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Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines
“The conscience of the AI revolution” (Fortune) explains how we’ve arrived at an era of AI harms and oppression, and what we can do to avoid its pitfalls.
“Dr. Joy Buolamwini has been an essential figure in bringing irresponsible, profit-hungry tech giants to their knees. If you’re going to read only one book about AI, this should be it.”—Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation
To most of us, it seems like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been at the forefront of AI research, this moment has been a long time in the making.
After tinkering with robotics as a high school student in Memphis and then developing mobile apps in Zambia as a Fulbright fellow, Buolamwini followed her lifelong passion for computer science, engineering, and art to MIT in 2015. As a graduate student at the “Future Factory,” she did groundbreaking research that exposed widespread racial and gender bias in AI services from tech giants across the world.
Unmasking AI goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech. It is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze”—the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products—and how she galvanized the movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League. Applying an intersectional lens to both the tech industry and the research sector, she shows how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render broad swaths of humanity “excoded” and therefore vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools. Computers, she reminds us, are reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them.
Encouraging experts and non-experts alike to join this fight, Buolamwini writes, “The rising frontier for civil rights will require algorithmic justice. AI should be for the people and by the people, not just the privileged few.”
“Dr. Joy Buolamwini has been an essential figure in bringing irresponsible, profit-hungry tech giants to their knees. If you’re going to read only one book about AI, this should be it.”—Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation
To most of us, it seems like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been at the forefront of AI research, this moment has been a long time in the making.
After tinkering with robotics as a high school student in Memphis and then developing mobile apps in Zambia as a Fulbright fellow, Buolamwini followed her lifelong passion for computer science, engineering, and art to MIT in 2015. As a graduate student at the “Future Factory,” she did groundbreaking research that exposed widespread racial and gender bias in AI services from tech giants across the world.
Unmasking AI goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech. It is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze”—the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products—and how she galvanized the movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League. Applying an intersectional lens to both the tech industry and the research sector, she shows how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render broad swaths of humanity “excoded” and therefore vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools. Computers, she reminds us, are reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them.
Encouraging experts and non-experts alike to join this fight, Buolamwini writes, “The rising frontier for civil rights will require algorithmic justice. AI should be for the people and by the people, not just the privileged few.”
336 pages, Hardcover
Published October 31, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
March 5, 2024
Why isn't Unmasking AI tagged 'memoir'? This is, without doubt, Joy Buolamwini's personal story. It starts with the class project where she noticed that a face recognition library wouldn't recognize her face unless she wore a white Halloween mask. The book shows her - reluctantly, at first - being pulled from standard computer science research into algorithmic bias. She noticed the injustices that AI development was building up. She became a spokesperson for AI ethics. She started the Algorithmic Justice League, testified before Congress, went to the White House, talked to the press, held exhibits about the risks of AI biases... all while working on her PhD.
This memoir ends when she defends her PhD thesis.
Buolamwini's struggle to get through the academic machine is a fascinating one, considering all the things she was doing while she was a student. In one chapter, Buolamwini tells her thesis committee that bias in AI has the potential to severely harm women, ethnic and gender minorities. Joy says she wants to write her PhD thesis on AI bias. What would you do in this case? Probably hear the evidence and say, yeah, thank you for dedicating your time to this. And what does her committee say? They question whether the harm would really be significant enough to warrant their attention. Who even cares, right?
This conversation was a mirror image of something I experienced with my own dissertation progress review. I wanted to develop new AI techniques for my field, and was met with "What's the win for physics? Why should we bother to switch from old-school methods?" Unlike Joy Buolamwini's, the academic inertia I encountered had no humanitarian implications, thankfully. But it was surreal to see her go through the same interactions as me -- while she was a public figure spearheading the field she wanted to write her dissertation in.
In the chapter about her Congress testimony, Buolamwini makes a point about how fantastic it was to get bipartisan support on the algorithmic bias issue. But I'm worried that the way Unmasking AI is written might create a struggle to attract readers who don't identify with the Progressive Left. I hope that readers who tend to grow wary when a narrative uses politicized terms will still read Joy Buolamwini's story, because her personal journey is worth reading about.
This memoir ends when she defends her PhD thesis.
Buolamwini's struggle to get through the academic machine is a fascinating one, considering all the things she was doing while she was a student. In one chapter, Buolamwini tells her thesis committee that bias in AI has the potential to severely harm women, ethnic and gender minorities. Joy says she wants to write her PhD thesis on AI bias. What would you do in this case? Probably hear the evidence and say, yeah, thank you for dedicating your time to this. And what does her committee say? They question whether the harm would really be significant enough to warrant their attention. Who even cares, right?
This conversation was a mirror image of something I experienced with my own dissertation progress review. I wanted to develop new AI techniques for my field, and was met with "What's the win for physics? Why should we bother to switch from old-school methods?" Unlike Joy Buolamwini's, the academic inertia I encountered had no humanitarian implications, thankfully. But it was surreal to see her go through the same interactions as me -- while she was a public figure spearheading the field she wanted to write her dissertation in.
In the chapter about her Congress testimony, Buolamwini makes a point about how fantastic it was to get bipartisan support on the algorithmic bias issue. But I'm worried that the way Unmasking AI is written might create a struggle to attract readers who don't identify with the Progressive Left. I hope that readers who tend to grow wary when a narrative uses politicized terms will still read Joy Buolamwini's story, because her personal journey is worth reading about.
October 22, 2023
I’ve followed Dr. Buolamwini‘s important work since the early days and was excited to read her book. For most of it, I couldn’t quite tell who the book was for. It doesn’t offer many new details about her work or personal life. It doesn’t have enough detail on the social construction of race to provide new information for social scientists or (I’m guessing) enough computer science for people in that field. Surprisingly, given her huge impact, it was often a bit boring.
Towards the end she mentions that when talking to undergraduate computer science majors at MIT she hoped to someday have a book to refer them to when they asked about how to support algorithmic justice. I think this is that book, which is great, but not for me. That said, I look forward to continuing to follow and support her work in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Towards the end she mentions that when talking to undergraduate computer science majors at MIT she hoped to someday have a book to refer them to when they asked about how to support algorithmic justice. I think this is that book, which is great, but not for me. That said, I look forward to continuing to follow and support her work in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
November 22, 2023
Stop reading Elon Musk’s biography or OpenAI tweets, because this book is your new North Star for AI. I’ve been working in AI since 1997, and I finally understand the most profound concepts in the most straightforward terms thanks to Dr Buolamwini. She is fearless and brilliant and kind and a student of life. She will continue to change the world. She should be president of AI.
December 11, 2023
Dry. Reads more like self promotion sprinkled with interesting facts on the current state of AI.
February 24, 2024
2.5. Important, yes, this topic is important. The only thing is that I did not find the way it was presented helpful. I wanted information and this was more of an memoir. And not just one memoir, but *multiple* memoirs about the same period of time. And not just any period of time, but the period of time the author spent working out her *grad school* research. And, sadly, I was not looking for a memoir about anyone's grad school research journey.
The work is good-- the work is GREAT! But it felt like I was reading multiple versions of the same university entrance essay: present a situation, tell the reader how you felt about it, end on something nonspecific but hopeful. Over and over again.
Did I learn some things about AI? Yes. Did I learn anything I wouldn't have gotten from a much shorter news article about the dangers of AI? No.
Maybe the documentary is better formatted?
The work is good-- the work is GREAT! But it felt like I was reading multiple versions of the same university entrance essay: present a situation, tell the reader how you felt about it, end on something nonspecific but hopeful. Over and over again.
Did I learn some things about AI? Yes. Did I learn anything I wouldn't have gotten from a much shorter news article about the dangers of AI? No.
Maybe the documentary is better formatted?
February 19, 2024
Dr. Buolamwini’s work is essential, but this book fell flat for me. It was light on science, but was not a memoir either. Lots of “then this happened, then that happened…”
I would still recommend anyone who is interested in AI and/or social justice issues give this book a skim or otherwise familiarize themselves with her work.
I would still recommend anyone who is interested in AI and/or social justice issues give this book a skim or otherwise familiarize themselves with her work.
November 11, 2023
For people new to Dr. Joy’s work, this book will be highly educational and essential in the conversation around human rights for an AI world. And for people who have been following her work for some time and will be familiar with the content, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at her journey with her own personal account of finding her direction and purpose for her work, building her reputation in the AI world, and listening to her body in an effort to make working on all of her initiatives more sustainable.
October 20, 2023
"Unmasking AI" by Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a powerful exploration of the hidden biases and inequalities within the world of artificial intelligence. From her early days tinkering with robotics in Memphis to her Fulbright fellowship developing mobile apps in Zambia, Dr. Buolamwini's journey is impressive and demonstrative of her passion for computer science, engineering, and art. Her pivotal moment came when she joined MIT's "Future Factory" as a graduate student and conducted groundbreaking research that unveiled the deep-seated racial and gender bias present in AI services provided by tech giants across the globe.
"Unmasking AI" goes beyond sensational headlines about the existential risks posed by Big Tech and dives deep into Dr. Buolamwini's remarkable journey. She introduces us to the concept of the "coded gaze," a term she coined to describe the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion present in tech products. Dr. Buolamwini's work serves as a call to action as she galvanizes a movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League.
What sets Dr. Joy Buolamwini apart is her commitment to examining and rectifying what is not working with the development of AI, rather than simply building AI for the sake of it. She applies an intersectional lens to the tech industry and the research sector, shedding light on how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render large segments of humanity "excoded" and consequently vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools. She reminds us that computers are not neutral entities but reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them.
As we move into an AI-driven future, this book reminds us of the urgent need for algorithmic fairness, accountability, and the elimination of biases that can perpetuate discrimination and exclusion. "Unmasking AI" is a vital read for anyone concerned about the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity. It was so thought-provoking I had to look up Dr. Buolamwini's dissertation to learn more! Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc!
"Unmasking AI" goes beyond sensational headlines about the existential risks posed by Big Tech and dives deep into Dr. Buolamwini's remarkable journey. She introduces us to the concept of the "coded gaze," a term she coined to describe the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion present in tech products. Dr. Buolamwini's work serves as a call to action as she galvanizes a movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League.
What sets Dr. Joy Buolamwini apart is her commitment to examining and rectifying what is not working with the development of AI, rather than simply building AI for the sake of it. She applies an intersectional lens to the tech industry and the research sector, shedding light on how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render large segments of humanity "excoded" and consequently vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools. She reminds us that computers are not neutral entities but reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them.
As we move into an AI-driven future, this book reminds us of the urgent need for algorithmic fairness, accountability, and the elimination of biases that can perpetuate discrimination and exclusion. "Unmasking AI" is a vital read for anyone concerned about the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity. It was so thought-provoking I had to look up Dr. Buolamwini's dissertation to learn more! Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc!
December 6, 2023
Read in less than 24 hours. Fantastic book. Dr Buolamwini is a force. Highly recommend
September 21, 2024
I originally picked up this book because I share the author's concerns about AI and ethics. However, this story wound up being about so much more than that.
Dr. Joy Buolamwini details her stellar achievements and life experiences as a scientist and a poet, but also as a woman of color existing in a field often dominated by white men. She fights for algorithmic justice not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because she can recount those times when she was misidentified because she was different, and she wants to make a world where fewer people experience that.
The author's greatest talent may be her balance of relatability and knowledge. At some points, I wanted her to delve a little deeper, but then I reminded myself that this is a book meant for the general population because everyone has a stake in this issue, and she conveyed a great deal of important information about facial recognition and her journey to preserve humanity in the age of AI in just under 300 pages. Dr. Buolamwini said it best herself in the quote below:
Dr. Joy Buolamwini details her stellar achievements and life experiences as a scientist and a poet, but also as a woman of color existing in a field often dominated by white men. She fights for algorithmic justice not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because she can recount those times when she was misidentified because she was different, and she wants to make a world where fewer people experience that.
The author's greatest talent may be her balance of relatability and knowledge. At some points, I wanted her to delve a little deeper, but then I reminded myself that this is a book meant for the general population because everyone has a stake in this issue, and she conveyed a great deal of important information about facial recognition and her journey to preserve humanity in the age of AI in just under 300 pages. Dr. Buolamwini said it best herself in the quote below:
You don't have to know precisely how biometric technologies work to know that when they are used for mass surveillance and invade your privacy, they do not make us safer by default. You don't have to know what a neural net is to know that if an AI system denies you a job because of your race, gender, age, disability, or skin color, something is wrong. You don't have to be an AI researcher to know that if companies take your creative work and use it to create products without permission and compensation, you have been wronged.
April 30, 2024
very informative and loved reading about an MIT woman!!!
December 3, 2023
I'm of two minds about this book. At times it was engaging. It helped the reader think about both the promise and responsibility of AI. Think about who controls it and who is most often adversely impacted by it. It gives us questions to think about as we engage with technology. And I wanted more of this. Having seen Coded Bias and followed her for a few years I was hoping this book would go beyond what I had already learned. That I would learn more about the impact of AI beyond the scope of technologies about facial recognition or biometrics. But the book didn't really get there.
It also felt at times that it was incredibly linear in its storytelling. A lot of - this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened... And that was much less engaging for me.
If you haven't seen Coded Bias or been following Dr. Buolamwini for a few years, this will be new for you. If you have been following her, it probably won't be. I think it offers the basis for some good thought experiments about the use of AI, but I had hoped it would delve deeper.
It also felt at times that it was incredibly linear in its storytelling. A lot of - this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened... And that was much less engaging for me.
If you haven't seen Coded Bias or been following Dr. Buolamwini for a few years, this will be new for you. If you have been following her, it probably won't be. I think it offers the basis for some good thought experiments about the use of AI, but I had hoped it would delve deeper.
June 4, 2024
This book was so frustrating to read.
I expected an in-depth, complex, intricate perspective of ai - what it is, how it works, where it succeeds, and where it falls short, and most importantly what we can do moving forward. Instead, all I got was one self-proclaimed expert's opinions, wardrobe choices, and self promotion through the same tired criticism of ai with no real suggestions for solutions. Her constant hypocrisy, assumptions, arrogance, and entitlement really pissed me off.
I feel like I could really go deep into every detail that bothered me, I won't, instead I'll say, if you are trying to learn about ai, you don't have to read this book. Maybe her actual research would be more interesting but I think in general there are far more timely, accurate, systematic books to read about this topic that are far less singular and author focused.
I expected an in-depth, complex, intricate perspective of ai - what it is, how it works, where it succeeds, and where it falls short, and most importantly what we can do moving forward. Instead, all I got was one self-proclaimed expert's opinions, wardrobe choices, and self promotion through the same tired criticism of ai with no real suggestions for solutions. Her constant hypocrisy, assumptions, arrogance, and entitlement really pissed me off.
I feel like I could really go deep into every detail that bothered me, I won't, instead I'll say, if you are trying to learn about ai, you don't have to read this book. Maybe her actual research would be more interesting but I think in general there are far more timely, accurate, systematic books to read about this topic that are far less singular and author focused.
November 4, 2023
Realistic portrayal of the dangers
It's an interesting book about a current topic. I could have seen it a little shorter and perhaps less technical at times, but overall it reads like an informative autobiography and I learned some new things from it.
It's an interesting book about a current topic. I could have seen it a little shorter and perhaps less technical at times, but overall it reads like an informative autobiography and I learned some new things from it.
September 8, 2024
Your hue is not a cue to dismissing your humanity, a memorable line from 2024's book Unmasking AI My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Robots by Joy Buolamwini, PhD. It's definitely a catchy, poetic turn of the tongue, but a stronger choice of words, it seems to me, is that your hue is no clue to your humanity. Buolamwini, born of Ghanian parents and found at poetofcode.com, tells her story of learning about and still fighting against algorithmic bias or injustice. She explains that artificial intelligence (AI) behind the algorithms is only as fair to people as their designers, developers, and deployers. AI is not magically objective or neutral.
The title of the book makes note of the fact that in the United States in particular AI is under the radar of most people. While we like to look at how China has become a place of surveillance where their citizens must use facial recognition to buy anything or go anywhere and say we're so glad we're not China. However, as Buolamwini points out, their surveillance is transparent while it isn't even regulated yet in her home country of America.
As the founder and director of the Algorithmic Justice League, Buolamwini has been at the forefront of the world's fight for racial, social, gender, economical and all kinds of justice in the AI industry. She was one of nine renowned people who met with President Biden last October to explain the harm that algorithms are already causing because machines have taken over human jobs.
Buoamwini has a very challenging mission with the motto to show compassion through computation. She encourages girls of all skin colors to learn how to code so that they will teach machines to recognize their not-white faces and become more inclusive and less influenced by the coded gaze of most AL developers who are white. The book explains just how important it is to do this if we wish to live in a humane world that reflects all of our faces in the light and not just some.
To bring awareness to the AL problem, Buolamwini has given a TED talk, spoken at world conferences she was invited to, published a peer-reviewed paper, taken on Amazon and eventually won, been the face of one of Olay's beauty campaigns, become a doctor through MIT and a poet of code, and starred in an excellent documentary called Coded Bias, which I enjoyed on Netflix. It will grab and keep your attention on the goal: a future we can all enjoy and flourish in.
Highly recommended reading and viewing!
The title of the book makes note of the fact that in the United States in particular AI is under the radar of most people. While we like to look at how China has become a place of surveillance where their citizens must use facial recognition to buy anything or go anywhere and say we're so glad we're not China. However, as Buolamwini points out, their surveillance is transparent while it isn't even regulated yet in her home country of America.
As the founder and director of the Algorithmic Justice League, Buolamwini has been at the forefront of the world's fight for racial, social, gender, economical and all kinds of justice in the AI industry. She was one of nine renowned people who met with President Biden last October to explain the harm that algorithms are already causing because machines have taken over human jobs.
Buoamwini has a very challenging mission with the motto to show compassion through computation. She encourages girls of all skin colors to learn how to code so that they will teach machines to recognize their not-white faces and become more inclusive and less influenced by the coded gaze of most AL developers who are white. The book explains just how important it is to do this if we wish to live in a humane world that reflects all of our faces in the light and not just some.
To bring awareness to the AL problem, Buolamwini has given a TED talk, spoken at world conferences she was invited to, published a peer-reviewed paper, taken on Amazon and eventually won, been the face of one of Olay's beauty campaigns, become a doctor through MIT and a poet of code, and starred in an excellent documentary called Coded Bias, which I enjoyed on Netflix. It will grab and keep your attention on the goal: a future we can all enjoy and flourish in.
Highly recommended reading and viewing!
August 26, 2024
This was such an incredible book. The accomplishments of the author are very interesting and significant, and her work is perfectly documented and discussed in her book which is part memoir.
It’s very enlightening to learn more about AI and her knowledge in the area of algorithmic justice is profound. I really did enjoy reading about her own journey, she said that she’s a very private person, but she told a lot of different stories that showed that her perseverance is what really paid off in the end. I think it was also stronger in the part that I was most interested in, which is the identification of potential criminals using AI. And of course concerning issues of race and gender.
I know that she will spend more time and effort in this pursuit and that makes me feel better that there are learned people like her who are dedicated to the cause. It’s so easy (even prior to AI) to see the misidentification of people and as a result, eye witness identification has always been a tremendous issue in the field of criminal justice. But I did enjoy her tone and she actually mentioned Brian Stevenson at one point- she does remind me a little bit of him as she always remained rational even when her feelings were hurt or she felt slighted. It’s a great quality for everyone to have and it shows a strength of character that is needed in the fight for justice.
Dr Boulamwini is absolutely amazing and a true advocate for justice. I hope that she continues what she’s doing in the field. And everyone would benefit from reading this to see where some of the issues lie and where the government should step in to make sure that people’s rights are truly protected in our country and in our world of advanced technology, now and in the future.
It’s very enlightening to learn more about AI and her knowledge in the area of algorithmic justice is profound. I really did enjoy reading about her own journey, she said that she’s a very private person, but she told a lot of different stories that showed that her perseverance is what really paid off in the end. I think it was also stronger in the part that I was most interested in, which is the identification of potential criminals using AI. And of course concerning issues of race and gender.
I know that she will spend more time and effort in this pursuit and that makes me feel better that there are learned people like her who are dedicated to the cause. It’s so easy (even prior to AI) to see the misidentification of people and as a result, eye witness identification has always been a tremendous issue in the field of criminal justice. But I did enjoy her tone and she actually mentioned Brian Stevenson at one point- she does remind me a little bit of him as she always remained rational even when her feelings were hurt or she felt slighted. It’s a great quality for everyone to have and it shows a strength of character that is needed in the fight for justice.
Dr Boulamwini is absolutely amazing and a true advocate for justice. I hope that she continues what she’s doing in the field. And everyone would benefit from reading this to see where some of the issues lie and where the government should step in to make sure that people’s rights are truly protected in our country and in our world of advanced technology, now and in the future.
April 12, 2024
"Coding in whiteface was the last thing I expected to do when I came to MIT, but–for better or worse–I had encountered what I now call the 'coded gaze'"(p. xiii).
Dr. Joy Buolamwini (The "Dr." is important, because this is in part the story of her PhD) is a researcher in the field of AI and the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, a digital advocacy group dedicated to exposing bias in algorithms and AI and providing counsel and support to people experiencing algorithmic bias. In this memoir-slash-primer on AI & algorithmic bias, Buolamwini shares her journey in digital advocacy, beginning with her childhood fascination with robotics. Her interest in algorithmic bias began as a graduate student at MIT, when she realized a face-tracking program she was working with wouldn't follow her face–until she put on a white mask. After this experience, she grappled with conflicting instincts: keep her head down and finish her degree in the way she planned to, or change directions and see where researching and exposing algorithmic bias would take her.
Buolamwini's stated goal is to provide laypeople, particularly those marginalized by algorithmic bias (or "excoded"; the opposite of encoded) with the knowledge and resources they need to identify and expose algorithmic bias within their lives. I think this book succeeds at being an accessible and very readable primer. It's as much a memoir and introduction to who Buolamwini is as a person as it is a clear explanation of how algorithmic bias affects marginalized people and why it functions that way. Chapters about Buolamwini's foray into poetry, her experiences with burnout and exclusion in the echelons of research and academia, and the other researchers Buolamwini supports and is supported by fit right in alongside chapters deftly explaining her research, such as the chapter about her seminal paper Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification.
If you want to learn more about the potential harms of AI and algorithmic bias written in an accessible way, Unmasking AI is a great start. It's as much the memoir of a determined young woman as it is a book about research, so it's a welcoming and fresh read.
Dr. Joy Buolamwini (The "Dr." is important, because this is in part the story of her PhD) is a researcher in the field of AI and the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, a digital advocacy group dedicated to exposing bias in algorithms and AI and providing counsel and support to people experiencing algorithmic bias. In this memoir-slash-primer on AI & algorithmic bias, Buolamwini shares her journey in digital advocacy, beginning with her childhood fascination with robotics. Her interest in algorithmic bias began as a graduate student at MIT, when she realized a face-tracking program she was working with wouldn't follow her face–until she put on a white mask. After this experience, she grappled with conflicting instincts: keep her head down and finish her degree in the way she planned to, or change directions and see where researching and exposing algorithmic bias would take her.
Buolamwini's stated goal is to provide laypeople, particularly those marginalized by algorithmic bias (or "excoded"; the opposite of encoded) with the knowledge and resources they need to identify and expose algorithmic bias within their lives. I think this book succeeds at being an accessible and very readable primer. It's as much a memoir and introduction to who Buolamwini is as a person as it is a clear explanation of how algorithmic bias affects marginalized people and why it functions that way. Chapters about Buolamwini's foray into poetry, her experiences with burnout and exclusion in the echelons of research and academia, and the other researchers Buolamwini supports and is supported by fit right in alongside chapters deftly explaining her research, such as the chapter about her seminal paper Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification.
If you want to learn more about the potential harms of AI and algorithmic bias written in an accessible way, Unmasking AI is a great start. It's as much the memoir of a determined young woman as it is a book about research, so it's a welcoming and fresh read.
June 5, 2024
This is an inspiring personal story of Dr. Joy Buolamwini and her journey to academic and activist success. Her intellectual curiosity, creativity (a poet!), and desire to make a positive impact are really energizing, and I'm looking forward to continuing to follow her work. For those interested in a primer, there is a Netflix doc about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZl55... I think this is one of the must-reads when diving deeper into the broad space of artificial intelligence.
One small thing I wish the book had that was missing: an index of all the key terms.
One small thing I wish the book had that was missing: an index of all the key terms.
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October 25, 2024I wanted this to be something it wasn't. It is meant to be a warning about the inaccuracies and dangers of AI and facial recognition. It read more as a memoir and the author's original research (the titular mask), is repeated so many times in the first half of the book I couldn't believe an editor let her say the same thing so many times in slightly different ways for so many pages.
The author has done incredible things at such a young age and I don't want to minimize that. I would've preferred if this was more informative and less personal.
The author has done incredible things at such a young age and I don't want to minimize that. I would've preferred if this was more informative and less personal.
June 8, 2024
A must read - a digestible, funny, optimistic, but realistic in its informative overview of the dangers of AI. I learned so much about facial recognition technologies, the intersection of academia and policy activism. I was introduced to Dr. Joy Buolamwini from a Brene Brown podcast interview. Dr Joy is magnetic. Not interested in AI? You’ll be interested in Dr Joy journey, a kick ass millennial academic activist who founded the Algorithm Justice League.
February 22, 2024
This is a captivating read. I agree with the blurb on the back cover - if you're only going to read one book on AI, make it this one. A good companion piece is the Netflix video, Coded Bias (which she references in this book, and which features Dr. Buolamwini and other leaders in the field).
I also encourage you to go to watch her AI: Ain't I a Woman piece (available on YouTube) to appreciate how she really is a Poet of Code. Want more - check out her TED talk. Personally, I'm very excited to catch her keynote address at the Public Library Association conference later this spring.
Love live the Algorithmic Justice League!
I also encourage you to go to watch her AI: Ain't I a Woman piece (available on YouTube) to appreciate how she really is a Poet of Code. Want more - check out her TED talk. Personally, I'm very excited to catch her keynote address at the Public Library Association conference later this spring.
Love live the Algorithmic Justice League!
July 1, 2024
An insightful look at the potential benefits and dangers of Artificial Intelligence, with particular regard to facial recognition technology (FRT) and its existing and possible applications, through the lens of Dr. Buolamwini's graduate studies and surrounding events. I was tangentially aware of the inadequacies of some FRT, especially in "seeing" people with darker skin types, but learned a lot more from this writing.
January 28, 2024
Loved this! I thought the poetic writing style was gorgeous, the tone was memoir-style earnest and open, and the author ends with a compelling call to action for all readers. Also, as a new staff member at the Media Lab, I was entranced by her descriptions of people and places at MIT - she paints a complex and fascinating portrait of this weird place!
September 28, 2024
Oh my God, READ THIS. I have had a vague understanding of the issues with AI, and a growing understanding of systemic discrimination, but this pulled it together beautifully. I found the more biographical bits interesting, but the way she talks about implicit bias has such huge implications for society and technology… more people have to understand this.
November 15, 2024
This book was very informative. I’m starting to work with AI at work and this book should be a companion piece to any new learnings about the subject.
October 30, 2023
"My Mission to Protect What Is Human..." reads the subtitle of Dr. Joy Buolamwini's first book Unmasking AI, and her presentation of her work as a researcher, policy advisor, and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League leave no doubt that indeed she is one heralding the fight to "protect what is human" amid a time of often uncritical and unilateral application of AI across many domains. However, equally as powerful are the ways that, through her self-reflective prose, Buolamwini shows her readers what walking in the fullness of honest, humble, empathetic, and interconnected humanity looks like—"protect[ing] what is human" not only through consciousness-raising but also through her demonstration of what humanity, at its best, can be. Unmasking AI is a critical examination of the many present and potential harms that applications of AI technology can have and it is an invitation into, what may be for many readers, a new way of thinking; an invitation that is presented through the example of her own formation process. The text itself is vulnerable, transparent, palpably convicting, and witty with its poetic wordplay throughout.
If potential readers are wondering "Will this book help us to understand the AI landscape, and how racial and gender bias have made their way into what some might assume are purely objective systems of ones and zeroes?" Or questioning "Does Buolamwini critically evaluate the histories of the fields of photographic image-making and machine vision to better help us to have context for how AI systems got where they are today?" Or "Can Buolamwini walk us through the technical distinctions between "facial identification" and "facial verification" and help us to consider the real impacts of the 'coded gaze'?" Or inquiring "Is Buolamwini able to approachably break down her process of creating a state-of-the-art dataset and analysis capable of exposing glaring failings in the AI systems of technology giants like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon?" Or wondering "Will Buolamwini push us to recognize not just the existential, apocalyptic risks of artificial general intelligence often conveyed in popular media, but give us eyes for very real experiences of people fighting and suffering AI-mediated surveillance and false criminalization in the here and now?" The answers are unequivocal: "Yes, yes, and yes." Unmasking AI does not falter when it comes to walking its readers into an appreciation of these ideas.
As much as Unmasking AI delivers on the task of elevating the awareness of its readers on these issues, there is much more to this book that deeply connects with readers' capacity to step into the process of taking on potentially different ways of thinking. She is an expert and a knowledge-bearer, but Buolamwini does not present herself in this work as merely a vessel of static knowledge and insight enlightening her readers of a better framework for the benefits and harms of AI. Rather, she allows the reader to see herself as a fully dynamic individual capable of change, and as someone who is self-aware and reflective enough to convey what that internal growth process looks like, alongside the myriad tensions therein. Readers are granted a view into the development and maturation of her approaches to building, auditing, criticizing, and reimagining AI technologies (along with their creators) that define her very public work seen today.
For example, in the book Buolamwini demonstrates how she chose to make a thoughtful shift in the types of calls to action she promoted in response to awareness of AI harms. Discussing the conclusion of a talk early in her graduate studies she writes, "I had called for 'selfies for inclusion'...what appeared to me to be the most straightforward action to address algorithmic bias" given how existing image training datasets were overwhelmingly "pale [and] male." However, after sharing her reflections on the "costs of inclusion" and the "costs of exclusion" of "excoded" groups in training datasets. Buolamwini shows how she took a different stand when advising Olay on the call to action for their #DecodeTheBias campaign: "...I had greater clarity...By moving to send girls to code camp instead of collecting selfie images, the final call to action...looked at who was creating the technology...[a step toward] addressing structural issues that led to algorithmic bias."
Buolamwini also shares a maturation in her understanding of the role vulnerability can play in her advocacy work. Regarding the filming of Coded Bias, a 2020 documentary that follows Buolamwini and those connected to her work, she writes "I was hesitant to show more of myself beyond my role as a researcher...I didn't think my personal life was that interesting." However, as the personal stories of those who were moved by the film make their way back to her, she writes, "Letting my guard down...I now see as having been worth it...I no longer doubted if I could use storytelling in the movement for algorithmic justice, I found my voice..." This is not only a telling arc, but it is a sentiment that clearly shows itself to be true through the courageous vulnerability of her prose throughout the book.
Buolamwini's transparent and relatable expositions of these internal journeys extend beyond growth-mindedness to also include describing ways she has navigated the many philosophical and personal tensions that came with her broadening research, her isolation in the midst of promoting difficult truths, and her rise to visibility and influence.
In particular, throughout the book, Buolamwini gives readers a glimpse into how she locates and shifts sites of her fulfillment and purpose—casting a palpable tension between her desire for affirmation and respect from academic and professional peers and a deep calling to have meaningful impacts on the real people affected by the AI harms she brings light to. For example, she shares the excitement of her accomplishments like presenting before the European Union and the World Economic Forum where she "humaniz[es] the harms and biases of AI systems". Further in the book she also expresses "Talking about ...AI harms was only a starting point...there was more to this work than just theory...I wanted to help real people who were being impacted" as she introduces her move to work with tenants of Atlantic Towers in Brooklyn, NY who were pushing back against the installation of a potentially undertested and privacy-violating facial recognition entry system. This tension of purpose and impact comes to a powerful crescendo near the end of the book where Buolamwini wrestles with weighing the time and sacrifice of writing a dissertation and acquiring a PhD against the present reality that "the fight for algorithmic justice needed as many helping hands as possible." (I'll leave it to readers to see where this wrestling ultimately led).
Buolamwini crafts a deeply human self-portrait in which she struggles with these values and finds growth amidst resistance in a way that openly invites onlookers into a process of wrestling themselves. Her self-portrait is simultaneously an "aspire mirror" where readers can consider the ways that their work and values materially support others around them, particularly supporting those, like the Atlantic Towers tenants, negatively impacted by AI.
This self-portrait that she renders is not one hung in a gallery of thought alone but finds itself side-by-side with sociotechnical, feminist, and Black thinkers who have preceded her. With this book, Buolamwini effectively expands on the feminist phrase "the personal is political" to become the technical is personal and that techno-personal is political with her own life and research serving as the template. Indeed the book's cover is an illustration of a very technical challenge she faced, namely her not being seen by facial tracking software and having to "code in whiteface" during the development of a personal project. An experience that went on to become a watershed moment for Buolamwini's journey of seeing into the "coded gaze" and speaking to power the need to interrogate the quality and application of AI systems.
There are also clear connections—both explicit and implicit—to writers like Kimberlè Crenshaw, where Crenshaw's multi-axis intersectional analysis frameworks provided a crucial lens the Buolamwini applied in her work; Buolamwini writes "the intersectional analysis was a revelation...I looked at the composition of the government dataset not just by gender or skin type but also by intersections of multiple factors." There are echoes of Patricia Hill Collins's position that epistemological choices of who and what is trustworthy cannot be overlooked when Buolamwini writes "the classification systems machine learning practitioners select are reflective of [their] subjective understandings of the world." There is a shared vision with Tricia Hersey's theologies of rest in Buolamwini's approach to finding balance, writing (in a self-quote of her open letter to Simone Biles) "It is not a badge of honor to be burnt out. It is not a sign of fortitude to over commit...We [Black women] owe ourselves the compassion and care rarely extended to us by the same people who marvel at our ability to endure injustice." The test of time will see Buolamwini's book placed alongside the works of these and many other seminal, paradigm-challenging, consciousness-raising writers.
As a related aside, there is a deep care that Buolamwini expresses for "daughters of diasporas" as a gentle throughline woven throughout the text; amidst all else this book does she crafts a verdant and beautiful love letter to Black women that still speaks to everyone.
All in all, this book left me deeply inspired. Unmasking AI is visionary, while wrestling through the tensions of self-doubt and confidence. It is approachable, while never denying the power and autonomy of its readers. It is authoritative, while humbly considerate of the responsibilities that come with being "highly schooled" and having access that others do not. Ultimately, Buolamwini's work is a radical hope for the future of AI walked out in practice. A radical hope that she imbues and calls her readers to walk out alongside her:
If potential readers are wondering "Will this book help us to understand the AI landscape, and how racial and gender bias have made their way into what some might assume are purely objective systems of ones and zeroes?" Or questioning "Does Buolamwini critically evaluate the histories of the fields of photographic image-making and machine vision to better help us to have context for how AI systems got where they are today?" Or "Can Buolamwini walk us through the technical distinctions between "facial identification" and "facial verification" and help us to consider the real impacts of the 'coded gaze'?" Or inquiring "Is Buolamwini able to approachably break down her process of creating a state-of-the-art dataset and analysis capable of exposing glaring failings in the AI systems of technology giants like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon?" Or wondering "Will Buolamwini push us to recognize not just the existential, apocalyptic risks of artificial general intelligence often conveyed in popular media, but give us eyes for very real experiences of people fighting and suffering AI-mediated surveillance and false criminalization in the here and now?" The answers are unequivocal: "Yes, yes, and yes." Unmasking AI does not falter when it comes to walking its readers into an appreciation of these ideas.
As much as Unmasking AI delivers on the task of elevating the awareness of its readers on these issues, there is much more to this book that deeply connects with readers' capacity to step into the process of taking on potentially different ways of thinking. She is an expert and a knowledge-bearer, but Buolamwini does not present herself in this work as merely a vessel of static knowledge and insight enlightening her readers of a better framework for the benefits and harms of AI. Rather, she allows the reader to see herself as a fully dynamic individual capable of change, and as someone who is self-aware and reflective enough to convey what that internal growth process looks like, alongside the myriad tensions therein. Readers are granted a view into the development and maturation of her approaches to building, auditing, criticizing, and reimagining AI technologies (along with their creators) that define her very public work seen today.
For example, in the book Buolamwini demonstrates how she chose to make a thoughtful shift in the types of calls to action she promoted in response to awareness of AI harms. Discussing the conclusion of a talk early in her graduate studies she writes, "I had called for 'selfies for inclusion'...what appeared to me to be the most straightforward action to address algorithmic bias" given how existing image training datasets were overwhelmingly "pale [and] male." However, after sharing her reflections on the "costs of inclusion" and the "costs of exclusion" of "excoded" groups in training datasets. Buolamwini shows how she took a different stand when advising Olay on the call to action for their #DecodeTheBias campaign: "...I had greater clarity...By moving to send girls to code camp instead of collecting selfie images, the final call to action...looked at who was creating the technology...[a step toward] addressing structural issues that led to algorithmic bias."
Buolamwini also shares a maturation in her understanding of the role vulnerability can play in her advocacy work. Regarding the filming of Coded Bias, a 2020 documentary that follows Buolamwini and those connected to her work, she writes "I was hesitant to show more of myself beyond my role as a researcher...I didn't think my personal life was that interesting." However, as the personal stories of those who were moved by the film make their way back to her, she writes, "Letting my guard down...I now see as having been worth it...I no longer doubted if I could use storytelling in the movement for algorithmic justice, I found my voice..." This is not only a telling arc, but it is a sentiment that clearly shows itself to be true through the courageous vulnerability of her prose throughout the book.
Buolamwini's transparent and relatable expositions of these internal journeys extend beyond growth-mindedness to also include describing ways she has navigated the many philosophical and personal tensions that came with her broadening research, her isolation in the midst of promoting difficult truths, and her rise to visibility and influence.
In particular, throughout the book, Buolamwini gives readers a glimpse into how she locates and shifts sites of her fulfillment and purpose—casting a palpable tension between her desire for affirmation and respect from academic and professional peers and a deep calling to have meaningful impacts on the real people affected by the AI harms she brings light to. For example, she shares the excitement of her accomplishments like presenting before the European Union and the World Economic Forum where she "humaniz[es] the harms and biases of AI systems". Further in the book she also expresses "Talking about ...AI harms was only a starting point...there was more to this work than just theory...I wanted to help real people who were being impacted" as she introduces her move to work with tenants of Atlantic Towers in Brooklyn, NY who were pushing back against the installation of a potentially undertested and privacy-violating facial recognition entry system. This tension of purpose and impact comes to a powerful crescendo near the end of the book where Buolamwini wrestles with weighing the time and sacrifice of writing a dissertation and acquiring a PhD against the present reality that "the fight for algorithmic justice needed as many helping hands as possible." (I'll leave it to readers to see where this wrestling ultimately led).
Buolamwini crafts a deeply human self-portrait in which she struggles with these values and finds growth amidst resistance in a way that openly invites onlookers into a process of wrestling themselves. Her self-portrait is simultaneously an "aspire mirror" where readers can consider the ways that their work and values materially support others around them, particularly supporting those, like the Atlantic Towers tenants, negatively impacted by AI.
This self-portrait that she renders is not one hung in a gallery of thought alone but finds itself side-by-side with sociotechnical, feminist, and Black thinkers who have preceded her. With this book, Buolamwini effectively expands on the feminist phrase "the personal is political" to become the technical is personal and that techno-personal is political with her own life and research serving as the template. Indeed the book's cover is an illustration of a very technical challenge she faced, namely her not being seen by facial tracking software and having to "code in whiteface" during the development of a personal project. An experience that went on to become a watershed moment for Buolamwini's journey of seeing into the "coded gaze" and speaking to power the need to interrogate the quality and application of AI systems.
There are also clear connections—both explicit and implicit—to writers like Kimberlè Crenshaw, where Crenshaw's multi-axis intersectional analysis frameworks provided a crucial lens the Buolamwini applied in her work; Buolamwini writes "the intersectional analysis was a revelation...I looked at the composition of the government dataset not just by gender or skin type but also by intersections of multiple factors." There are echoes of Patricia Hill Collins's position that epistemological choices of who and what is trustworthy cannot be overlooked when Buolamwini writes "the classification systems machine learning practitioners select are reflective of [their] subjective understandings of the world." There is a shared vision with Tricia Hersey's theologies of rest in Buolamwini's approach to finding balance, writing (in a self-quote of her open letter to Simone Biles) "It is not a badge of honor to be burnt out. It is not a sign of fortitude to over commit...We [Black women] owe ourselves the compassion and care rarely extended to us by the same people who marvel at our ability to endure injustice." The test of time will see Buolamwini's book placed alongside the works of these and many other seminal, paradigm-challenging, consciousness-raising writers.
As a related aside, there is a deep care that Buolamwini expresses for "daughters of diasporas" as a gentle throughline woven throughout the text; amidst all else this book does she crafts a verdant and beautiful love letter to Black women that still speaks to everyone.
All in all, this book left me deeply inspired. Unmasking AI is visionary, while wrestling through the tensions of self-doubt and confidence. It is approachable, while never denying the power and autonomy of its readers. It is authoritative, while humbly considerate of the responsibilities that come with being "highly schooled" and having access that others do not. Ultimately, Buolamwini's work is a radical hope for the future of AI walked out in practice. A radical hope that she imbues and calls her readers to walk out alongside her:
"If you have a face, you have a place in the conversation about the decisions that impact your daily life...We need your voice because ultimately the choice about the kind of world we live in is up to us..."she writes. All should consider picking up and reading this work to not only be pushed intellectually but to deeply connect with Buolamwini's humanity in a way that pushes each reader to step with courage and with pause in the midst of the technological revolution we find ourselves in.
January 11, 2024
Such important work, but it’s a book for the general public so the in the weeds technical details are mostly glossed over
November 19, 2024
Buolamwini brings a deep and personal perspective on the industry and ties it together with important science everyone should learn.
January 19, 2024
Excellent book for the technological age. Reads like a memoir, not a textbook, which is wonderful. I highly recommend this to Alyssa Collins 👈
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January 10, 2024Part memoir and part social and scientific commentary, Unmasking AI follows computer scientist and self-titled Poet of Code Joy Buolamwini through her graduate studies at MIT, beginning in 2015. Buolamwini’s memoir draws to the fore the focus on the technical rather than the ethical in the field of computer science. Ethics are not a taught as a core part of the discipline, and projects that use human faces have not traditionally been subject to human subject board review. Buolamwini lays out her thesis work for a lay audience, but she is perhaps at her best when she allows herself to indulge in poetic language and descriptions that evoke the emotional rather than merely factual impacts of being invisible. more
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