Joy Buolamwini – UNMASKING AI

Due to a last-minute scheduling conflict, Dr. Joy Buolamwini will not be available to attend the Monday, November 6, 2023 event at the JCCSF.

Ticket holders are invited to attend the Tuesday, November 7, 2023 event at the Commonwealth Club. More details are available here

We apologize for any inconvenience.

To many of us, it seems like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been at the forefront of AI ethics research, this moment has been a long time in the making.  

Join Dr. Buolamwini at the JCCSF as she goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech and uncovers what she calls “the coded gaze” – the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products – explored in her organization, the Algorithmic Justice League. Applying an intersectional lens to both the tech industry and the research sector, she shows how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render broad swaths of humanity “excoded” and therefore vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools. Computers, she reminds us, are reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them. 

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications and potential harms of artificial intelligence. In 2016, she founded the Algorithmic Justice League to create a world with more equitable and accountable technology. Her TED Featured Talk on algorithmic bias has over 1.5 million views. Her MIT thesis methodology uncovered large racial and gender bias in AI services from companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon. Her research has been covered in over 40 countries, and as a renowned international speaker she has championed the need for algorithmic justice at the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. She serves on the Global Tech Panel convened by the vice president of European Commission to advise world leaders and technology executives on ways to reduce the harms of AI. Her work has been featured in Time, The New York Times, and the Netflix documentary Coded Bias. A Rhodes Scholar and Fulbright Fellow, Joy has been named to notable lists including Time 100 AI, BBC 100 Women, Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech (youngest), and Forbes 30 under 30. She holds two masters degrees from Oxford University and MIT; and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  A former pole vaulter, she still holds sentimental Olympic aspirations. Fortune Magazine named her to their 2019 list of world’s greatest leaders describing her as “the conscience of the AI Revolution.”  

Appearing in conversation with Dr. Joy is Kathy Baxter, Principal Architect, Ethical AI Practice, Salesforce.

Our community partner for this program is Books Inc. 

All seating is first come, first served. And please note, if you’d like to meet Dr. Joy Buolamwini after the program to get your copy of the book signed, you must wear a mask. 

Tickets are non-refundable. Once you complete your purchase you’ll receive a confirmation email and your name will be added to our registration list. When checking in for the event, simply provide the name that the tickets were purchased under. Questions or issues? Email [email protected]