Chinasa T. Okolo

"I Chinasa T. Okolo is the Founder of Technēculturǎ and a former Fellow at Brookings. She recently graduated with a Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, where her research leveraged ethnographic methods to understand how frontline healthcare workers in rural India perceive and value AI and analyzed how AI explainability can meet the needs of novice technology users in the Global Majority. Her work has been published at top-tier venues in HCI and sociotechnical computing, including the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) CHI, CSCW, COMPASS, EAAMO, and FAccT conferences. Dr. Okolo has also been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME Magazine, honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list, named one of the Most Influential Africans of 2024 by New African Magazine, a Trailblazer in Engineering, and one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™."

"I initially transitioned into AI because I saw how computational techniques could advance biomedical research and democratise access to healthcare for marginalised communities. During my last year of undergrad (at Pomona College), I began research with a human-computer interaction professor, which exposed me to the challenges of bias within AI.”"

"I’m optimistic that AI could help fuel socioeconomic development that has been much needed in Africa for the last half-century, But I’m also concerned that this competition could limit the autonomy of African countries and perpetuate neo-colonial practices that have negatively impacted their economies.”"

"Receiving this recognition a year after earning my PhD and a year into my professional career is considerable motivation for me to continue my research and advocacy.”"

"A significant number of AI tools and systems that have been put into public deployment overstate their capabilities and simply don’t work. Many tasks people aim to use AI for could likely be solved through simpler algorithms or basic automation."

"However, enabling people with the knowledge to understand the limitations of AI may help improve the responsible adoption and usage of these tools. Improving AI and data literacy within the general public will become fundamental as AI tools rapidly become integrated into society.”"