Tech Leaders Nettrice Gaskins and Mercy Mutemi on Disrupting Inequality

Ford Global Fellows discuss using technology to fight systemic biases and build equitable digital futures.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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In a conversation moderated by Adria Goodson, director of the Ford Global Fellowship, tech leaders Nettrice Gaskins and Mercy Mutemi explore how they are working to address systemic harms within technology innovations. Gaskins, an assistant director at Lesley University, fights bias in both technology and education through an equity-oriented approach to STEAM. Mutemi, executive director of the Oversight Lab, is challenging the doctrine of platform immunity and building an Africa-wide infrastructure to ensure technological development doesn't replicate colonial patterns of extraction. The two Ford Global Fellows agree that technology is not neutral and must be reconsidered through the lens of equity.

Why it matters

Technology shapes nearly every aspect of modern life, from social media algorithms to AI systems making decisions that impact millions. However, these technologies often reflect and amplify systemic biases and inequalities. The work of Gaskins and Mutemi highlights the critical need to disrupt these patterns and build more equitable digital futures, especially for historically excluded communities.

The details

Gaskins creates AI-generated art to counter racist imagery online and works to make maker culture and STEAM education more inclusive. Mutemi is challenging the legal doctrine of platform immunity that has shielded tech companies from accountability, and building an African-led infrastructure to address systemic harms in the tech ecosystem. Both emphasize the importance of centering marginalized voices and ensuring technology development does not replicate colonial extraction.

  • Gaskins has been posting AI-generated art online daily for the past 8 years.
  • Mutemi filed a case 3 years ago that led to a landmark decision in Kenya that social media platforms do not have immunity for rights violations.
  • Mutemi started The Oversight Lab about 8 months ago to take a more systemic approach to addressing tech harms.

The players

Nettrice Gaskins

Assistant director for the Lesley STEAM Learning Lab at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who fights bias embedded in both technology and education through an equity-oriented approach to STEAM.

Mercy Mutemi

Executive director of the Oversight Lab, which supports tech workers and vulnerable communities harmed by systemic power structures in the tech ecosystem. She is challenging the doctrine of platform immunity and building an Africa-wide infrastructure to ensure technological development doesn't replicate colonial patterns of extraction.

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What they’re saying

“Every day for eight years, I have been posting AI-generated art online. Usually, I'm trying to counter some of the messaging and some of the imagery that I'm seeing coming out of the AI space, and it's also therapeutic for me.”

— Nettrice Gaskins

“In 1996, it was written into the law in the U.S. and E.U. that you couldn't sue social media platforms for their algorithms because these companies need to be protected so that they could continue developing their technology. That cascaded over time into these companies making algorithm decisions based on what makes the most money for them.”

— Mercy Mutemi

What’s next

Mutemi is working to leverage litigation to change the behavior of tech companies and prevent future harm, rather than just seeking restorative justice after the fact.

The takeaway

Gaskins and Mutemi's work demonstrates that technology is not neutral and must be reimagined through an equity lens to address systemic biases and ensure marginalized communities are not exploited or further harmed by technological development.