The Howard University School of Education Digital Lab will host a virtual workshop at 5 p.m. Wednesday led by Dr. Tiera Tanksley, a leading voice on how artificial intelligence affects Black youth.

The 90-minute session will introduce participants to practical strategies for recognizing and addressing bias in AI systems used in education. The workshop is free and open to students, educators, alumni and community members. Register via Zoom using the link in the event announcement.

“This session is about helping students and educators use AI critically and responsibly,” said Dr. Sosanya Jones, an associate professor and program coordinator in higher education leadership and policy studies. “We want to equip our community to recognize, resist and redesign biased systems.”

The workshop comes as Howard expands its campus-wide artificial intelligence initiative, including new courses, research partnerships and a forthcoming AI certificate program. The effort aims to integrate AI across disciplines while ensuring students understand both its technical and ethical implications.

Howard leaders have emphasized a balanced approach as AI adoption grows. It also reflects a broader goal of preparing the Howard community to engage AI critically, particularly amid concerns about bias, data privacy and its impact on Black communities. The Howard University School of Education Digital Lab is supported by a grant from the Bezos Family Foundation.

Tanksley is a research fellow in Education and Critical Technology Studies at UCLA in Los Angeles. She is also a senior researcher and director of the Race, Abolition & Artificial Intelligence program, which she founded. In 2023, Tanksley was awarded the Public Voices in Technology fellowship by the MacArthur Foundation and the Op Ed Project, and was simultaneously named in the 100 Brilliant Women in AI in 2024. In 2025, she was awarded an AI in Education research grant from the Spencer Foundation, and was featured in a critical AI documentary, "Ghost in the Machine," that premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

Tanksley is expected to guide participants through real-world examples of AI tools used on college campuses. She will also discuss practical strategies to identify and challenge algorithmic bias. 

Jones said the event supports the Digital Lab’s goal of preparing graduate students as researchers in education while building a public-facing repository of tools and scholarship. This semester’s programming this year focuses on AI, Afrofuturism, and critical theory.

Tanksley has served as an expert research consultant for prestigious organizations interested in the impact of AI on young people, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the National Institute for Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Education Office of Technology, Children and Screens, Digital Promise and Common Sense Media to name a few.  

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