In the interview, Okolo discusses her work in AI, particularly her involvement in developing the AU-AI Continental Strategy for Africa. She also talks about the challenges of working in the male-dominated tech and AI industries and offers advice to women interested in entering the field. Okolo highlights the need for improving the equitable representation of non-Western cultures in AI models and warns about the potential environmental impact of building larger models. She also emphasizes the importance of being critical of the intended and unintended use cases of AI tools and advocates for investors to push for responsible AI development.
Key takeaways:
- Chinasa T. Okolo is a fellow at the Brookings Instutition and has served as an AI policy and ethics advisor for various organizations, including the Africa Union Development Agency and the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute.
- She is proud of her work with the African Union on developing the AU-AI Continental Strategy for Africa, which aims to help AU member states prepare for the responsible adoption, development, and governance of AI.
- She believes that one of the most pressing issues facing AI is the lack of equitable representation of non-Western cultures in prominent language and multimodal models.
- She encourages those interested in AI to be critical of the so-called 'AI experts' and to seek reputable sources to learn from.