Noted A.I. Ethicist Timnit Gebru Let Go From Google Following Tense Email Exchange

Timnit Gebru, a pioneering researcher on algorithmic bias, said Wednesday night that she had been abruptly let go by Google, where she was technical co-lead of the company's Ethical Artificial Intelligence Team, after she had privately threatened to resign. Gebru is known for her co-authorship with Joy Buolamwini of an influential 2018 paper on bias in facial recognition software, among other work. The study found that three leading facial recognition systems were far more likely to misidentify women and people of color than white men. The findings helped to fuel a backlash against facial recognition that has led some major companies and jurisdictions to stop developing or using the technology. OneZero's Dave Gershgorn wrote in June about the study's profound impact.