A Data & Society affiliate, Leila Doty is an advocate for and architect of public policy that promotes the responsible design, development, and use of technology. Her work is motivated by a deep concern for the harmful consequences technology often inflicts on vulnerable communities, and she is critically hopeful that a more just technological future for all is within reach. Leila currently serves as a privacy and AI analyst with the City of San José. Since joining the City in 2022, Leila has made a lasting impact on how it procures and governs AI systems. Notably, she created the City’s framework for governing AI systems via the public procurement process and wrote its landmark AI policy. Her work serves as the foundation for the GovAI Coalition, a growing collective of over 250 public agencies across the country established and led by her team at San José.

Leila’s previous roles centered on the equitable development and use of technology, with a focus on trustworthy AI systems. At New America’s Open Tech Institute, she co-authored a report on emerging policy approaches to promoting responsible AI systems that is included as a selected report in the European Commission’s Library Guide on trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Leila’s interdisciplinary training enables her to engage complex sociotechnical issues from policy, social science, and data science perspectives. She graduated from Stanford University with a MA in public policy, and a BA in public policy, with a minor in computer science.