Joy Buolamwini Keynote Speaker

AI discrimination expert and Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League
Featured in Netflix's 'Coded Bias' and performs spoken word AI audit, 'AI, Ain't I a Woman?'
Winner of the Better World Award (MIT Influencer AI Awards), the Carol Jenkins Award (WMC), and featured in the Time 100 Next list in 2019, Forbes 30 under 30 and BBC 100 Women, amongst others

Joy Buolamwini's Biography

Joy Buolamwini is a ‘poet of code’ and the Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, known for her groundbreaking work on artificial intelligence (AI) discrimination. She is a fascinating speaker who shares her knowledge and expertise on AI and the surrounding issues relating to bias and discrimination, and is a talented spoken word artist.

Her 2023 book is “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines” – listed by several media outlets as a best book of the year.

Joy was a researcher at the MIT Media Lab (2017–2022), where she worked to identify bias in algorithms and improve accountability. She coined the term “the Coded Gaze,” referring to bias in AI systems, and her MIT thesis, “Gender Shades” (2018), uncovered large-scale racial and gender bias in AI services provided by Microsoft, IBM and Amazon—catalysing wider discussion of entrenched issues in these technologies.

She is the Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an organisation leading a cultural movement against biased AI systems that perpetuate discrimination such as racism, with the aim to create a more equitable and accountable technology.

Joy’s TED Talk, ‘How I’m fighting bias in algorithms’ has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times. She has been invited to speak about AI bias and discrimination at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, Bloomberg Live, and several other events. Her spoken word visual audit ‘AI, Ain’t I A Woman?’, which exposes the failures of AI to recognise the faces of Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, and her Coded Gaze video short have featured in exhibitions across the world, from the Barbican Centre, UK, to the Museum of Fine Art, Boston.

Joy has received many awards and accolades for her work. She is a Rhodes Scholar, a Fulbright Fellow, and was selected by the Vice President of the European Commission’s to form part of the Global Tech Panel who advise world leaders on reducing the harm of AI. In 2020, she was honoured with a Better World Award at MIT’s AI Influencer Awards, the Champion Award at the Silicon Valley Robotics ‘Good Robot’ Industry Awards, and in 2019 she received the Carol Jenkins Award from the Women’s Media Center (WMC). Joy was described by Fortune Magazine as “the conscience of the A.I. Revolution”, and has featured in several notable lists including the Time 100 Next list in 2019, Forbes 30 under 30, Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech (youngest), Bloomberg 50, Tech Review 35 under 35 and BBC 100 Women.

Joy completed two masters degrees from Oxford University and MIT, and she completed her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

She exposed systemic racial and gender bias in widely used AI systems through her landmark Gender Shades research at the MIT Media Lab (2017–2022), helping leaders understand where algorithmic discrimination shows up in real-world technology.
She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to drive accountability for biased AI, translating complex technical risks into clear priorities for organisations deploying AI at scale.
She coined the term “the Coded Gaze,” giving audiences a powerful framework for recognising how bias enters automated decision-making and what it takes to mitigate harm.
She brings rare authority at the intersection of policy, culture and technology, briefing global audiences from the United Nations to the World Economic Forum on the human impact of AI systems.
She combines rigorous research with spoken-word artistry to deliver unforgettable keynotes that help leaders communicate responsibly, earn trust and build more equitable AI.