Kate Crawford

Kate Crawford is the Senior Principal of Research at Microsoft Research and a thought leader on the social and political implications of AI. An expert in large-scale data systems, machine learning and AI, she applies historic, environmental, political and labour contexts to disruptive technologies. As the co-founder of several interdisciplinary research groups, including the Knowing Machines at USC, AI Now Institute at NYU and FATE at MSR, Kate is an influential figure in AI. Highly demanded as an advisor, Kate has worked with influential policymakers at notable institutions such as the United Nations, the European Parliament, the White House and the Australian Human Rights Commission. She is also a popular speaker sought-after for speaking engagements on AI risk.

Holding a PhD from the University of Sydney, she won the individual category of the Manning Clark National Cultural Award for her dissertation, Adult Themes- Rewriting the Rules of Adulthood. In 2008, she became an Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales before landing the roles of Visiting Professor at MIT Media Lab and Senior Research Fellow at New York University in 2013. Co-founder and Distinguished Research Professor at AI Now Institute, NYU, Kate conducted interdisciplinary research at the institute, exploring the social implications of artificial intelligence and related technologies.

Currently serving as Research Professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Kate is also the Inaugural Visiting Chair of AI and Justice at Ecole Normale Superieure. An erudite scholar, Kate has published articles in prominent academic journals, including Information, Communication & Society, Technology & Human Values, Nature, New Media & Society and Science. She is also a regular contributor to The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine and The New York Times. Moreover, Kate is the author of Atlas of AI, named one of the best books on technology in 2021 by the Financial Times, and co-author of Understanding the Internet. In recognition of her distinguished contributions to AI, Kate was recently included in the Time 100 Most Influential People in AI 2023.

Winner of the Beazley Design of the Year Award for Anatomy of an AI System, a visual investigation and creative collaboration with artist Vladan Joler. Kate’s project has been placed in the permanent collection of the V&A in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She also received acclaim for Training Human, which featured the images used to train AI systems, and Excavating AI, winner of the Ayrton Prize from the British Society for the History of Science. A foremost expert on the social and political implications of AI, Kate has delivered presentations at prestigious conferences, such as the O’Reilly Strata Conference and DataEDGE Conference. Now available to hire as a speaker, Kate Crawford exposes the dark side of AI in her presentations.