Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D.
www.chinasatokolo.com
Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo is an internationally recognized researcher, strategist, and policy advisor on AI governance for the Global Majority. She is a Fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution and a recent Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from Cornell University. Her research examines how African governments can facilitate effective AI and data governance, investigates the socioeconomic impact of data work in the Global South, and analyzes datafication and algorithmic marginalization in Africa. Dr. Okolo has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME, honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list, and named a Trailblazer in Engineering, a Rising Star in Management Science & Engineering, and one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™.
At Cornell, Dr. Okolo’s dissertation research incorporated ethnographic methods to understand how frontline healthcare workers in rural India perceive and value AI. Her work also examined how explainability can be best leveraged in AI-enabled technologies deployed throughout the Global Majority, with a focus on healthcare. Outside of her dissertation focus, Dr. Okolo also conducted research examining the effective adoption and successful implementation of AI in Africa, COVID-19 misinformation spread on social networks within African communities, and the impact of generative AI within Africa.
Dr. Okolo's research has been published at top-tier venues in HCI and sociotechnical computing, including the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) CHI, CSCW, COMPASS, and EAAMO conferences. Her work has been supported by funding from the Social Science Research Council, MacArthur Foundation, McGovern Foundation, Kapor Center, The National GEM Consortium, Oracle Corporation, the North American Network Operators' Group (NANOG), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Google and covered in venues like VICE, Bloomberg, Newsweek, The Washington Post, and VentureBeat, amongst others. She has been invited to share her work at industry research labs, including Google Research India, Microsoft Research India, and the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI). She has also been featured in TechCrunch and provided commentary to leading outlets such as the MIT Technology Review, New York Times, VICE, Scientific American, Fast Company, Voice of America, Rest of World, and Devex. Dr. Okolo advises numerous multilateral institutions, national governments, corporations, and nonprofits on issues related to AI, digital inclusion, and socioeconomic development.
Dr. Okolo has participated in premier global convenings, such as the inaugural AI Safety Summit in the United Kingdom, and is an expert contributing writer to the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI. The report, chaired by Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio, was released in May 2024 in collaboration with the Mila-Quebec AI Institute and the UK Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT). Dr. Okolo also frequently contributes to national and continental AI efforts across Africa. Over the past two years, she has consulted for the African Union (AU) to develop the AU-AI Continental Strategy for Africa, released in February 2024. She has worked with the Nigerian government, evaluating applications for the inaugural Nigeria AI Research Scheme, which awarded ₦225 million in grants to 45 AI researchers and startups. She also collaborates with the Nigerian Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy to develop the Nigerian National AI Strategy, which was released in August 2024.
Dr. Okolo holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University, a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Cornell University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Pomona College. In addition to her work at Brookings, she is the Editor-in-Chief of ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, serves as a member of the IEEE Standards Association working group on algorithmic bias, a contributing member of the ACM US Technology Policy Committee, and an Ethics Advisor to the Equiano Institute, a research lab focused on steering safe and trustworthy AI in Africa. Learn more about Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo at www.chinasatokolo.com.
Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized researcher, strategist, and policy advisor on AI governance for the Global Majority. She holds a PhD and a master’s degree in computer science from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Pomona College. Dr. Okolo is currently a Fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution. Her research continues to explore the promise of human-centered AI in the Majority World by examining how African governments can facilitate effective AI and data governance, investigating the socioeconomic impact of data work in the Majority World, and analyzing datafication and algorithmic marginalization in Africa. Dr. Okolo advises numerous multilateral institutions, national governments, corporations, and nonprofits on issues related to AI, digital inclusion, and socioeconomic development.
In addition to her work at Brookings, Dr. Okolo serves as a consulting expert with the African Union, contributing to the development of the AU-AI Continental Strategy for Africa, an expert contributing writer to the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI, a drafting member of the Nigerian Federal Government National AI Strategy, and the Editor-in-Chief of ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society. Dr. Okolo has been featured in TechCrunch and provided commentary to leading platforms such as the MIT Technology Review, New York Times, VICE, Scientific American, Fast Company, Voice of America, Rest of World, and Devex. Dr. Okolo has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME and honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list. Her research has also been covered widely in media outlets and published at top-tier venues in human-computer interaction and sociotechnical computing. Learn more about Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo at www.chinasatokolo.com.
Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., is a Fellow at The Brookings Institution and a recent Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from Cornell University. Her research focuses on AI governance for the Global Majority, datafication and algorithmic marginalization, and the socioeconomic impact of data work. Dr. Okolo has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME, honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list, and advises numerous multilateral institutions, national governments, corporations, and nonprofits. In addition to her work at Brookings, Dr. Okolo serves as a Drafting Member of the Nigerian National AI Strategy, a Consulting Expert to the African Union AI Continental Strategy, an Expert Contributing Writer to the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI, and the Editor-in-Chief of ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society. Her research has been covered widely in media outlets and published at top-tier venues in human-computer interaction and sociotechnical computing. Learn more about Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo at www.chinasatokolo.com.
- Ethnic Heritage: Igbo, Nigerian
- Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- High School: Lincoln College Preparatory Academy (LCPA)
- Undergraduate Institution: Pomona College
- Graduate Institution: Cornell University
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First name: Chee-nah-sah Last Name: Oh-koh-loh
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