Abstract: The intensifying development of machine learning (ML) models and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly generative AI, has dramatically shifted practices around data, spurring the development of new industries and unveiling unprecedented forms of exploitation. These new complexities around the production, refinement, and use of data indicate severe implications for African countries, including the widescale spread of generative AI-driven disinformation, increased manipulation exacerbated by digital platforms, and the continuation of colonial-era marginalization through datafication practices. These concerns elevate a need for comprehensive and harmonized data regulation efforts across the African continent, given existing challenges with fragmented policy implementation and limited capacity for regulatory enforcement. This talk examines the burgeoning AI and data governance landscape in Africa, analyzing the impact of AI on democratic processes, outlining best measures for data governance policy reform, and delineating priorities to democratize African participation in global AI governance.Bio: 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 AI Safety Report, 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.This event is co-sponsored by the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems.

Speaker: Rebecca Heald, University of California, BerkeleyHost: Adam MartinTitle: "Mechanisms and consequences of size scaling in frogs"The Biology Colloquium is a weekly seminar held throughout the academic year — featuring distinguished speakers in many areas of the biological sciences from universities and institutions worldwide. More information on speakers, their affiliations, and titles of their talks will be added as available. Unless otherwise stated, the Colloquium will be held live in Stata 32-123 (Kirsch auditorium) Contact Margaret Cabral with questions.

Maximize your impact for a better world:The importance of developing your technical leadershipand communication skills while at MITFireside chat with L. Rafael Reif, MIT President EmeritusHosted by Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer, Dean of the School of EngineeringIn addition to an exceptional technical education, what capabilities do you need to tackle the world’s biggest challenges? How can technical leadership skills propel your career and ability to make a difference in the world?Join us for a fireside chat with Rafael Reif hosted by Anantha Chandrakasan as they explore how technical leadership and communication skills can transform your aspirations into world-changing reality. They will share their experiences as pioneers in their fields and how they developed to be outstanding leaders.Whether your focus is industry, entrepreneurship, or academia, you will learn how investing in technical leadership capabilities now will greatly increase your effectiveness and success in the future.

John Waugh Lecture

Speaker/ Moderator: Manish Bharadwaj, Ph.D.Manish directs Keller Center's Design for Innovation program for faculty in the humanities and social sciences. He was previously the James Wei Visiting Professor at Keller, where he taught idealism in entrepreneurship. Manish is the CEO and co-founder of Innovators In Health, which is devoted to delivering world-class healthcare to the rural poor in India. Manish is also a Fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. Manish believes that a venture to make the world more just is fundamentally a moral, not technical, undertaking. It requires cultivating a moral imagination, an ability to imagine why people do right or wrong, the root of empathy, itself the root of all enduring change. He believes that accompaniment, to stand with the marginalized, literally and figuratively, is a moral imperative, and in and of itself a powerful means of change.

Conor Walsh Univ. of Columbia