Black in AI

Black in AI
Name	Black in AI
Formation	2017
Type	Non-profit organization
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Region served	Global
Leader title	Founder
Leader name	Timnit Gebru
Key people	Rediet Abebe; Joy Buolamwini; Rumman Chowdhury

Black in AI

Black in AI is an international organization that promotes representation of Black researchers, students, and professionals in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Founded in 2017, it organizes workshops, mentorship programs, and advocacy efforts to address disparities in research, hiring, and platform governance. The organization connects members across academia, industry, and civil society, partnering with conferences, universities, and technology companies.

History

Black in AI emerged after discussions among researchers at meetings tied to NeurIPS, ICML, and AAAI where issues of racial diversity in fields represented at Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology were raised. The initiative began with informal gatherings in San Francisco and was catalyzed by activism linked to controversies involving researchers at Google and debates surrounding work by people affiliated with Microsoft Research and IBM Research. Early organizers drew inspiration from movements such as those led by scholars at Harvard University and community efforts at UC Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University that highlighted inclusion at events like Grace Hopper Celebration and workshops at IJCAI.

Founders connected with figures from the broader tech policy and ethics ecosystem, including advocates associated with Data & Society Research Institute, Algorithmic Justice League, and scholars from Columbia University and University of Oxford. Over time, Black in AI developed formal partnerships with conference organizers from NeurIPS and ICLR and collaborated with professional societies such as AAAI and institutions like Allen Institute for AI.

Mission and Activities

The mission emphasizes increasing participation of Black people in research areas represented by institutions like Princeton University and Yale University, while challenging discriminatory practices linked to platforms developed by Amazon Web Services and models from corporate labs including Google DeepMind and Meta AI. Activities include organizing workshops at major meetings such as NeurIPS 2018 and panels at ICML 2019, offering mentorship akin to programs run by Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship and connecting early-career researchers to opportunities at labs like OpenAI and departments at University of Toronto.

Advocacy work has addressed issues raised in high-profile disputes involving personnel at Google and corporate research governance comparable to discussions at Facebook AI Research. The organization has worked with grantmakers such as the Ford Foundation and philanthropic arms connected to Mozilla Foundation and partnered on fellowships resembling those from Schmidt Futures.

Programs and Initiatives

Black in AI runs recurring workshops that mirror formats used at NeurIPS and ICLR, featuring paper presentations, panels, and poster sessions. Initiatives include mentorship networks modeled on programs from ACM and IEEE chapters, travel grants analogous to awards from Simons Foundation, and community-driven reading groups similar to efforts at Berkeley AI Research Lab.

Specific programs support pipeline development with summer research opportunities inspired by programs at REU sites and collaborations with university departments at University of Washington and Cornell University. The organization has launched fellowship-like support and grant distribution resembling mechanisms from Open Philanthropy Project and has coordinated resume reviews and employer outreach comparable to recruitment events at LinkedIn and Twitter.

Black in AI also curates workshops addressing fairness and accountability themes prominent in research at Ada Lovelace Institute and Partnership on AI, hosting sessions with contributors from Algorithmic Justice League and scholars from New York University and University College London.

Community and Membership

Membership comprises students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, engineers, and policymakers affiliated with entities such as Google Research, Apple Machine Learning Research, Meta Platforms, NVIDIA, and academic centers like MIT Media Lab and Stanford AI Lab. The community includes notable contributors who have also worked with IBM Watson and nonprofit research groups like Data & Society Research Institute.

Local chapters and regional meetups have been established in cities with technology hubs including New York City, London, Toronto, Accra, Lagos, and Cape Town, drawing participants from universities such as University of Lagos and University of Ghana. Collaborations extend to student clubs at institutions like University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and professional networks affiliated with Women in Machine Learning and Lesbians Who Tech.

Impact and Recognition

Black in AI has influenced conference policies at venues like NeurIPS and fueled conversations in media outlets that also cover developments at Wired and The New York Times. The organization’s workshops have contributed to publication visibility for researchers who later obtained positions at Google DeepMind, Microsoft Research, Facebook AI Research, and academic posts at University of California, Berkeley and University of Michigan.

Recognition includes invitations to advise panels convened by organizations including Partnership on AI, Ada Lovelace Institute, and philanthropic initiatives from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The group’s advocacy has been cited in policy discussions involving legislators and regulators with ties to forums like World Economic Forum and in scholarship published by researchers at Oxford Internet Institute and Harvard Kennedy School.

Category:Artificial intelligence