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Non-profit

Encode Justice

Website:

www.encodejustice.org/
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Type:

AI Technology Activist Group
Founded:

2020
President:

Sneha Revanur

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Encode Justice is a youth-led activist coalition pushing for governance and censorship of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and applications. It claims that AI “algorithms are being used as tools of oppression.” 1 It was initially funded by left-leaning Omidyar Network 2 and works through political activism, community organizing, education, and content creation. 3

Sneha Revanur founded the organization while in high school. Revanur has been described as “the Greta Thunberg of AI.” 5 It claims that AI “algorithms are being used as tools of oppression.” 6

Encode Justice was founded by Sneha Revanur in 2020 when she was a high school student at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, California. 7 Its initial focus was on the use of AI in the criminal justice system and surveillance, and was primarily funded by left-leaning Omidyar Network. 8

As of October 2023, Encode Justice is in over 40 states and over 30 countries with over 600 high school and college students as members. 9

It is a fiscal project of Future Incubator, 10 a joint program of left-wing advocacy group March On and its youth-led Future Coalition that provides fiscal sponsorship and consulting to youth activist groups. 11

Encode Justice claims that because AI algorithms are designed to imitate human thoughts and behavior, future AI decisions will be based on discrimination and racism against Black, Brown, and low-income communities. 12 Some of the headlines posted on the Encode Justice blog are: “How the Racism Baked Into Technology Hurts Teens,” “ICE rigged its algorithms to keep immigrants in jail,” and “Over 1,000 AI Experts Condemn Racist Algorithms That Claim to Predict Crime.” 13

Work Areas

Areas of concern for Encode Justice include criminal justice, policing and surveillance, healthcare, education, and immigration. It addresses these concerns through political advocacy, community organizing, education, and content creation. 14

Advocacy

The Encode Justice advocacy team spends weekends convening phone banks. In 2021 Encode Justice supported a proposed national ban on the use of facial-recognition technology. 15

In May 2023 Encode Justice sent an open letter to Congress and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) that demanded increased representation from young people in discussions and decisions related to AI tech policy. 16

Encode Justice is lobbying the OSTP for an AI Bill of Rights with provisions that include an audited AI environment, transparency in how AI is used to influence decisions, and limitations on the use of surveillance. It is planning to lobby for the Algorithmic Accountability Act 17 which was previously introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY) to address what it claims to be the risk of bias and discrimination in algorithmic decisions. 18

Community Organizing

In September 2021, Encode Justice partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union Massachusetts and the Student Immigrant Movement for a student week of action against facial-recognition in schools, which was being used to increase student safety. It also had plans to partner with Algorithmic Justice League on projects against AI injustice in education. 19

Education and Content Creation

Encode Justice offers a 1-hour online AI Ethics workshop and additional workshops focused on specific areas of concern. As of April 2023, Encode Justice had conducted workshops for over 15,000 students. 20 The Encode Justice education team contacts high school teachers offering educational presentations on the risks of AI. 21

EJ on Air is a podcast posted by the California chapter that describes the risks of discriminatory algorithms. 22

Funding

Encode Justice is funded by Omidyar Network, America’s Promise Alliance, We Are Family Foundation, Princeton Prize in Race Relations, and individual donations. 23

Leadership

Sneha Revanur is founder and president of Encode Justice. She is a student at Williams College majoring in political economy. During her high school and college years, Revanur has been a campaign intern for Representative Cori Bush (D-MO), a Justice Initiative coordinator at Harvard University Law School, and a research assistant at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 24 She is a summer policy fellow at left-of-center Washington, D.C. think tank and advocacy group Center for AI and Digital Policy, and a core team member of Design It For Us, a youth led activist coalition focused on advancing legislation on tech policies. 25

Revanur has been featured in the news, including CNN, the Guardian, POLITICO, CNBC, and the New York Times. She has presented at several conferences and organizations, including the United States Department of Education and the Biden administration Office of Science and Technology Policy. 26 Politico has referred to her as “the Greta Thunberg of AI.” 27 In September 2023, she was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence in the TIME100/AI list. 28

References

  1. Vanessa Taylor. “These Young Activists Are Battling All-Knowing Tech.” MIC. December 23, 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.mic.com/impact/encode-justice-algorithms-surveillance-technology
  2. Ben Schreckinger. “Meet the Greta Thunberg of AI.” Politico. May 1, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2023/05/01/meet-the-greta-thunberg-of-ai-00094709
  3. “What We Do’” Encode Justice. Accessed October 14, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/#what-we-do
  5. Ben Schreckinger. “Meet the Greta Thunberg of AI.” Politico. May 1, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2023/05/01/meet-the-greta-thunberg-of-ai-00094709[/note]

    Background

    Encode Justice is a youth-led activist coalition focused on putting governance in place for artificial intelligence (AI). 4 “What We Do’” Encode Justice. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/#what-we-do

  6. Vanessa Taylor. “These Young Activists Are Battling All-Knowing Tech.” MIC. December 23, 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.mic.com/impact/encode-justice-algorithms-surveillance-technology
  7. LinkedIn – Sneha Revanur. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sneharevanur/
  8. Ben Schreckinger. “Meet the Greta Thunberg of AI.” Politico. May 1, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2023/05/01/meet-the-greta-thunberg-of-ai-00094709
  9. “Leadership.” Encode Justice. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/
  10. “Encode Justice.” Act Blue. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/encode-justice
  11. Future Incubator website. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://futureincubator.org/
  12. “What We Do.” Encode Justice. Updated May 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/#what-we-do
  13. Encode Justice – Blog. Medium. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://medium.com/encode-justice
  14. “What We Do.” Encode Justice. Updated May 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/#what-we-do
  15. Avi Asher-Schapiro. “ ‘Adults have failed’: Youth activists take up fight for U.S. digital rights.” Thomson Reuters Foundation News. June 17, 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://news.trust.org/item/20210617092646-yrset/
  16. Quinn Casey. “Sneha Revanur ’26, founder of Encode Justice, advocates for youth voice in AI regulation.” The Williams Record. May 10, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://williamsrecord.com/464206/features/sneha-revanur-26-founder-of-encode-justice-advocates-for-youth-voice-in-ai-regulation/
  17. Marc Rotenberg and Sneha Revanur. “Time to act now on AI Bill of Rights.” The Hill. July 19, 2022. Accessed October 14, 2023. https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/3566180-time-to-act-now-on-ai-bill-of-rights/
  18. “Wyden, Booker and Clarke Introduce Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022 To Require New Transparency And Accountability For Automated Decision Systems.” Ron Wyden United States Senator for Oregon. February 3, 2022. Accessed October 14, 2023. https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-booker-and-clarke-introduce-algorithmic-accountability-act-of-2022-to-require-new-transparency-and-accountability-for-automated-decision-systems
  19. Rachel Metz. “These high school students are fighting for ethical AI.” CNN Business. September 29, 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/tech/ethical-ai-youth-activists-encode-justice/index.html
  20. “Workshops.” Encode Justice – What We Do. Updated April 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/#workshops
  21. Avi Asher-Schapiro. “ ‘Adults have failed’: Youth activists take up fight for U.S. digital rights.” Thomson Reuters Foundation News. June 17, 2021. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://news.trust.org/item/20210617092646-yrset/
  22. “Predestined by Algorithms.” Spotify – EJ on Air. October 2022. Accessed October 14, 2023. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bZCuabT92XxmeXeTuH1b4
  23. “Funders.” Encode Justice. Accessed October 12, 2023. https://encodejustice.org/
  24. LinkedIn – Sneha Revanur. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sneharevanur/
  25. “About.” Design It For Us. Accessed October 11, 2023. https://designitforus.org/about/
  26. LinkedIn – Sneha Revanur. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sneharevanur/
  27. Ben Schreckinger. “Meet the Greta Thunberg of AI.” Politico. May 1, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2023/05/01/meet-the-greta-thunberg-of-ai-00094709
  28. Simmone Shah. “Sneha Revanur.” TIME – TIME100 AI. September 7, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/6310595/sneha-revanur/
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