Shining light on toxic patterns in AI is not for the faint of heart. The realities of racism, misogyny, and hate that underlie modern advances in technology are difficult to face, let alone address. Yet Abeba Birhane fearlessly dives deep, critically analyzing AI datasets, models, and culture to unearth fundamental problems in today’s systems. Dr. Birhane’s groundbreaking research has articulated how beliefs and values affect whom technology serves—and whom it harms. She stays focused on the people behind each data point AI learns from, and has been key in pinpointing the problem of “digital colonialism,” including the exploitative technology practices in her native continent of Africa.
Birhane’s work reveals hard and painful truths in the face of an industry claiming it will help all of humanity while pouring billions of dollars into driving AI forward with blinders on. Her writing and advocacy are fundamentally shaping how AI is understood and, hopefully, what it will become.
Mitchell is the chief AI ethics scientist at Hugging Face
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time