Jacqueline Comer is a Master of Technological Futures alumni.
When Jacqueline Comer dug into the data from her early AI bot project, she found something deeply unsettling. The model was catching the obvious slurs, but it was missing the quieter harms: the subtle digs and microaggressions that silence voices in elections and public life.
“I realised that so many things, like microaggressions, were clearly toxic but the model wasn’t catching them. And when I looked closer, it was because the data itself was biased at every level.”
That discovery became the turning point of her Master of Technological Futures journey at academyEX. What began as frustration turned into purpose. Jacqueline set out to build systems that could detect not just hate speech, but the everyday biases baked into online conversations.
The Scale of the Challenge
The timing couldn’t have been more urgent. By 2020, online abuse had become a frontline threat to democracy and participation. Amnesty International reported that women, particularly women of colour, were targeted at alarming rates on Twitter. Mainstream moderation tools were blunt instruments, catching explicit slurs but letting through waves of coded hostility that still drove people out of public discourse.
“It was baked in at every level of the system,” Jacqueline said. “From who annotated the data to how the models were trained. No wonder they were missing so much.”
Turning Research into Real-World Change
In her MTF, Jacqueline combined academic freedom with hands-on experimentation. She built and trained models to flag microaggressions, tested them in live political campaigns, and validated her hunch: inclusivity in tech design wasn’t optional, it was essential.
“The Masters gave me time and space to actually figure it out,” she reflects. “It wasn’t about having a perfect plan on day one. It was about leaning into the problem you can’t stop thinking about.”
From that crucible of research and community support came Areto Labs: the company Jacqueline now leads as Founder and Chief Product Officer. Their mission is clear: bust trolls, build community.
Busting Trolls, Building Community
Areto Labs connects directly to clients’ social channels, removing spam, piracy, and abuse in seconds. The results are striking.
Once the “bad stuff” disappears, engagement doesn’t drop, it climbs. Fans feel safer to comment. Communities grow. And the brands behind them see the payoff in both loyalty and revenue.
“One thing we’ve learned is that once you take away the bad stuff, engagement goes up. People feel safer participating. That’s how you build belonging.”
Areto’s tools now protect some of the world’s largest sports brands, public figures, and advocacy organisations. Accuracy levels hover above 98%, and the company is scaling globally.
Advice for Future Students
Jacqueline didn’t walk into the MTF with a polished business idea. She experimented with concepts as simple as “a neighbourhood app to trade garden vegetables” or “an Uber for boats.” But through exploration and feedback, she found her true focus: tackling the issue that kept her awake at night.
“Your passion is often the thing you keep grumbling about. Pay attention to that. With the right support, that’s where real change can come from.”
Watch this webinar on our YouTube channel
Beyond Personal Transformation
Jacqueline’s journey is bigger than one career pivot. It shows how critical it is to challenge assumptions in technology, to design for inclusion from the start, and to give mid-career professionals the tools and networks to act.
She entered the MTF as a writer searching for direction. She left as the founder and Chief Product Officer of a company building safer digital communities worldwide. And in doing so, she’s part of a wider shift — proving that when diverse voices shape technology, entire industries can be re-designed around trust, safety, and belonging.
Her story reminds us that the future of online spaces won’t be written by trolls, but by leaders bold enough to re-imagine what community looks like.
Your Future at academyEX
For those ready to begin their own transformation journey, academyEX offers various programmes, from full masters degrees to micro-credentials, all designed to empower the next generation of change-makers.
In a world seeking solutions, Louise's journey from corporate strategist to environmental pioneer shows us that with the right education, mindset, and support, we can redesign our world for the better. Visit our programme page to learn more about our programs and join our community of exceptional innovators.
This article is part of our Student Series celebrating remarkable journeys in technological innovation. If you are keen to share YOUR learning story, send us a message - we would love to hear from you.