Deborah Raji
Inioluwa Deborah Raji is a Nigerian-born computer scientist pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, where her research centers on enhancing accountability in machine learning systems through algorithmic auditing and evaluation practices.[1]
Raji's empirical investigations into commercial facial recognition technologies have revealed systematic performance disparities across demographic groups, particularly higher error rates for individuals with darker skin tones and women, prompting responses from industry leaders such as IBM's decision to cease general police use of its system, Microsoft's moratorium on sales to U.S. law enforcement, and Amazon's temporary halt on Rekognition sales to police.[2][3][4]
In collaboration with researchers including Joy Buolamwini, she co-authored studies like "Actionable Auditing," which analyzed the effects of public disclosure on biased AI performance, and "Saving Face," which outlined ethical considerations in auditing facial recognition systems, contributing to frameworks for internal audits and third-party oversight in AI development.[5][6][3]