TED Tech Dr. Joy Buolamwini | from Design Matters
Dec 19, 2025
Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a pioneering computer scientist and digital activist who founded the Algorithmic Justice League to expose AI bias. She shares her journey from her Ghanaian roots to studying computer science, leading to her impactful work on algorithmic fairness. Topics include her groundbreaking Gender Shades research that reveals biases in facial recognition, the risks of mass surveillance by AI, and her use of poetry to drive advocacy. Joy highlights the importance of legal protections against surveillance and reflects on the role of creativity in tech.
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Robot Fails On Dark Skin
- Joy Buolamwini's Peekaboo Simon robot failed to detect her dark skin face during testing.
- She used a light-skinned roommate to demo because the robot worked on lighter skin, revealing early bias in practice.
Mirror Mask Revealed Racial Bias
- At MIT Joy built a mirror mask project and found face-detection software only recognized a white mask, not her face.
- The moment revealed how computer vision systems favored lighter faces and masks over darker real faces.
Stay Stubborn On Tough Questions
- Persist with research even if peers discourage work on bias and discrimination.
- Joy credits stubbornness and supportive institutions like the Media Lab for letting her explore unpopular questions.