Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo

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

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.

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

Blacksky Algorithms is communal infrastructure.

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.

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.

As a computer scientist, this salary is mind boggling 😳

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 😆

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...

🗞️ 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/...

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 😅

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

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/...

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

A set of three posters on campus at University of Cape Town (UCT) in support of Palestine. They read (Far right poster): “Stop the scholasticide. Stop the genocide.” SCHOLARS AGAINST THE WAR ON PALESTINE (with org logo in red and black) UCT Stands with Palestine Palestine Solidarity Coalition is a coalition of UCT academics, administrators, and alumni working to support the Palestinian liberation struggle. (Middle): Islamic University of Gaza bombed Al-Azhar, Al-Aqsa bombed Al-Quds Open University bombed University of Palestine bombed Al-Israa University bombed University of Gaza bombed Al-Aqsa University bombed Palestine Technical College bombed Palestine College of Nursing bombed Arab College of Applied Science bombed (Far left poster): 90,000 Palestinian university students cannot attend university in Gaza

A poster advertising an event with Jeremy Corbyn, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Prof. Lydia Cairncross, and Assoc Prof. Zwelethu Jolobe. It it titled “PALESTINE SOLIDARITY VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA "New Forms of Global left politics and Palestine Solidarity" “

Spoke at the University of Cape Town last evening and it was so heartening to see posters in support of Palestine. Honestly like a breath of fresh air compared to the United States.

Thank you for being on the right side of history, UCT ✊🏾

A Rush to Save Ancient Artifacts in Gaza Highlights All That Has Been Lost

"Efforts to save human heritage, life, and dignity in Gaza allow us to understand what being human meant thousands or hundreds of years ago...and what being human means today."

— Lynn Swartz Dodd

*Gift link added*

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/w...

A Rush to Save Ancient Artifacts in Gaza Highlights All That Has Been Lost

"Heritage is something we have in common, and when it is destroyed it is like cutting the roots of a tree. Whatever my cultural, religious or ethnic background, I am losing part of my own history." — Olivier Poquillon

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/w...

“…Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). They denounced it as Western neocolonialism, aligning themselves with Moscow at a time when President Vladimir Putin is wanted by the ICC for committing war crimes in Ukraine.”

The US and Russia’s proxy war is bleeding Africa Behind anti-colonial slogans, the Sahel is the front line of a new Cold War – and Africans bear the cost.

“…Mali has transformed into another battleground in the second Cold War between Russia and the US, and neither party cares at all about the wellbeing of Malians who have found themselves on the front line.”

www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

“…Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). They denounced it as Western neocolonialism, aligning themselves with Moscow at a time when President Vladimir Putin is wanted by the ICC for committing war crimes in Ukraine.”

The US and Russia’s proxy war is bleeding Africa Behind anti-colonial slogans, the Sahel is the front line of a new Cold War – and Africans bear the cost.

“…Mali has transformed into another battleground in the second Cold War between Russia and the US, and neither party cares at all about the wellbeing of Malians who have found themselves on the front line.”

www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

The woman next to me has been watching Andrew Huberman’s podcast for a significant amount of time on this ~15 hour flight…

I’m not sure why United is platforming this show anyway 🤔

'Sovereignty' Myth-Making in the AI Race | TechPolicy.Press Tech companies stand to gain by encouraging the illusion of a race for 'sovereign' AI, write Rui-Jie Yew, Kate Elizabeth Creasey, Suresh Venkatasubramanian.

"If we take seriously the problematic metaphor of an AI arms race...then tech companies, with their SaaS offerings, are acting as arms dealers, encouraging the illusion of a race for sovereign control while being the true powers behind the scenes."

www.techpolicy.press/sovereignty-...

How to build AI to serve the Global Majority The lack of inclusion in global AI governance raises profound implications for socioeconomic growth and global power dynamics.

In "Building AI to serve the Global Majority", my latest commentary for @compiler.news, I discuss the impact of the lack of inclusion in global AI governance and development on socioeconomic growth and global power dynamics.

www.compiler.news/ai-for-globa...

Extremely egregious actions from Harvard Dean, Andrea A. Baccarelli:

"...scientists say his work has demonstrated only a correlation between the drug and autism — and not a causal link, as the Trump administration asserted in the press conference."

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Chinasa is holding a blue UN employee badge in her right hand. In the background are a blue UN flag and brown-gold emblem with the UN logo.

At UN headquarters where there is a bronze statue depicting a globe-like structure that is fractured and has gears in the middle.

On top of a gold table, there is a blue folder with the UN logo and text in the bottom left hand corner that reads “Digital Cooperation United Nations” a blue pamphlet on top reads “Governing AI for Humanity”

Very excited about my new role at the United Nations!

Looking forward to advising top UN officials on AI policy and working on processes essential to international AI cooperation, including the International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

“This isn’t the America I know”

Black People:

Black Women, White Apathy and Why a Leopard Ate Jimmy Kimmel's Face Jimmy Kimmel is not a victim of "cancel culture." But he is the perfect example of what happens when white people are silent in the face of racism.

If you're upset about Jimmy Kimmel being "canceled," I'm sure you were just as furious when you heard about Joy Reid
and Tiffany Cross
or Amber Ruffin
or Karen Attiah
or Jemele Hill

Because Kimmel might still have a job if you were

The cobblestones in Heidelberg: 1
Me: 0 😅

A depiction of Trump with a moldy orange as his head on a poster with a blue background. It is posted to a signpost in Heidelberg Germany and there is cobblestone in the foreground.

Spotted in Heidelberg, Germany 🍊

Screenshot from Libby that shows two books “The AI Con” and “Careless People” ready for checkout. It reads: Ready to borrow! The Al Con THE Al How To Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want EMILY M. BENDER ALEX HANNA CON Borrow Manage Hold Deliver Later Placed 4 Jul 十 Your hold is ready after 10 weeks, including 1 redelivery and 1 suspension, because the library acquired 3 more copies. Ready to borrow! Careless People #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Careless People A CAUTIONARY TALE OF POWER, GREED, AND LOST IDEALISM A MEMOIR Sarah Wynn- Williams Borrow Manage Hold Deliver Later Placed 24 Jul Your hold is ready after 7 weeks.

When two of the books I’ve been waiting for are both available to check out on Libby 🙌🏾

Looking forward to some great reading over the next week!

"The Nigerian government justifies the use of surveillance technologies under the guise of national security. However, substantial evidence indicates that these technologies are also used to suppress dissent and control political opposition."

www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph-de...

Executive Summary Those of us broadly engaged in challenging corporate consolidation, economic injustice, tech oligarchy, and rising authoritarianism need to contend with the AI industry or we will lose the end game. A...

"By amassing such concentrated power, AI companies have assumed control over many aspects of our lives, subjecting us to coercive practices designed to maximize their own profit-making potential."

ainowinstitute.org/publications...