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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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5,931 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 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 24, 2024
Very good memoir! I'm very impressed by this very young yet brilliant and accomplished person! In a nutshell, facial recognition via AI does not work well at all for people of color. In fact in many cases specifically for Black people, it doesn't recognize a face at all. Obviously, a systemic bias likely caused by a non-diverse learning environment. Dr. Buolamwini seeks to address the bias so that the technology can work for everyone. I guess that's a good thing. The further we move with technology, my concerns about privacy arise. I'm not sure I mind being invisible for facial recognition. I'm also the one who won't use Siri or Alexa for voice recognition either. But I'm very supportive of her pursuit of equality and equity with AI. Last thing we need are AI's who are machine learning unintended bigotry because the computer scientists are mostly white males who are oblivious to their own unconscious biases.
4+ Stars
Listened to the audiobook. The author was the narrator. She was very good!
4+ Stars
Listened to the audiobook. The author was the narrator. She was very good!
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?
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.
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.
December 11, 2023
Dry. Reads more like self promotion sprinkled with interesting facts on the current state of AI.
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!
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.
December 6, 2023
Read in less than 24 hours. Fantastic book. Dr Buolamwini is a force. Highly recommend
February 3, 2025
Grad school has done little but affirm the fact that if a teacher assigns a book as a requirement for a course…it’s impossible to love.
Read
February 20, 2025the last of my school reading before the break. thank god! only fun, flirty, funny books from here on out.
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.
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!
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 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: 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.
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.
December 24, 2023
40%
We are in the midst of an ecological disaster that affects the entire planet, is it really right to focus on the issues of minorities when if the planet catches on fire and becomes uninhabitable we all die?
Dealing with things about a computer being unable to recognize your preferred gender pronouns and perceived gender identity, that is not on the list of things that are important.
We are in the midst of an ecological disaster that affects the entire planet, is it really right to focus on the issues of minorities when if the planet catches on fire and becomes uninhabitable we all die?
Dealing with things about a computer being unable to recognize your preferred gender pronouns and perceived gender identity, that is not on the list of things that are important.
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.
April 30, 2024
very informative and loved reading about an MIT woman!!!
December 1, 2024
so informative, i learned so much! good for both people with and without technical background in AI
March 29, 2025
Social critique, memoir, cutting-edge research, Buolamwini's Unmasking AI is not simply a book discussing the flaws and failures of AI; it is the personal story of a black woman, an African immigrant, her love for science, and the barriers to entry into the upper echelons of academia and politics. The technological is personal. As a graduate student, working on facial recognition technologies, she discovered that many AI tools were unable to detect her face. When she put on a white mask, however, the camera would suddenly register a face. Where Franz Fanon's "Black Skin, White Mask" described how black people must often assimilate to the cultural and educational norms of white colonizers in order to earn status, symbolically adopting a "white mask", Buolamwini found that she literally needed to have a white mask to be seen at all. Was this simply a camera issue of background lighting and saturation, as some defensively argued, or did her encounter with facial-recognition apps expose a deeper problem in the technology, its datasets and its benchmarks? As she went on to discover, algorithms across different domains are frequently biased against women of color, and this has enormous ramifications wherever algorithms and automation might be used: police surveillance, hiring practices, credit-lending calculations, risk assessments, teacher evaluations. Wherever computers are employed to analyze data and make large-scale decisions, they will tend to replicate the biases of the human datasets, labels and decisions of the engineers that created them. An algorithm trained on past hiring and promotion decisions will repeat past biases; a facial recognition system trained on Hollywood actors will not be prepared to make fine-tuned judgments of race, gender and age of a wider population. We do not live simply a world dominated by "the male gaze" or "the white gaze" but under the hegemony of a "coded gaze" in which systemic privileges and disadvantages are embedded into the machinery of modern life. And those who are already marginalized are "excoded" and "symbolically annihilated" in digital systems—their faces might not be visible to AI camera; their qualifications might not be valued by AI-powered secretaries; their effective work might not be recognized by AI performance measures. Biases are built into all systems—AI software to detect early signs of dementia might be less reliable for bilingual speakers; AI software to identify melanomas might be ineffective for darker skin pigments.
This is not a technical book but the personal story of Buolamwini's early career: from her masters thesis on face recognition software to her confrontations with the tech industry, from congressional hearings to her PhD defense. It makes sense that her book should discuss both her own life and the technology together: the shortcomings of AI cannot be disentangled from the institutional and corporate contexts which have developed it. Throughout her book, Buolamwini catalogues the social blindspots in academia and Silicon Valley: the conference participants who questioned her place there, the researchers who wondered why racial bias was a social harm at all and not just a statistical blip, the CNN news team which erased her face and voice from the research she had gathered, the Amazon executives who sought to discredit her research through bald-faced bluffing and hectoring. While Buolamwini made immense strides in her career, from timid masters student to high-profile advocate and presidential adviser, her book shows the uneven state of AI progress and the blinkered worldview of AI researchers, more interested in quick gains and bigger grants than forging equitable outcomes.
Overall, this is an interesting read. I did find it repetitive in places and sometimes I would have liked more detail—both in the technical aspects of AI training data and also in the biographical moments when she describes meetings with Jim Jordan or Joe Biden.
This is not a technical book but the personal story of Buolamwini's early career: from her masters thesis on face recognition software to her confrontations with the tech industry, from congressional hearings to her PhD defense. It makes sense that her book should discuss both her own life and the technology together: the shortcomings of AI cannot be disentangled from the institutional and corporate contexts which have developed it. Throughout her book, Buolamwini catalogues the social blindspots in academia and Silicon Valley: the conference participants who questioned her place there, the researchers who wondered why racial bias was a social harm at all and not just a statistical blip, the CNN news team which erased her face and voice from the research she had gathered, the Amazon executives who sought to discredit her research through bald-faced bluffing and hectoring. While Buolamwini made immense strides in her career, from timid masters student to high-profile advocate and presidential adviser, her book shows the uneven state of AI progress and the blinkered worldview of AI researchers, more interested in quick gains and bigger grants than forging equitable outcomes.
Overall, this is an interesting read. I did find it repetitive in places and sometimes I would have liked more detail—both in the technical aspects of AI training data and also in the biographical moments when she describes meetings with Jim Jordan or Joe Biden.
February 18, 2025
A compelling and educational read. Excited to attend a lecture featuring Dr. Buolamwini (tomorrow evening as of writing this review) and hear about her current advocacy work and process writing the book. Her perseverance and continual curiosity from her childhood into her undergraduate and graduate years, and on through her PhD candidacy is inspiring. This book has opened my eyes to the coded bias within AI systems and made me aware of the privileged space I find myself in (and how I can help those that do not find themselves in a space of privilege).
A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:
••� “Even after encountering the coded gaze in my Aspire Mirror project, I still hoped someone else would take care of the problem.� After reading this in the introduction, I was hungry to read through the book’s entirety—I wanted to see Dr. Buolamwini’s journey from apathy/curiosity to action. In my experience, it is so easy to write yourself off as “not knowledgeable enough� or “not powerful enough� to join conversations on solutions where you may experience the problems. Imposter syndrome is always ready to make me feel like I’m not “enough of something� to be listened to and reading that Dr. Buolamwini started from a similar place of discomfort, curiosity, and uncertainty made my chest a little looser while I read this book. I was reading the epilogue and smiling thinking “oh my gosh, we’re in a closed-room roundtable with POTUS and he just asked for advice!?!?!?� She brought me into her journey to the point that I felt swept up by the impact of her work (and the work of colleagues and researchers in the AI field).
••� Starting part 1 with the poem entitled “Idealistic Immigrant,� I knew I was in for some introspection I was gonna LOVE. To share the final stanza:
“Prestige and privilege masquerade as merit though
much of what is achieved is a function of what
we inherit�
••� “Just as I was masking my face to be seen by machines of silicon and steel, I was masking my feelings to be heard by machines of flesh and bone.� At the beginning of chapter 4 this statement deserved a re-read and a sigh.
A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:
••� “Even after encountering the coded gaze in my Aspire Mirror project, I still hoped someone else would take care of the problem.� After reading this in the introduction, I was hungry to read through the book’s entirety—I wanted to see Dr. Buolamwini’s journey from apathy/curiosity to action. In my experience, it is so easy to write yourself off as “not knowledgeable enough� or “not powerful enough� to join conversations on solutions where you may experience the problems. Imposter syndrome is always ready to make me feel like I’m not “enough of something� to be listened to and reading that Dr. Buolamwini started from a similar place of discomfort, curiosity, and uncertainty made my chest a little looser while I read this book. I was reading the epilogue and smiling thinking “oh my gosh, we’re in a closed-room roundtable with POTUS and he just asked for advice!?!?!?� She brought me into her journey to the point that I felt swept up by the impact of her work (and the work of colleagues and researchers in the AI field).
••� Starting part 1 with the poem entitled “Idealistic Immigrant,� I knew I was in for some introspection I was gonna LOVE. To share the final stanza:
“Prestige and privilege masquerade as merit though
much of what is achieved is a function of what
we inherit�
••� “Just as I was masking my face to be seen by machines of silicon and steel, I was masking my feelings to be heard by machines of flesh and bone.� At the beginning of chapter 4 this statement deserved a re-read and a sigh.
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.
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!
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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.
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.
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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