Madeleine Clare Elish

At-a-Glance

Serves as Head of Evaluations, Responsible Development and Innovation at Google DeepMind since 2025.
Co-founded and led the AI on the Ground Initiative at Data & Society Research Institute.
Her research examines the social impacts of AI and automation on society, informing future design, use, and governance of automated and AI systems.
Holds a PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University and an S.M. in Comparative Media Studies from MIT.
Previously served as a Senior Research Scientist on the Ethical AI team at Google for over four years.
Was General Co-Chair for the ACM Fairness Accountability and Transparency in Machine Learning (FAccT) Conference from January 2020 to March 2021.
Served as an Expert Judge for the IBM Watson XPRIZE from October 2017 to July 2020.

Biography

Madeleine Clare Elish, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist currently serving as the Head of Evaluations, Responsible Development and Innovation at Google DeepMind since 2025. Her work focuses on examining the social impacts of AI and automation on society, with a particular emphasis on ethical AI and governance.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Elish was a Senior Research Scientist on the Ethical AI team at Google for over four years.