Earn Your Leisure The Father of AI Was a Black Scientist 🤯
Jan 27, 2026
Lisa Blackwell, granddaughter of mathematician David Blackwell and creator of a documentary about his life. She walks through his foundational work in probability, decision theory, and influences on modern AI. Conversations cover NVIDIA naming a chip after him, hidden history in STEM, and how visibility can inspire future Black mathematicians.
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Blackwell's Math Built Modern AI
- David Blackwell's mathematical work underpins core AI tools like decision processes and statistical inference.
- His theorems (e.g., Blackwell-Rao/Blackwell-Raoul references) shape how models estimate and minimize bias in data.
Statistics Link Directly To AI Bias
- Blackwell's theorems provide practical methods to interpret frequent events and reduce bias in estimates.
- The hosts connect this statistical foundation directly to present-day concerns about AI training data bias.
Facing Racism, Maintaining Dignity
- David Blackwell faced overt racism in hiring; a department chair's wife opposed inviting him home, yet Jersey Naiman hired him anyway.
- Blackwell rarely spoke negatively about such incidents and avoided bitterness.
