100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics You Should Follow in 2019 and beyond

100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics You Should Follow in 2019 and beyond
October 29, 2018 LH3_Admin

As we edge closer to the end of a very eventful year, it seemed like a good time for a follow up to the 12 Amazing Women in AI Ethics to Follow in 2018 post, which (as some pointed out) left out many deserving voices who are furthering the cause of Ethical and Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We live in very challenging times. The pervasiveness of bias in AI algorithms and autonomous “killer” robots looming on the horizon, all necessitate an open discussion and immediate action to address the perils of unchecked AI. The decisions we make today will determine the fate of future generations

“One of the major problems with our blind trust in algorithms is that we can propagate discriminatory patterns without acknowledging any kind of intent.” ~ Cathy O’Neil

Ethics in AI or Responsible AI is a broad evolving discipline that covers wide spectrum of critical issues facing humanity today, including how we can eliminate racial/gender inequities perpetuated by algorithmic biases to whether robots should have rights. This post is a small but critical effort to highlight and support the women working hard to save humanity from the dark side of AI.

“A.I. systems are shaped by the priorities and prejudices — conscious and unconscious — of the people who design them, a phenomenon that I refer to as “the coded gaze.” ~ Joy Buolamwini

This is by no means a complete list. It’s merely the first step in our journey towards a world where ethics are fully integrated into all AI development as opposed to being an afterthought or “nice-to-have”.

Special shout out to the leaders in this space — Meeri Haataja, Anne Currie, Anja Kaspersen, Irina Raicu, Michelle Carney and many others who have helped build this list by nominating their peers and made it more inclusive. Thanks to their efforts, we are able to highlight this exceptionally diverse group ranging from academic researchers, ethicists, policy makers, legal experts, data scientists, privacy advocates, geneticists and others from non-technical disciplines who are contributing meaningful insights for this critical discussion.

Everyone is welcome to nominate themselves or others for their relevant work in this space. Given that there are many talented women working in the Artificial Intelligence space, this list highlights only those individuals who meet the following criteria.

A) Self-identify as a woman.

B) Primarily focus on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, specifically as it relates to robots and other artificial beings/systems.

C) Actively promote the cause of ethical/responsible AI in their personal or professional capacity as an individual or as part of a larger organization.

Please follow these amazing women and support their work so we can make faster meaningful progress towards a world with safe, beneficial AI that will help and not hurt the future of humanity. 

1.Aimee van Wynsberghe @aimeevanrobot
2. Ajung Moon @RoboEthics
3. Aleksandra (Saška) Mojsilovic @datapriestess
4. Alla Kos @AllaKos_Dev
5. Anja Kaspersen @anjakasp
6. Anna Bethke @data_beth
7. Anna Sekaran @amsekaran
8. Anne Currie @anne_e_currie
9. Arisa Ema http://ai-initiative.org/
10. Beena Ammanath @beena_ammanath
11. Caitlin McDonald @cmcd_phd
12. Cansu Canca @ccansu
13. Catalina Butnaru @katchja
14. Catelijne Muller @MullerCatelijne
15. Cathy O’Neil @Mathbabedotorg
16. Charlotte Stix @charlotte_stix
17. Christiane Woopen @CWoopen
18. Cori Crider @cori_crider
19. Cynthia Dwork https://www.seas.harvard.edu/directory/dwork
20. Danah Boyd @zephoria
21. Deirdre Mulligan https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/people/deirdre-mulligan
22. Dr. Natasha Bajema @WMDgirl
23. Elena Sinel @elena_sinel
24. Eleonore Pauwels @AI_RRI_Ethics
25. Ellen Broad @ellenbroad
26. Emilia Gomez @emiliagogu
27. Fei Fei Li @drfeifei
28. Fiona McEvoy @fionajmcevoy
29. Francesca Rossi @frossi_t
30. Genevieve Bell @feraldata
31. Gisele Waters @watersgisele
32.. Gry Hasselbalch @mediamocracy
33. Hessie Jones @hessiejones
34. Hilary Sutcliffe @hilarysutcliffe
35. Ilse Verdiesen @IlseVerdiesen
36. Imogen Parker @ImogenParker
37. Irina Raicu @IEthics
38. Joanna Bryson @j2bryson
39. Joy Buolamwini @jovialjoy
40. Julie Carpenter @jgcarpenter
41. Kanta Dihal @DrDihal
42. Karen Bennet @bennetkl
43. Karen Levy @karen_ec_levy
44. Karen Yeung https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/law/yeung-karen.aspx
45. Karina, Vold @karinavold
46. Kate Crawford @katecrawford
47. Kate Darling @grok_
48. Kate Kaye @lowbrowkate
49. Katharina Zweig @nettwerkerin
50. Kathy Baxter @baxterkb
51. Kathyrn Hume @HumeKathryn
52. Kay Firth-Butterfield @KayFButterfield
53. Kristian Lum @kldivergence
54. Latanya Sweeney @LatanyaSweeney
55. Lilian Edwards @lilianedwards
56. Louise Dennis @louiseadennis
57. Lydia Kostopoulos @LKCYBER
58. Maikki Sipinen @maikkisi
59. Margaret Mitchell @mmitchell_ai
60. Margot Kaminski @MargotKaminski
61. Maria Axente @maria_axente
62. Mariarosaria Taddeo @RosariaTaddeo
63. Marija Slavkovik @MSlavkovik
64. Marina Jirotka @Marenka
65. Mary Wareham @marywareham
66. Meeri Haataja @meerihaataja
67. Meredith Broussard @merbroussard
68. Meredith Whittaker @mer__edith
69. Merel Noorman @menoorman
70. Michelle Carney @michellercarney
71. Minna Mustakallio @minnamyy
72. Mireille Hildebrandt @mireillemoret
73. Mona Sloane @mona_sloane
74. Monique Bachner @moniquebachner
75. Natali Helberger @nhelberger
76. Natalia Rincon @NataliaR_Rincon
77. Nele Heise @neleheise
78. Nishtha Madaan @nishtha_madaan
79. Nozha Boujemaa @NozhaBoujemaa
80. Olga Russakovsky @ai4allorg
81. Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt
82. Rediet Abebe @red_abebe
83. Rosie Campbell @rosiecampbell
84. Rumman Chowdhury @ruchowdh
85. Saara Hyvönen @saarahyvonen
86. Safiya Umoja Noble @safiyanoble
87. Sandra Wachter @SandraWachter5
88. Sarah Porter @SColesPorter
89. Seda Gürses @sedyst
90. Shannon Vallor @ShannonVallor
91. Sophie Fischer @SophieCFischer
92. Susan Liautaud @SusanLiautaud
93. Sylvie Delacroix @sylviedelacroix
94. Terah Lyons @terahlyons
95. Tess Posner @tessposner ‏
96. Timnit Gebru @timnitGebru
97. Vicky Charisi @CharisiVicky
98. Victoria Krakovna @vkrakovna
99. Virginia Dignum @vdignum
100. Virginia Eubanks @PopTechWorks ‏

Our work here is still not done. Please use this form to tell us if we’ve missed anyone and whose work you want us to highlight so we can continue to update and add to our master list


Mia Dand is the CEO of Lighthouse3.com, a Strategic Research & Advisory firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mia is an experienced marketing leader who helps F5000 companies innovate at scale with digital and emerging technologies. She has built and led new emerging technology programs for global brands including Google, Symantec, HP, eBay and others. Mia is a strong champion for diversity & inclusion in tech. You can reach her on Twitter @MiaD or follow her on Medium — Mia Dand