SIGCAS Computers and Society Welcomes New Editor-in-Chief, Chinasa T. Okolo
In August 2024, Chinasa T. Okolo started in the capacity of the new Editor-in-Chief of ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society. We are grateful to former Editor-in-Chief and Executive Board Member Richard Blumenthal for his service to ACM SIGCAS over the past years. Below, you can find Chinasa’s welcome letter to the SIGCAS community, which is also available in the latest edition of the Computers and Society newsletter.
I’m proud to serve the ACM and SIGCAS community as the new Editor-in-Chief for Computers and Society. During my PhD, my work critically examined the role of human-centered AI and explainability in meeting the needs of community healthcare workers in rural India, who were predominantly novice AI users. Now, as a trained computer scientist working in public policy, my work focuses on examining how African governments can enable effective AI and data governance and analyzing datafication and algorithmic marginalization in Africa.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with SIGCAS, from attending and publishing in conferences such as the ACM Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies (COMPASS) and reading issues of Computers and Society. I find the mission of ACM SIGCAS in bringing together computer professionals, specialists, and the general public to address concerns and raise awareness about the ethical and societal impact of computers inspiring. All of these stakeholders are crucial in advancing fundamental research on topics relevant to our communities, such as algorithmic bias, fairness, and responsible AI.
I look forward to working with the Computers and Society team and the rest of the SIGCAS Executive Committee to continue expanding our impact. As policymakers, civil society actors, and academics contemplate the ever-changing policy landscape, it will become increasingly essential to understand how human-centered computing and computing ethics will play a role. This fall, I’ll commission my first special issue of Computers and Society, which will focus on the influences of human-centered computing on policy innovation. Please stay tuned for our call for submissions!
Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society