ACLU of Michigan raises concerns about MDHHS' use of AI to determine SNAP eligibility - WWMT

ACLU of Michigan raises concerns about MDHHS' use of AI to determine SNAP eligibility

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The American Civil Liberties Union has written a letter and issued a FOIA request to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), asking for clarity about an artificial intelligence tool they use to process SNAP benefit eligibility.

The MDHHS unveiled the use of the tool months ago, touting its ability to target fraud and reduce financial errors.

However, the ACLU does not believe enough has been made public about how the case reading tool is being used or the safeguards in place to ensure people's benefits are not denied.

"We just virtually don't know anything about how the department intends to use the tool, what safeguards are in place to ensure that people's benefits are not erroneously denied, and how the department is going to be transparent with the public and SNAP beneficiaries about their applications and the use of this new tool," ACLU of Michigan Legal Director Bonsitu Kitaba-Gaviglio said.

The ACLU also wants documentation that shows the MDHHS complied with federal guidelines requiring them to disclose the impact of AI, which was submitted through the FOIA.

AI tools often have programming errors and implicit biases due to being trained by humans, which Kitaba-Gaviglio is hoping the MDHHS has taken into consideration and wants to avoid.

"They are only as good as the folks and individuals that are training them," she said. "They're susceptible to all the errors and biases that humans are. These are individual people's lives and benefits."

The MDHHS told News Channel 3 they will provide a statement on the department's behalf. We will update this story once we receive it.

The ACLU wrote the letter and submitted the FOIA earlier this week.

The MDHHS has five days from the submitted date to respond to the ACLU.