Researcher Who Exposed Big Tech’s AI Bias Joins Civil Rights Law Organization
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the nation’s first civil rights law organization, has appointed Dr. Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League and author of national bestseller Unmasking AI, to its Board of Directors.
As AI tools proliferate across policing, hiring, lending, education, and healthcare, civil rights advocates warn that their built-in biases could disproportionately harm Black communities. LDF says Buolamwini’s expertise in algorithmic accountability will be key to guiding the organization’s response to these emerging tech-driven civil rights challenges.
A Leading Voice on Algorithmic Justice
Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League after a facial analysis program failed to detect her dark-skinned face unless she wore a white mask. She has since shared this experience widely, including in op-eds for TIME and the New York Times, and in a TED Talk viewed more than one million times.
Her MIT thesis and follow-up studies revealed stark skin-tone and gender biases in AI systems from companies such as Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon. The findings helped push these tech giants to halt sales of their facial recognition technologies to law enforcement and ignited a global conversation about the need for ethical, accountable AI.
“Dr. Buolamwini has been called the ‘conscience of the AI revolution,’” Janai Nelson, LDF’s President and Director-Counsel, said in a press release. “Her transformative scholarship has brought much needed moral clarity to the field of artificial intelligence.”
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Bringing Tech expertise to the civil rights field
Founded in 1940, LDF has long led major legal battles around voting rights, policing, housing, and education. Today, those same areas are increasingly shaped by algorithmic tools, from predictive policing systems to resume screening tools, raising urgent new civil rights concerns.
Buolamwini’s presence on the board strengthens LDF’s ability to scrutinize these technologies and advocate for stronger protections for Black and Brown communities.
“It is my honor to join the esteemed members of the Legal Defense Fund’s Board of Directors in supporting this storied institution as it seeks to protect Black communities amid the rising frontier of algorithmic justice fueled by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence,” said Buolamwini.
Image credit: Dr Joy Buolamwini
