person
Elizabeth Adams
Elizabeth Adams was a Non-Resident Fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab in Partnership with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (2019-2020, 2020-2021).
Elizabeth is a technology integrator, working at the intersection of Cyber Security, AI Ethics and AI Governance, focused on Ethical Tech Design. She also passionately teaches, advises, consults, speaks and writes on the critical subjects within Diversity & Inclusion in Artificial Intelligence, such as racial bias in Facial Recognition Technology, Video Surveillance, Predictive Analytics and Children’s Rights.
Elizabeth impacts the world around her every day serving as a member of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems helping to build global standards for AI Nudging & Emotion AI, and as an appointed member of the Racial Equity Community Advisory Committee for the City of Minneapolis influencing the local Civic Tech & Tech Design Racial Equity conversation and framework.
Over the last 20 years, she’s refined her leadership acumen in tech design by leading a variety of technology initiatives in the Washington D.C. metro area. Now back in her home state of Minnesota, she remains dedicated to embedding ethics and human-centricity in artificial intelligence systems and also makes time to pursue her passion for lifting up other women in tech.
Fellowship Impact
As a Race and Tech Fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab and Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Minneapolis activist Elizabeth M. Adams says she learned to think globally to improve her work locally. She’s contributed to concrete successes such as the banning of facial recognition technology and the creation of procedures for public oversight of technology purchases by local government. Adams applies her knowledge of structural racism, public and corporate decision making, and data and algorithmic analysis to integrate discussion of technological impacts into local discourse about racial equity. Especially motivating for Adams is engaging with local community members who want to learn and take action on these issues but don’t necessarily have time to do so. Adams seeks to get into the back rooms, to exist and inform at all stages where technology is being created and implemented, so other people can be out front.
During her Fellowship Adams became a Women in AI Minneapolis Ambassador; served as a United Nations Key Constituent for the 3C Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence; led a police surveillance town hall, amongst her 30 other presentations and speeches. She even wrote a handful of children’s books available free online and through retailers. In the next few years, with her own AI ethics firm and growing client base behind her, Adams will continue her education and deepen her research and writing to continue bringing knowledge back to the people.