rights protections under Michigan and federal law, according to the Michigan Advance.
