CODED BIAS WORLD TOUR
CODED BIAS WORLD TOUR
algorithmic justice league
university of oxford
About the tour

CODED BIAS WORLD TOUR

Metallic wireframe sculpture of an outstretched hand against a twilight sky.Four boys playing in a lake, with one boy flipping backward in mid-air above three others standing in the water.Two women wearing colorful dresses walking on a lit cobblestone street at night.Group of children sitting and standing in a rustic window frame of a mud brick building, one child holding a baby.
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Sunset over a calm sea with a small silhouetted island reflecting golden light on the water.Flock of bats flying in a blue sky above green tree branches.Workers picking tea leaves on lush green terraced hills under a clear sky.A lakeside resort with thatched roof buildings surrounded by trees and pathways, overlooking a large lake with distant hills.Pathway lined with green plants leading to Kigali City Hall, a modern building with curved beige walls and large blue-tinted windows.
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Man pushing a bicycle loaded with a large wooden board and baskets on a paved road.Four boys playing in the water with one boy mid-air performing a backward flip.Person wearing a red helmet with a dark visor and a yellow jacket, seated outdoors near a white vehicle.Two boys splashing and playing in shallow water outdoors under a cloudy sky.Metal lattice sculpture of an open hand against a dark sky at Kigali Convention Centre.Two women in colorful, floral-patterned dresses walking down a lit street at night.

2025 marked the 5 year anniversary of Coded Bias which premiered at Sundance in January 2020. To celebrate this milestone, the Algorithmic Justice League has partnered with the University of Oxford’s Institute of AI Ethics to screen this classic AI documentary around the world. We are proud to partner with host organizations committed to ensuring that local voices are elevated and integrated into the expanding development of AI systems worldwide.

About the film

ABOUT CODED BIAS

A FILM BY
Shalini Kantayya
Nominee laurel wreath for the 5th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards on black background.
SXSW 2020 logo with a downward right arrow on a black background.
Official Selection 2020 Sundance Film Festival laurel emblem on black background.

Artificial Intelligence touches many parts of our daily lives, including work, school, healthcare, and finances, and as this technology becomes more common, it is increasingly important to address its potential risks and harms.

The documentary Coded Bias sheds light on critical flaws in AI systems that threaten democracy and our basic rights, telling the story of Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who uncovered biases in these systems while at MIT and subsequently founded the Algorithmic Justice League to combat AI-related harm.

The film follows her research into gender and skin tone bias, her efforts to bring these issues before governments and major tech companies, and also features many AI trailblazers who are working to raise awareness about the dangers of unchecked AI systems.

As AI continues to impact sectors ranging from criminal justice and housing to employment, the film emphasizes the need for informed discussions on technology oversight, overreliance, accountability, fairness, and the protection of people's rights. Recognized with a 2021 Social Impact Media Award for Best Director and the Grand Jury Prize for Transparency, Coded Bias has also received nominations for prestigious accolades such as the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary, an Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary, and the Critic's Choice Award for Best Science/Nature Documentary.
Busy urban street in Taipei filled with cars, motorcycles, buses, and colorful signage in Chinese characters.Sunlit street scene with Union Jack flags hanging from a building and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk.Crowded narrow street in an Asian city at night with glowing orange lanterns and many people walking on stairs.Outdoor art stall displaying various paintings and sketches of Paris landmarks with a man in a blue jacket and hat standing nearby.Two boys playing and splashing water while bathing in a body of water under a cloudy sky.Busy city street in Taipei with cars, motorbikes, and colorful vertical signs in Chinese on both sides.Sunlit city street with Union Jack flags hanging from a historic building and people walking on sidewalk.
Dr. Joy Buolamwini is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League.

Dr. Joy Buolamwini

Inaugural Oxford Accelerator Fellow

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an AI researcher, and an artist.

She is the bestselling author of “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines”. She advises world leaders on preventing AI harm.

She is the bestselling author of “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines”. She advises world leaders on preventing AI harm. Her MIT research on facial recognition technologies transformed the field of AI auditing. As the Poet of Code, she creates art to illuminate the societal impact of AI. Her writing and work have been featured in publications including TIME Magazine, New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone. Dr. Joy is the protagonist of the Emmy-Nominated documentary, Coded Bias. She is a Rhodes Scholar, Fulbright Fellow, and recipient of the Technological Innovation Award from Martin Luther King Jr. Center. Fortune Magazine named her the "conscience of the AI revolution." Dr. Joy earned her Ph.D. from MIT and was awarded honorary degrees from Knox College and Dartmouth.
ABOUT
Her MIT research on facial recognition technologies transformed the field of AI auditing. As the Poet of Code, she creates art to illuminate the societal impact of AI. Her writing and work have been featured in publications including TIME Magazine, New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone. Dr. Joy is the protagonist of the Emmy-nominated documentary, Coded Bias. She is a Rhodes Scholar, Fulbright Fellow, and recipient of the Technological Innovation Award from Martin Luther King Jr. Center. Fortune Magazine named her the "conscience of the AI revolution." Dr. Joy earned her Ph.D. from MIT and was awarded honorary degrees from Knox College and Dartmouth.
Emmy-nominated filmmaker Shalini Kantayya

Shalini Kantayya

Director

Emmy-nominated filmmaker Shalini Kantayya directs fiction and nonfiction films that artfully marry the future of science with the future of story.

Her latest film, TikTok, Boom, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at SXSW.

Her latest film, TikTok, Boom, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at SXSW. Her critically-acclaimed 2020 Sundance film, Coded Bias, was broadcast nationally on PBS’s Independent Lens and globally on Netflix in April 2021. The film has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice, and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary. The film won Best Director at the Social Impact Media Awards, and the Visionary Filmmaker Award at GlobeDocs. Shalini’s debut feature, Catching the Sun, released globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016 with Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio and was named a New York Times Critics’ Pick. Shalini directed for National Geographic television series Breakthrough, Executive Produced by Ron Howard, and episodes for NOVA and YouTube Originals. Shalini is a TED Fellow, a William J. Fulbright Scholar, and Concordia Studios Artist Fellow. and a finalist for the ABC/Disney Directing Program. Kantayya is an Associate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
ABOUT
Her critically-acclaimed 2020 Sundance film, Coded Bias, was broadcast nationally on PBS’s Independent Lens and globally on Netflix in April 2021. The film has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary. The film won Best Director at the Social Impact Media Awards and the Visionary Filmmaker Award at GlobeDocs. Shalini’s debut feature, Catching the Sun, released globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016 with Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio and was named a New York Times Critics’ Pick. Shalini directed for the National Geographic television series Breakthrough, executive produced by Ron Howard, and episodes for NOVA and YouTube Originals. She is a TED Fellow, a William J. Fulbright Scholar, Concordia Studios Artist Fellow, and a finalist for the ABC/Disney Directing Program. Shalini is an Associate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Where to stream

You Can Now Stream Coded Bias On

Tour Finale

Global AI Justice Award Celebration

We concluded the Coded Bias World Tour with a Finale where we presented the Global AI Justice award to Megan L. Garcia Esq for her inspiring advocacy to prevent the dire end of life harms of chatbots that simulate human interaction following the death of her son Sewell.

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Historic stone building with gothic windows and spires, two people walking along a garden path beside green lawn.
About Oxford

Oxford Accelerator Fellowship

The Accelerator Fellowship Programme hosted by the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI, is a pioneering initiative addressing the ethical challenges posed by AI technologies. As AI continues to reshape societies worldwide, the programme’s mission is to build a leading AI ethics hub, one that brings together people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, in order to seek innovative solutions to the ethical challenges of AI.

learn more
Historic stone building with gothic windows and spires, two people walking along a garden path beside green lawn.
Resources

Everything You Need

Coded Bias Official Website

AJL VIewing Guide

Media Kits

CREDITS

Core Collaborators

Lady Who

Led by Meagan Adele Lopez, Lady Who Productions led the social media campaign, local voices video series, and key tour overviews for the World tour.

Tamer Shaaban

Filmmaker Tamer Shaaban led the production efforts for the Kigali stop.

Michael Aksman

The filmmaker Michael Aksman traveled alongside Dr. Joy to capture the Oxford, MS and Brazil stops of the world tour while supporting the Lady Who team on the Nairobi leg of the tour.

Casa Blue

Casa Blue, led by Maya Escobar, has partnered with Dr. Joy since the premiere of Coded Bias at Sundance in 2020. They designed the interactive World Tour website connecting conversations around AI accountability across the globe.

Photographers

Ian Wallman served as the official photographer for the Oxford, England leg of the tour capturing an overflowing Rhodes House venue.

Manisha Mohan

MIT Media Lab Alumna Manisha Mohan coordinated DIY and in-person tour stops, liaising with collaborators around the globe.

Jonathan Singletary

Composer and musician Jonathan Singletary created “No Mask” an original Coded Bias World Tour soundtrack to commemorate the fifth anniversary celebration of the documentary.