Influential Women in AI: What is Joy Buolamwini Known For?
- Zack Arnold
- Aug 15
- 4 min read
AI adoption is becoming more and more widespread around the world and across many different industries, leading us to embrace diverse perspectives on its capabilities and its challenges. Several of our recent blog posts have delved into what makes a good AI policy and the importance of practicing responsible and ethical AI, and our work at Sedna consistently aims to reflect those values.
As we continue exploring the stories and works of influential women in technology, and now specifically AI, we seek to spread that knowledge and insight into why enabling responsible AI is necessary in a world that is becoming increasingly influenced by its potential.
Research conducted by the Berkeley Haas Center found that 44% of 133 AI systems from various industries displayed gender bias, and 25% showed both gender and racial bias. Leaders in AI such as Joy Buolamwini are known for their work in mitigating these risks and empowering innovation through AI systems that are fair, equitable, and accountable. In this article we will navigate Joy Buolamwini’s background and her contributions to AI technologies.
Joy Buolamwini’s Background
Joy Buolamwini was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and spent her very early years in Ghana before moving to the United States when she was just four years old. Throughout her years in grade school, she knew that a future in robotics and computer science was one that she wanted to pursue, and so she did. She attended Georgia Tech where she first discovered a passion for algorithmic justice during an undergraduate project.
At Georgia Tech, Buolamwini programmed a social robot to play peek-a-boo, using facial recognition software to enable the response. However, she had to seek the assistance of her white housemate to test the AI and complete the project due to the fact that it would not detect her own face. The difficulty that the AI had in recognizing dark-skinned faces led her to her mission of creating equitable and accountable AI systems that would benefit everyone, not just a select few.
Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League during her time at school, which combats algorithmic bias and expands tech opportunities for youth. She also launched the Safe Face Pledge in 2018 with the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology, advocating for responsible use of facial analysis technology. She has a master’s degree from the University of Oxford as well as one from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“Algorithmic bias, like human bias, results in unfairness. However, algorithms, like viruses, can spread bias on a massive scale at a rapid pace.”
Exposing Biases in AI Systems
Joy Buolamwini has dedicated her work to exposing and mitigating the biases that exist within AI systems. If these technologies are not trained on a diverse set of faces, in the case of facial recognition software, then any faces that deviate from what the system detects as “normal,” they will be harder to recognize. This has proven to be hugely problematic, as this type of technology is being adopted across our entire society in operations like hiring and even law enforcement.
Her expert research has uncovered both racial and gender bias in AI services from big tech companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon, which can result in harmful outputs for the thousands and millions of individuals that utilize them. Buolamwini stated: "For Microsoft, accuracy for darker-skinned females was as low as 80%, while lighter-skinned males saw nearly perfect results.”
Buolamwini is also the author of Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines. It is a story detailing how Buolamwini uncovered what she refers to as “the coded gaze,” which is a term that describes the evidence of discrimination and bias in AI technology. She talks about her movement in mitigating these harms as well as bringing more awareness to technology’s ability to render many underrepresented populations vulnerable as the world continues to rapidly adopt these advancements.
“The rising frontier for civil rights will require algorithmic justice. AI should be for the people and by the people, not just the privileged few.”
Influence & Recognition
Buolamwini’s work and expertise in AI has influenced many facets of society. She has presented her research on algorithmic bias at the United Nations and is a member of the Global Tech Panel, established by the Vice President of the European Commission. Her writing and work have been featured in TIME Magazine, New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone, and she also provides her expertise to congressional hearings and government agencies seeking to move forward with responsible AI policies.
Joy Buolamwini is the first Black researcher to be on the cover of Fast Company, appearing in the 2020 “Most Creative People” issue and has been named to notable lists including Forbes 30 under 30, Bloomberg50, Time 100 AI Inaugural list, and MIT Tech Review 35 under 35.
The work of Joy Buolamwini is inspiring and insightful when it comes to continuing to adopt responsible AI that is safe, fair, equitable, and accountable. At Sedna Consulting Group, we are continuously working to enable this type of innovation that is beneficial to all as we implement cutting-edge AI systems into companies in the public and private sectors. We are proud to recognize the knowledge and work of experts like Buolamwini and will continue to stay true to our values in responsible AI.
“We must continuously fight for the vision of the world we want to see. This is not just about technology—it’s about power, policy, and people.”
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