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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

@chinasa.bsky.social

6K followers 44 following 480 posts

AI Researcher, Policy Strategist, & Technorealist. Founder, Technēculturǎ. Columnist, Science Magazine. Cornell Computer Science PhD. TIME100 AI. Forbes Under 30 AI. Critically examining global equity in AI. 👩🏾‍💻: www.chinasatokolo.com 📩: bit.ly/contactCTO

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · Nov 15

Hey everyone! I'm Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo, a human-centered AI researcher and tech policy strategist.

I'm dedicated to improving global equity in AI and my work focuses on how to democratize AI research, innovation, and governance.

www.chinasatokolo.com

A side view of a panel with Chinasa speaking into a handheld microphone. She is gesturing and wearing a silver suit, has black curly braids. There are five people sitting on the stage and she is 2nd from the left.

Chinasa is speaking into a microphone and gesturing with her left hand. She is seated in-between two other panelists (both male-presenting). She is wearing a gray dress with a white puffy-sleeved dress shirt underneath.

Chinasa is speaking on a stage and standing behind a podium. Behind her is a screen depicting a map of India and South Asia with graphics of technical code overlaid on it. To the far right of an image is a sign language interpreter.

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 10h

Loved this article about my hometown's BBQ scene! I also have a lot of new places on my list to try out on my next trip ✍🏾

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/d...

Is Kansas City Still the Barbecue Capital of America?

www.nytimes.com

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 11h

"...despite Mr. Trump’s claim on the campaign trail that immigrants take jobs from Black people, rising joblessness among Black workers suggests that mass deportations of migrants haven’t arrested the trend."

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/b...

Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Mekka Okereke @mekka.mekka-tech.com · 12h

This.

One of the weirdest claims about tech, is that if people only studied humanities, they would be more inclusive and kind.

No.

That's not the important dimension. Studying art or philosophy or history does not magically make you an ethical person.

Hitler was a painter. Wagner was a composer.

brasidas @brasidas.bsky.social · 12h

Anyone who claims that Silicon Valley would be better with more humanities education has to grapple with the fact that Peter Thiel was a philosophy major.

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 11h

"We just don’t respect culture as being powerful."

— Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom

Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 15h

Bring back shame.

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 12h

First time seeing the word “chatfish,” but the ending of this article made an excellent point:

“That so many daters are hiding their reliance on AI suggests that deep down we all know that true intimacy demands vulnerability.”

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 19h

‘I realised I’d been ChatGPT-ed into bed’: how ‘Chatfishing’ made finding love on dating apps even weirder

Where once people were duped by soft-focus photos and borrowed chat-up lines, now they have to watch out for computer-generated charm. But it’s one thing to use a witty phrase – another thing entirely to build a whole fake persona …

www.theguardian.com

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 13h

Another reason why my latest piece for Science is quite timely: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

zitronenjette.bsky.social @zitronenjette.bsky.social · 1d

While actively destroying public health care, Trump continues to reap its benefits.

bsky.app/profile/megt...

Meg Tirrell @megtirrell.bsky.social · 2d

President Trump got an updated Covid vaccine & flu shot at Walter Reed today www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/p...

Trump received Covid vaccine and flu shot during second physical of the year | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump received a Covid vaccine and flu shot during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, his physician said in a memo released by the White House.

www.cnn.com

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 2d

Finally spotted the “AI friend” advertisement in the NYC subway during my commute earlier this week.

The added commentary is truly the best!

An advertisement for a company promoting an “AI friend” it reads:

“Friend [frend] noun
Someone who listens, responds, and supports you.
friend.com”

Someone has written “AI isn’t your friend, it is surveillance” on the ad.

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 3d

I especially look forward to seeing applications from stakeholders within academia and across the Global Majority.

Due to my involvement with the selection process, I am unable to respond to any questions or requests for application reviews.

Please refer to the FAQs:
www.un.org/independent-...

FAQ | Independent International Scientific Panel on AI

www.un.org

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 3d

The UN has launched an open call for candidates to serve on the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI!

It's an ideal opportunity to contribute towards an open, safe, and inclusive digital future.

Deadline: Friday, October 31st, 2025

Apply: un.org/ai-panel

Home | Independent International Scientific Panel on AI

un.org

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 4d

My latest Brookings commentary (co-authored with Michelle Du) examines the landscape of digital platform work, providing recommendations for governments, tech companies, and outsourcing firms to increase accountability and reshape labor practices.

www.brookings.edu/articles/rei...

Reimagining the future of data and AI labor in the Global South | Brookings

Michelle Du and Chinasa Okolo discuss the content moderation and data labeling behind social media and AI platforms.

www.brookings.edu

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.bsky.social · 6d

Applications for JamCoders, a 1 month free algorithms & programming camp for Jamaican high schoolers, are now open.

Head over to jamcoders.org.jm#apply. No programming experience required for students.

We're looking for students & teaching assistants.

Deadline January 31.

JamCoders

jamcoders.org.jm

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 5d

Pretty sure I saw National Guard troops in the NYC subway today.

Still not used to seeing them around D.C. 😬

Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 7d

If you have a better idea, you can just execute it.

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Justin Zimmerman @jztidecat.bsky.social · 9d

My favorite armchair comment is Americans don‘t understand authoritarianism, because so many of you don’t count Black people as Americans. Learn the history or shut up.

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Rudy wants revolution. @rude1.blacksky.team · 11d

Blacksky Algorithms is communal infrastructure.

Network graph of Blacksky infrastructure showing personal data servers, global relays, algorithms, apps, and governance tools

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

Brian Keith Jackson @bkjwordplay.bsky.social · 9d

Please understand, the noise is not meant to distract. It is meant to steal your will to act. As far as I'm concerned, they've stolen enough.

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Reposted by Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

jenn m. jackson @jennmjacksonphd.bsky.social · 8d

The Vice President of the United States used his social media page to tell Joy Reid, a private citizen with no connection to the government, that she should express "gratitude" for how this country has treated her.

Black women remain the most consistent targets in all of this.

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 8d

As a computer scientist, this salary is mind boggling 😳

Dave Infante @dinfontay.com · 9d

“'The fact that we don't have money to pay journalists, but we have money to pay Bari Weiss between $100 and 200 million is indicative of what the Ellisons' true goal here is,' a network correspondent said. 'And it's not journalism.'"

CBS News staffers are ‘literally freaking out’ about Bari Weiss taking over newsroom

EXCLUSIVE: ‘People are using words like depressing and doomsday – feels like some sort of doomsday,’ one source told The Independent about the mood inside CBS News right now.

www.independent.co.uk

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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 8d

I’ve been very intentional not to use the bookmark feature on here because I don’t want it to end up like my Twitter bookmarks 😆

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 9d

🗞️ New op-ed in Science!

For my first article as an Expert Voices columnist, I push back against the effective accelerationism movement, examining how the values of public interest AI define a better paradigm for AI development and governance.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The paradox of AI accelerationism and the promise of public interest AI

Over the past 3 years, the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) development should be accelerated without restraint to drive radical societal change—a phenomenon known as AI accelerationism—has gain...

www.science.org

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 10d

I've had a lot of international collaborations over the past year and am gradually starting to write randomly in British English.

Today I wrote "cataloguing" instead of "cataloging" and I was so confused at first 😅

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 10d

Yesterday, I launched my new publication, Digital Cognoscente, and it has already surpassed 1k subscribers!

I look forward to posting reflections on AI's rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape + general commentary from my research, travels, and engagements.

www.linkedin.com/newsletters/...

Digital Cognoscente | LinkedIn

Perspectives on the geopolitical landscape of AI & digital technologies from my research, travels, and engagements

www.linkedin.com

Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 12d

Whenever I travel to South Africa, I always have to make a stop at Woolworths. They have the best dried fruit snacks!