About

Dr Jacki O’Neill is a computer scientist and Executive Director of the Institute for Agriculture and AI (IAAI) at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Abu Dhabi. She is leading the team at IAAI to develop human-centred AI systems which provide real improvements to farmers’ lives. This means developing multilingual, multicultural and multimodal AI systems, deploying AI models and systems at scale and measuring their impact.

Previously, Dr Jacki founded Microsoft Research Africa, where she built a globally recognised centre for equitable, human-centred AI. She received the ACM SIGCHI Societal Impact Award in 2026, and her research centres the experiences of those most affected by technology — from gig workers and auto-rickshaw drivers to front-line workers, small businesses and farmers. Her work spans Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA and has influenced both research and real-world products.

With more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and 13 patents, she is an influential voice in Human-Computer Interaction and a leading advocate for building AI that works for everyone. Outside of work, her passions include running, hiking and camping.

Research

Jacki’s research focuses on:

• Equitable and human-centred AI
• Multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-modal AI
• Ethnographic research for technology design
• AI for smallholder farmers
• Human-Computer Interaction