Renée Cummings

Renée Cummings joined the School of Data Science in 2020 as the School’s first Data Activist in Residence. She is a Criminologist, Criminal Psychologist, Artificial Intelligence Ethicist, Therapeutic Jurisprudence Specialist, and Urban Technologist. Her areas of research interests include artificial intelligence, political science, and criminology. She studies the impact of artificial intelligence on criminal justice, specifically in communities of color and incarcerated populations.

In her work as a Criminologist, Cummings founded Criminal Justice Intelligence Inc., which works with governments in the Caribbean to strengthen crime prevention, incorporate new technologies in existing crime prevention strategies, and develop behavior and hardware strategies that interlink to reduce vulnerabilities and tailor more proactive approaches to crime control and crime reduction. Cummings also founded Urban AI and is an East Coast Regional Leader for Women in AI Ethics. In her time in New York City, Cummings brought her expertise to train police officers and law enforcement agents to decrease homicides and gun and gang violence. 

Cummings specializes in implicit bias, AI ethics, and best-practice criminal justice. She holds a M.S. in Rehabilitation Science and Substance Abuse Counseling from Hunter College, a M.A. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College, and Master’s Certificate in Terrorism Studies. Cummings designed her own Bachelor’s degree at Hunter College in Political Science, Philosophy, Media Studies, and Creative Writing. Cummings is also a Community Scholar in Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Justice at Columbia University.