Matt Cagle is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Democracy, Speech & Technology program at the ACLU of Northern California. Matt works on issues at the intersection of emerging technologies and civil rights, including government surveillance, artificial intelligence, and digital free speech. He uses various strategies in his work, including legislation, litigation, corporate advocacy, and public communications. Matt routinely identifies emerging issues and develops novel interventions to protect rights and safety. In San Francisco, Matt led the campaign that achieved the first-ever legislative ban on the government’s use of facial recognition. Matt has also represented activists challenging surveillance of Black Lives Matter protests, community members challenging the sharing of driver locations with federal immigration authorities, and property owners in a constitutional challenge to drone surveillance of their homes. Before joining the ACLU as staff attorney, Matt served as outside legal counsel to technology startups, providing product-focused advice on privacy and surveillance issues. The Daily Journal recognized Matt as one of its “Top Artificial Intelligence Lawyers” in 2019. The Recorder named Matt to its “Lawyers on the Fast Track” list in 2022. Matt earned a J.D. at Stanford Law School and a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Arizona.
Project: AI is suddenly everywhere in our government — for example, agencies are using it to answer taxpayer questions, vet eligibility for employment benefits, and automate the targeting and tracking of individuals and groups. Yet today’s state and national policy landscape ill equips government policymakers to consider the real-world impacts of AI before deploying it. Without resources or expertise to vet AI proposals, policymakers may add AI to government services without a plan or proof that it’s effective for the task at hand. The stakes are high for people’s rights, since AI-powered systems may directly dictate whether a person is free, remains with their family, or receives essential care. At the same time, democratic accountability requires that decisions made by AI be explainable, fair, and appealable by the people they impact. Matt’s project focuses on crafting a narrative framework that policymakers and advocates can use as agencies propose adding AI systems to the machinery of our government, from policing to public services and benefits. By explaining the stakes, highlighting pitfalls to avoid, and centering key questions relating to values and democratic principles, Matt’s project seeks to ensure people are in control and their rights protected wherever AI is involved.