Chinasa Okolo is a fellow at the Brookings Institution within the Center for Technology Innovation’s Governance Studies program. Previously, she contributed to the ethics and social impact committee responsible for developing Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Additionally, she has served as an AI policy and ethics advisor for numerous organizations, including the Africa Union Development Agency and the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute. Recently, she earned her Ph.D. in computer science from Cornell University, focusing on AI’s effects on the Global South.
Journey into AI: An Unexpected Path
Chinasa T. Okolo’s journey into AI began with her interest in how computational techniques could enhance biomedical research and make healthcare more accessible to underserved communities. During her final year at Pomona College, she conducted research with a professor in human-computer interaction, which revealed the challenges of bias within AI. Her Ph.D. work further sparked her interest in how these biases affect the Global South, a region that includes a significant portion of the world’s population yet remains underrepresented in AI development.
Chinasa Okolo takes immense pride in her work with the African Union on the AU-AI Continental Strategy for Africa. This strategy aims to help member states of the AU adopt, develop, and govern AI responsibly. The drafting process, which lasted over 18 months, culminated in February 2024 and is currently in an open feedback period. The goal is for the strategy to be formally adopted by early 2025.
As a first-generation Nigerian-American from Kansas City, MO, who had never left the U.S. until studying abroad in college, Okolo has always aimed to focus her career on Africa. Engaging in such impactful work early in her career excites her about future opportunities to shape inclusive global AI governance.
Overcoming Challenges in a Male-Dominated Industry
Building a community with like-minded individuals has been crucial for Okolo in navigating the predominantly male tech and AI sectors. She has been inspired by the significant contributions of Black women scholars such as Timnit Gebru, Safiya Noble, Abeba Birhane, Ruha Benjamin, Joy Buolamwini, and Deb Raji. Their leadership has motivated her to continue her work and demonstrated the value of challenging the status quo to make a meaningful impact.
Advice for Women Entering the AI Field
Chinasa Okolo advises women not to be deterred by a lack of technical background. AI is a multidisciplinary field that benefits from expertise across various domains. Her research has been profoundly influenced by sociologists, anthropologists, cognitive scientists, philosophers, and other humanities and social sciences professionals.
One of the most significant challenges in AI is ensuring equitable representation of non-Western cultures in leading language and multimodal models. The majority of the world neglects the diverse perspectives of the majority of the world by training most AI models on English data that reflects Western contexts.
Furthermore, the push to develop larger models will increase the consumption of natural resources and exacerbate climate change, which disproportionately affects countries in the Global South.
Concerns for AI Users
Many AI tools and systems in public use overstate their capabilities and do not perform as claimed. Often, simpler algorithms or basic automation could address the tasks these AI tools aim to solve.
Generative AI, in particular, has the potential to magnify the harms observed in earlier AI tools, such as biases leading to harmful decision-making against vulnerable communities. As generative AI becomes more widespread, these issues are likely to grow. Educating the public about AI’s limitations and improving AI and data literacy will be crucial for responsible adoption and use.
To build AI responsibly, it is essential to scrutinize both the intended and unintended uses of these tools. Developers must resist using AI in harmful applications such as warfare and policing and seek external advice when unsure about the appropriateness of certain use cases. Since AI often amplifies existing social inequalities, careful consideration is necessary in building and curating datasets for training AI models.
The surge in venture capital interest has contributed to the rise of questionable AI products, often referred to as “AI snake oil” by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor. Investors need to take leadership roles alongside academics, civil society, and industry members to advocate for responsible AI development. As an angel investor, Okolo has encountered many dubious AI tools and believes that investors should employ AI expertise to evaluate companies and request external audits of products presented in pitches.
The current “AI summer” has resulted in a proliferation of so-called “AI experts” who often detract from important discussions about the real risks and harms of AI, providing misleading information about AI capabilities. Okolo encourages those interested in learning about AI to critically assess these voices and seek knowledge from reputable sources.
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