Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin teaches in the fields of Torts, Family Law, Technology and Law, and Race and Law. Gipson Rankin’s scholarship and activism combine her computer science background with her passion for racial justice. Her work focuses on two areas: 1. Race, technology, and law; and 2. Black family and community empowerment.  Her 2021 article, “Technological Tethereds: Potential Impact of Untrustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Criminal Justice Risk Assessment Instruments”, was published in the Washington and Lee Law Review and explores the impact of cyberattacks and the unintended consequences of unmonitored AI on criminal justice risk assessment instruments. 

Research
Gipson Rankin is a member of the Interdisciplinary Working Group on Algorithmic Justice—a collaboration of computer scientists, legal scholars, and social scientists from New Mexico who provide insight to attorneys and government officials on issues related to artificial intelligence. She regularly presents on topics such as AI, kinship care, criminal justice reform, implicit bias, inclusive leadership, and Black community empowerment. Regarding these issues, Professor Gipson Rankin has been quoted in numerous media outlets, including BBC World News and National Public Radio.