Dr. Joy - AI Ethics Leader

Joy Buolamwini (@JoyfulCode ), founder of Algorithmic Justice League (@AJLUnited ) is making Black History by fighting racial bias in algorithms and tech at large. As a researcher at @MitMediaLab , she uncovered flaws in facial recognition technology that are known as the “coded gaze.” “As artificial intelligence technology continues to evolve,” she cautioned, “tech companies have a responsibility to ensure that their products are used to strengthen communities, not deepen racial inequities.”  As part of the #PublicInterestTech community, this self-proclaimed poet of code is taking a stand against the weaponization of technology and making sure technology serves the greater good. Watch her full interview at our link in bio or learn more by adding #CodedBias to your @Netflix queue.  #AI #BlackHistoryMonth

One year since Dr. Joy (@poetofcode ) received the @naacp and Archewell Foundation’s Digital Civil Rights Award from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and what a year it’s been! The grant has enabled AJL to expand our harms reporting platform, where anyone who has encountered algorithmic harms, biases, or triumphs can share their story, and contributed to our TSA scorecard research. Dr. Joy joins ranks with other remarkable leaders: Dr. Safiya Noble (2022), Nabiha Syed (@nabihasyed ) (2023), and Dr. Alondra Nelson (2025). We love seeing recognition of the incredible women fighting for our digital civil rights! Read more about Dr. Joy’s award in the link in our bio 🔗

👂🏾 Always listening, always recording - when AI becomes omnipresent, how can anyone give their informed consent? Speaking to Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman ) on Design Matters at the Boston MIT/WBUR Festival (@mit , @wbur ), Dr. Joy (@poetofcode ) describes her concerns for the future of connected devices, and how consent is becoming an afterthought. 💬 “That level of violation of privacy consent is going to only increase if we don’t push back.” The issue is becoming more urgent as surveillance technology spreads across the US. That’s why AJL’s “Comply to Fly” report on TSA’s facial recognition program puts consent front and center. 📣 We need to act now, before our identities become just another data point. Follow @ajlunited for more.

Would you give Amazon your face for $100 or any price? I recently saw a company offering Amazon gift cards for valuable face data. When I dug deeper, it appears the company is collecting face data for Amazon Web Services. The invitation framed the ask as creating a representative dataset for a global technology brand. At face value, creating more inclusive face datasets for research purposes might appear to be a practical way to improve AI. But we must keep in mind accurate systems can be abused. Improving surveillance technology can be a trap that is set with the bait of representation. Inclusive face datasets can be fed into AI models that then power military and law enforcement computer vision applications. Drones + facial recognition + bullets != $100. You came for the gift card, they left with valuable data that can be used target people who look like you— ♻️ Repost to raise awareness about the AI surveillance inclusion trap

🎙️ This one is personal. AJL founder Dr. Joy Buolamwini (@poetofcode ) sat down with futurist Sinead Bovell (@sineadbovell ) on her podcast "I've Got Questions" (@igqwithsineadbovell ) for a conversation on AI, power, and what it means to protect what's human in a world of machines. Sinead has spent years translating complex technological shifts into clear, accessible narratives for the people most affected by them and least invited into the conversation. The people most likely to be excoded. She is a 14-time United Nations speaker and the founder of WAYE, a tech education initiative focused on expanding access to technological literacy in nontraditional and minority communities. Vogue dubbed her the AI educator for "non-nerds." And her history with Dr. Joy runs deep. Sinead was the very first interviewer on the #UnmaskingAI book tour. She's been part of the AJL ecosystem from the jump. And this reunion? You can hear the trust, the brilliance, and the fire. Haven't pressed play yet? Your weekend playlist just got an upgrade. 🎧 🔗 Link in bio to watch or listen to the full episode.

The CBWT Diaries | Part 4: Oxford, Mississippi 🇺🇸 🗓️ May 3, 2025 📍 Oxford, MS | Oxford Public Library 📖 A Full Circle Journey Paris ➡️ Taipei ➡️ Kigali ➡️ Oxford, MS Next stop: Oxford, Mississippi! This stop was deeply personal for our founder, Dr. Joy Buolamwini (@poetofcode ). She spent many pivotal years in her youth in Oxford, MS. It was where she attended elementary school and one of the places she formed childhood memories and was inspired to dream big. More than a stop on a tour, it was a chance to revisit the locations that shaped her—long before she became the Poet of Code. We started the day at Bramlett Elementary School, joining Ms. Green’s computer science classes for a role model conversation. It was a clear reminder that we are never too young to ask big questions; in many ways, Dr. Joy learned as much from the imagination of the children as they did from her. From there, we stopped by the iconic @squarebooks , where 6-year-old Joy used to enjoy scones and stories with her mother. Then, for the big event, we headed out to the Oxford Public Library. We screened the documentary on the very same library stage where Dr. Joy’s big brother would take her to watch magic shows and puppet performances. Screening the film in that space was a powerful reminder that the people impacted by these systems aren't just 'data points'. These people are our neighbors, our teachers, and our families. This stop was about honoring one of the communities that first sparked Dr. Joy's curiosity and ensuring they are at the heart of the conversation about our rights and our digital future. Want to see more from this special trip to Mississippi? The journey continues on our new immersive website! 🔗 Link in bio.

Convenience is one way that biometric data collection gets normalized. Comment “OPTOUT” and I’ll DM you the full episode. Dr. Joy Buolamwini (@poetofcode ) calls this phenomenon the “the shackles of convenience” — the exchange of privacy for our time. But awareness can be a powerful step in “unshackling.” For example, at TSA checkpoints in the US, every traveler has the legal right to opt out of facial recognition, yet most people aren’t aware of this option. However, the Comply To Fly report by @ajlunited found that when one person exercises their legal right to privacy, others in the line felt emboldened to do the same. Dr. Joy Buolamwini — computer scientist, author, and poet — joined me on the latest episode of I’ve Got Questions to talk about biometric data collection, the convenience trade-offs we make without realizing it, and how individual acts of resistance aggregate into the kind of pressure that actually changes policy. 🎧 Watch the full episode of I’ve Got Questions available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Human Art For The Win!!!!! I am floored by the level of detail and attention to design in the Japanese translation of Unmasking AI! My author copies just arrived, and the cover work, poetry treatment, jacket design, chapter layouts, and golden paperback cover exceed all expectations. Comment “ART” if you want to grab a copy of this #unmaskingai #booktok

Those viral social media trends where you use AI to depict you in a different way, such as 20 years from now or 20 years ago, come at the cost of training algorithms on your face data. Comment “TREND” and I will DM you the episode directly. Once your face is in the data set, the terms of use typically give the company broad permission to do what they want with it. @poetofcode Dr. Joy Buolamwini — computer scientist, author, and poet — joined me on the latest episode of I’ve Got Questions to talk about how AI systems collect our biometric data, the hidden mechanics behind viral face filters, and what we can do to protect ourselves in a world where our faces have become the product. 🎙️ Watch the full episode of I’ve Got Questions available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.

A dataset meant to represent all of humanity was 70% male and 80% lighter-skinned faces. Comment “CODED” and I will DM you the episode directly. This is just one of the myriad examples of how bias can seep into AI systems. Not only will this bias be represented in how AI systems make decisions about us, but sometimes the bias can even compound. @poetofcode Dr. Joy Buolamwini — computer scientist, author, and poet — joined me on the latest episode of I’ve Got Questions to talk about the impact of AI on our every day lives, from bias to surveillance, and the actions we can take to steer AI development in directions that are beneficial for humanity. 🎙️ Watch the full episode of I’ve Got Questions available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Forbes AI 50 list just dropped. We have some questions that extend to the AI field broadly. First and foremost: Where are the women? AJL founder, Dr. Joy Buolamwini (@poetofcode ), once again served as an expert judge to help shape this year’s rankings. As she points out, “I am happy to serve as a judge. And one thing I continue to notice is how few women-led AI companies make it into consideration”. Of 50 companies, just four are led by women: ✨ Mira Murati, Thinking Machines Lab ✨ Dr. Fei-Fei Li, @theworldlabs ✨ Lin Qiao, Fireworks AI ✨ Minna Song, @eliseaihq We see you. We celebrate you, and we know there are more. In an era where AI is doing more and more of the coding, we recognize that it’s not just about who writes the code. It’s about who shapes it. Who greenlights it. Who leads the rooms where these systems are built, funded, and deployed. And it’s critically important that excellence across gender, race, ethnicity, culture, age, and socio-economic status is at the forefront of this leadership. Don’t believe us? We could point you to all the research on racial and gender bias in AI systems from law enforcement to healthcare. We could tell you to read papers like Gender Shades, which disrupted the AI world, causing tech giants like IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon to rethink AI approaches. We could show you award-winning films like @codedbias , which brought the reality of the “coded gaze” to life. But today, we want to point you towards Dr. Joy’s poem “AI, Ain’t I A Woman”. It speaks volumes about how bias shows up in simple internet searches. It proves exactly why who’s in charge matters. If leadership doesn’t reflect the humanity it’s supposed to serve, how can the technology? So now we ask YOU to help us expand our radar. Tag an incredible woman-led AI company in the comments below. 🔗 Links to the Forbes AI 50 and “AI, Ain’t I A Woman?” in bio.

Photos of kids are often shared online in the spirit of sharing a memory. But in today’s digital ecosystem, those images can travel far beyond a parent’s network. Comment "FACES" and I will DM you the episode directly. There’s also an important question of consent when it comes to a child’s digital life. @poetofcode Dr. Joy Buolamwini — computer scientist, author, and poet — joined me on the latest episode of I’ve Got Questions. 🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.