Sneha Revanur
Born 2004 · Age 21
American youth activist, founder and president of Encode (originally Encode Justice), advocating for global regulation of artificial intelligence.
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Life & Career Timeline
Raised in Silicon Valley; parents worked in tech
Grew up in San Jose in a family with both parents (and an older sister) working in the technology industry; cites Silicon Valley upbringing as formative to her perspective on tech.
Read 2016 ProPublica investigation on algorithmic bias
Encounter with ProPublica's 2016 investigation on risk-assessment algorithms alarmed her about algorithmic bias and helped inspire later activism opposing automated pretrial risk systems.
Attended Evergreen Valley High School (approx. start)
Attended Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose (approximate start year based on birth year and typical U.S. high-school timeline).
Encode began years active (2020–present)
Encode began operating and Sneha's public activism is recorded as active from 2020 onward.
Encode mobilized students for voter outreach and awareness
Following Prop 25, Encode broadened membership and mobilized high-school and college students to do voter outreach and public-awareness work on algorithmic fairness and related issues.
Founded Encode (originally Encode Justice)
Founded Encode (initially called Encode Justice) in July 2020 at age 15 after encountering California Proposition 25 and concerns about algorithmic risk assessments.
California Proposition 25 failed (catalyst and early campaign)
Proposition 25 (which would have replaced cash bail with pretrial risk-assessment algorithms) failed in the November 3, 2020 ballot; this was the immediate policy context that catalyzed Encode's founding and early campaigning.
Contributed to Biden administration's 'Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights'
Encode (and Revanur) contributed to AI policy initiatives including the Biden administration's Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.
Delegate to the U.S. Senate Youth Program
Selected as a delegate representing her area to the United States Senate Youth Program (reported by the Santa Clara County Office of Education).
Started college at Williams College (studying political economy)
Began college studies at Williams College, where she studied political economy before later transferring.
Op-ed: 'Time to act now on AI Bill of Rights' (The Hill)
Sneha Revanur published an op-ed on July 19, 2022 in The Hill advocating for action on an AI Bill of Rights.
Led coalition of 10 youth-led organizations; joint letter to Congress and OSTP
In spring 2023, Revanur led a coalition of 10 youth-led organizations to send a joint letter to congressional leaders and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy demanding youth inclusion on AI oversight and advisory boards.
Broadened Encode's policy focus (surveillance, disinformation, job loss)
After its founding and Prop 25 work, Encode broadened its focus to address AI-related surveillance, disinformation, job displacement, and larger-scale catastrophic risks.
GPT-4 release influenced activism
The release of GPT-4 (March 2023) sparked renewed concerns about generative AI's societal impacts and helped spur projects and coalition-building that Revanur led.
Profiled by Politico as the 'Greta Thunberg of AI'
Politico published a profile in May 2023 describing Revanur as the 'Greta Thunberg of AI,' elevating her public profile.
Met with Vice President Kamala Harris at White House roundtable
Invited to meet with Vice President Harris as the youngest participant in a roundtable of civil society leaders convened to discuss AI-related threats (roundtable reported July 12–13, 2023).
Named to TIME's inaugural '100 Most Influential People in AI' list (youngest individual)
In 2023 Revanur was the youngest individual named to TIME's inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence.
Encode published joint statement with the Future of Life Institute
In October 2023 Encode published a joint statement with the Future of Life Institute addressing AI risks and policy approaches.
Spoke at The Washington Post's Futurist Summit
At the Washington Post's Futurist Summit (Oct 2023) Revanur spoke about AI governance, referenced the joint statement, and argued against infighting in the field.
Encode established global chapter network and workshop program
Encode operated a workshop program and had established a global chapter network to expand youth participation in AI policy.
Encode sponsors California bill SB 1047
Encode was listed as a sponsor of California bill SB 1047, the 'Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act'.
Transferred from Williams College to Stanford University (reported)
Revanur attended Williams College studying political economy and later transferred to Stanford University; she is reported as a Stanford student and plans to attend law school after graduation.
Stated intent to attend law school after undergraduate graduation
Publicly stated that she hopes to attend law school after completing her undergraduate studies.
AI 2030 recommendations endorsed by prominent figures
The AI 2030 recommendations received endorsements from prominent figures including Yoshua Bengio, Gary Marcus, Stuart Russell, Mary Robinson, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Encode membership grows to around 1,000 youth
By mid-2024 Encode spanned roughly 1,000 young people, primarily high school and college students, and had established a global chapter network and workshop program.
Media interviews and profiles (ongoing)
Revanur has been interviewed and profiled by multiple outlets (Politico, The Washington Post, CNBC, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) as her activism grew; these interviews elevated youth voice in AI policy debates.
Launched AI 2030 global AI policy platform
Encode launched 'AI 2030', a global AI policy platform focused on youth impacts with roughly 20 policy recommendations for world leaders addressing deepfakes, algorithmic bias, autonomous weapons, and misuse of advanced AI.
Quoted on escalating concern about catastrophic AI harms
Public statements in 2024 indicated Revanur's increasing concern about potential large-scale 'catastrophic' harms from AI and the need for governance.
Included on BBC's 100 Women list
Sneha Revanur was included on the BBC's 100 Women list (published December 3, 2024).
Key Achievement Ages
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