Our approach to AI must put people first

Profile

Dr Kerry McInerney is an internationally renowned AI ethicist, author, researcher and media commentator. She cut her teeth in AI ethics at two of the world's leading AI ethics institutes: the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge and the AI Now Institute in New York.

Her research has taken her around the world - from the United Kingdom to the United States - but her roots have drawn her back home to Tāmaki Makaurau. Kerry is now a Lecturer at the University of Auckland, where she teaches our next generation of computer scientists about AI ethics.

Kerry's research provides cutting-edge insights onto the social and political impacts of frontier technologies like AI. Her research includes exploring how AI recruitment tools address workforce diversity and women in the AI workforce, has been covered by BBC, The Guardian, Forbes, The Telegraph, among other international outlets.

Alongside her groundbreaking research, Kerry has dedicated herself to science communication and public engagement. From 2021-2025, Kerry was the co-host of the tech podcast The Good Robot, bringing insights from feminist thinkers to wide audiences. She has written numerous books and regularly provides media comment to international outlets on leading AI issues.

While she was at the University of Cambridge, Kerry was selected for the prestigious AHRC/BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinker fellowship, which finds the most talented researchers from across UK universities and supports them to share their research with wider audiences through BBC radio programmes.

Her contributions to gender equality in AI have garnered international acclaim. Kerry is one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics (2022) and one of Computing’s Rising Stars 30 under 30 (2023).

Outside of work, Kerry can usually be found in the ballet studio, baking up a storm, or spending time with friends and whānau.

Expertise

Talking Points

Cutting through AI Hype

We’re caught between extreme excitement about the leaps forward in AI technologies, and so-called ‘AI doomers’ worried about AI causing the end of the world. Kerry shows why we need to thread the needle between utopia and dystopia when it comes to AI and develop a healthy scepticism towards AI hype.

Women in AI: Changing the Narrative

Women make up approximately 22% of AI and data professionals worldwide. How does this impact both gender inequality and global tech innovation? Kerry shows why representation in the AI industry matters, and why we need different stories about AI to the ones that we currently tell.

Using AI Well

How can we use AI in ways that enhance, rather than undermine, our wellbeing? In this talk, Kerry explores the links between AI and wellness across different life domains, from work and school to the home and our social relationships.

AI Ethics and Governance 101

How can you, and your business, safely and ethically use AI? In this talk, Kerry provides an introductory roadmap to the world of AI ethics and governance, as well as a range of useful resources for businesses starting their AI governance journey.

AI and The Future of Education

How will AI change the way we learn, think, and write? In this talk, Kerry draws on both her research and her experience as an educator to investigate how AI will change how we learn - and what educators should do about it.

The Geopolitics of AI

From chip bans to the so-called ‘AI arms race’ between the US and China, AI is an increasingly important factor in contemporary geopolitics. Drawing on original research, Kerry explores how AI is reshaping power on the international stage.

Why Technology Needs Feminism

How can we make sure that AI works for everyone? In this talk, Kerry shows how feminism can diagnose ethical problems in the tech industry, and help us imagine different, better tech futures.