Senators Probe Social Security Administration's AI Use
The Finance Committee is exploring how the agency is ensuring that its systems "are being deployed responsibly."
Top senators have asked Martin O’Malley, the Social Security Administration commissioner, to detail steps that the agency is taking to ensure that its artificial intelligence systems “are being deployed responsibly, especially in contexts involving decisions about benefit eligibility and payment amounts.”
In a letter Wednesday to O’Malley, Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the Senate Finance Committee chairman, and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the committee’s top Republican, state that the SSA “is entrusted with ensuring accurate and timely payment of more than $1 trillion in Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments to millions of seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their families each year.”
In light of the agency’s “important mission,” Wyden and Crapo asked O’Malley to provide information by Sept. 3 on the SSA’s use of AI, “including SSA’s risk management frameworks for AI, positions for qualified personnel to develop and oversee AI, and the processes used to expedite disability determinations and appeals.”
In November, Wyden and Crapo asked federal agencies about their use of AI “to ensure it is used appropriately.”
SSA “systems help with important tasks such as reviewing and expediting certain disability claims, identifying possible fraud or abuse, and flagging cases with high expected overpayment for additional review,” Wyden and Crapo said.
However, the senators noted that AI “is not a cure-all that can address all challenges” facing the agency.
“Without the proper structure and guidelines for the procurement, deployment, and monitoring of AI systems, SSA’s use of AI could reduce the effectiveness of its benefit administration processes, exacerbate improper payments, and jeopardize beneficiaries’ financial security,” the senators wrote. “To mitigate the risks associated with deploying AI across its programs, SSA must have strong governance frameworks in place that, among other important aspects, clarify the role of human discretion.”