35 Facts About Joy Buolamwini

Joy Adowaa Buolamwini is a Canadian-American computer scientist and digital activist formerly based at the MIT Media Lab.

Joy Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League, an organization that works to challenge bias in decision-making software, using art, advocacy, and research to highlight the social implications and harms of artificial intelligence.

Joy Buolamwini graduated as a Stamps President's Scholar from Georgia Tech in 2012, and was the youngest finalist of the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize in 2009.

Joy Buolamwini is a Rhodes Scholar, a Fulbright fellow, a Stamps Scholar, an Astronaut Scholar, and an Anita Borg Institute scholar.

In 2011, Joy Buolamwini worked with the trachoma program at the Carter Center to develop an Android-based assessment system for use in Ethiopia.

On September 14,2016, Joy Buolamwini appeared at the White House summit on Computer Science for All.

Joy Buolamwini was a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, where she worked to identify bias in algorithms and to develop practices for accountability during their design; at the lab, Joy Buolamwini was a member of Ethan Zuckerman's Center for Civic Media group.

Joy Buolamwini created the Aspire Mirror, a device that lets users see a reflection of themselves based on what inspires them.

Joy Buolamwini has created two films, Code4Rights and Algorithmic Justice League: Unmasking Bias.

Joy Buolamwini served as Chief Technology Officer for Techturized Inc.

Joy Buolamwini's research was cited in 2020 as an influence for Google and Microsoft in addressing gender and race bias in their products and processes.

Joy Buolamwini served as an advisor to President Biden ahead of his administration's Executive Order 14110, released October 30,2023.

Joy Buolamwini's findings contributed to significant changes in the tech industry.

However, Joy Buolamwini has noted that improved technical accuracy alone does not eliminate risks of potential misuse in areas such as racial profiling, surveillance, and hiring decisions.

Joy Buolamwini's advocacy emphasizes that achieving fairness in AI development requires a multi-faceted approach, including regulatory frameworks and collaborative efforts.

Joy Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League in 2016 to promote equitable and accountable artificial intelligence.

Joy Buolamwini has influenced policy discussions to address gender discrimination in AI applications, advocating for regulations that ensure fairness in AI-powered decision-making systems.

Joy Buolamwini's testimony emphasized the need for accountability in the deployment of facial recognition technologies, particularly in areas where these systems could exacerbate gender inequities.

Joy Buolamwini believed the executive order fell short in terms of redress, or consequences, for AI systems that hurt minority communities.

Joy Buolamwini's efforts supported the inclusion of measures to address discrimination in AI applications, particularly in areas like hiring, housing, and criminal justice.

Joy Buolamwini's initiatives focus on exposing and mitigating biases in artificial intelligence that disproportionately affect these underrepresented groups.

Joy Buolamwini has led campaigns targeting gender equity in AI and technology.

Joy Buolamwini's Voicing Erasure project highlights gender equity by exposing biases in voice recognition systems, particularly those that often fail to accurately process speech from women and non-binary individuals.

Joy Buolamwini uses the mini documentary to talk about the bias that she believes lies in artificial intelligence's function.

Joy Buolamwini anticipated having Serena Williams, another dark-skinned woman, reflected onto her face.

In 2017, Joy Buolamwini was awarded the grand prize in the professional category in the Search for Hidden Figures contest, tied to the release of the film Hidden Figures in December 2016.

Joy Buolamwini delivered a TEDx talk at Beacon Street entitled How I'm fighting bias in algorithms.

Joy Buolamwini was featured on Amy Poehler's Smart Girls in 2018.

In 2020, Joy Buolamwini featured in a women's empowerment campaign by the clothing company Levi's for International Women's Day.

In June 9,2024, Joy Buolamwini was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Dartmouth College for her work in exposing biases in AI systems and preventing AI harms.

Joy Buolamwini was invited as the keynote speaker for Dartmouth's 2024 Social Justice Awards.

In November of 2024, Joy Buolamwini was awarded the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life Octavia Butler Award in Computer Science.

On March 14th, 2024, Joy Buolamwini was awarded the NAACP Archwell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Activist Award.

Joy Buolamwini has lived in Ghana; Barcelona, Spain; Oxford, United Kingdom; and, in the US, Memphis, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia.

Joy Buolamwini describes herself as a "daughter of the science and of the arts", her father being an Academic and her mother an artist, as well as a Poet of Code.