Inioluwa Deborah Raji

Inioluwa Deborah Raji is a prominent researcher specialising in algorithmic auditing and evaluation. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves as a Mozilla Fellow. Raji’s work focuses on developing frameworks for assessing artificial intelligence (AI) systems, both within organisations and through external audits.

Raji collaborated with Google’s Ethical AI team to create a comprehensive internal assessment framework for AI systems. She is a member of the Algorithmic Justice League and was part of the Gender Shades audit, which revealed biases in AI-powered gender classification tools developed by IBM, Microsoft, and Face++. She has also contributed to ethical AI initiatives at the Partnership on AI and the AI Now Institute, where she worked on integrating fairness, accountability, and transparency into AI practices.

Raji is recognised by Edelman in its "AI Creators You Need to Know" list, which celebrates individuals making significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence. She has also been included in Forbes' 30 Under 30 and MIT Technology Review’s 35 Under 35 Innovators lists. She has received the EFF Pioneer Award for her work in AI ethics.

In 2015, Raji founded Project Include, a non-profit initiative aimed at improving access to engineering education in low-income and immigrant communities. The project has impacted hundreds of students across Toronto and even piloted an international coding mission in Ecuador.

Throughout her career, Raji has been actively involved in policy and academic discussions. She has co-authored multiple influential publications, including works presented at renowned AI conferences. Her advocacy for ethical AI and transparency has been highlighted in leading media outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Verge.

Inioluwa Deborah Raji was born in 1995/1996 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. At the age of four, she moved with her family to Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and later to Ottawa. During her early education, she attended Colonel By Secondary School, where she was actively involved in leadership and extracurricular activities. She co-founded the Kiva Club and participated in competitive vocal ensembles, including the C-Flats Competitive Vocal Jazz group.

In 2014, Raji joined the University of Toronto, where she studied Engineering Science with a specialisation in robotics. She was actively involved in student leadership, serving as Vice President Academic and Co-President of the EngSci Club. In 2015, she founded Project Include, a nonprofit organisation aimed at increasing access to engineering education for low-income and immigrant communities in Toronto. The initiative expanded rapidly, mentoring hundreds of students in Canada and even conducting workshops for 350 students in Quito, Ecuador, in 2017.

Raji’s career in AI ethics began during a 2017 internship at Clarifai, where she worked on machine learning models and discussed machine bias in computer vision at several conferences, including Fast Company’s Innovation Summit and Women Who Code NYC. In 2018, she joined MIT Media Lab’s Algorithmic Justice League and worked on the Gender Shades project, which exposed biases in facial recognition technologies by companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Face++. This groundbreaking research led IBM and Amazon to support facial recognition regulation and temporarily halt sales of their systems to law enforcement.

From 2018 to 2019, Raji participated in Google’s AI Research Mentorship Programme, where she collaborated with the Ethical AI team on developing model cards for machine learning transparency and creating internal auditing frameworks. Her work was presented at prominent conferences such as ACM FAT* and AAAI/ACM AI Ethics and Society.

In 2019, Raji became a summer research fellow at the Partnership on AI, working on setting industry standards for machine learning transparency and benchmarking norms through the ABOUT ML project. She also joined the AI Now Institute as a tech fellow, focusing on algorithmic accountability and conducting audits of AI systems.

In 2023, Raji was named one of Edelman’s “AI Creators You Need to Know,” recognising her contributions to the field of AI ethics and accountability. She is acknowledged for her role in shaping public and industry discourse on AI fairness and transparency.

Currently, Raji is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Mozilla Fellow. Her work continues to focus on algorithmic auditing, AI accountability, and developing evaluation frameworks for AI systems. Her contributions to the field have been recognised widely. She has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30, MIT Technology Review’s 35 Under 35 Innovators, and Time’s 100 Most Influential People in AI.

Raji’s work has also been featured in the 2020 documentary Coded Bias, which explores bias in AI systems. Her publications include “Model Cards for Model Reporting,” “Saving Face: Investigating Ethical Concerns in Facial Recognition Auditing,” and co-authoring the 2019 AI Now Report. Through her research, advocacy, and projects, Raji remains a prominent figure shaping the ethical development and deployment of AI technologies.

Inioluwa Deborah Raji envisions a future where artificial intelligence systems are fair, transparent, and accountable. Her goal is to ensure that technology benefits all members of society, regardless of their background. She focuses on addressing biases in AI systems and creating frameworks for ethical AI development. Raji advocates for stronger collaboration between researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to build systems that prioritise fairness and equity. Through her work, she aims to create tools and processes that hold AI technologies to higher ethical standards, ensuring they align with societal values and promote trust in their applications.

Inioluwa Deborah Raji has received several awards for her work in AI ethics and algorithmic accountability. In 2020, she was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in Enterprise Technology and MIT Technology Review’s 35 Under 35 Innovators list. She also received the EFF Pioneer Award, shared with Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, for her contributions to identifying biases in facial recognition technologies and advancing ethical AI practices.

Her research has been featured in reports such as the AI Now Institute’s annual publication and in media outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post. The Gender Shades project, which exposed biases in commercial facial recognition tools, led to changes in industry practices, including IBM and Amazon pausing sales of these technologies to law enforcement and advocating for regulation.

Raji is also recognised in Edelman’s "AI Creators You Need to Know" list, recognising her efforts to improve AI accountability and transparency. She has contributed to key publications such as “Model Cards for Model Reporting” and “Saving Face: Investigating Ethical Concerns in Facial Recognition Auditing,” and she has presented at conferences like ACM FAT* and AAAI.