“Exposing thousands of babies to ‘a significant risk’ of hepatitis B ‘in a low-income country with limited health care resources’ would be ‘wildly unethical and a disgraceful use of American taxpayer money,’ Rasmussen said.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...

The myth of Nigerian football exceptionalism africasacountry.com/2025/12/the-...

This man was at the TIME 100 AI dinner I was recognized at last year, and I still don't know why he was there 🤦🏾‍♀️

Someone sent me an email requesting that I confirm my RSVP to an event via QR code instead of actually inserting the link. Does that make sense?

North Africa really has some of the best citrus in the world, I’ve had amazing oranges in Algeria and Morocco 😋

When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.

Interesting research surveying African professionals on their perceptions of trust in AI. "...respondents tended to agree their values were influenced by African culture/traditions and/or their religion more than by the technologies they use." arxiv.org/abs/2508.14116

"The management of elite power in authoritarian regimes greatly distorts economic incentives in ways that negatively impact citizens." www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

Been pitching numerous op-eds as part of my fellowship with the Op-Ed Project and the MacArthur Foundation, and it’s truly a science. I’ve had a few no-replies and one rejection so far, but I’m positive these pieces will land soon 🤞🏾

Thank you for sharing! 🙏🏾

Had a nice time in Morocco last week! 🇲🇦 I was at the Policy Center for the New South as part of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders program. I’ve been to two UM6P campuses across the country now and I’m very impressed. Would love to see other African countries emulate this model.

"Non-state actors in the form of big tech companies threaten data sovereignty in the Global South, promising Africans leaders entry into the global AI race in the guise of establishing critical digital infrastructure in their countries." www.sciencediplomacy.org/perspective/...

"...the resource-intensive AI platform bubble in which the US dominates cannot last. A market correction will shift attention to alternative models." www.ft.com/content/0308...

“[S]overeignty must be grounded in the ability to make consequential choices about how to incorporate AI into the workings of a nation state, knowing where control matters most, understanding and building the capacity needed to exercise that control..." datasociety.net/points/rethi...

Excited about my first feature in CNN! I shared my thoughts on the underrepresentation of African languages in AI models alongside some of my favorite colleagues in the African AI ecosystem, Nyalleng Moorosi and Vukosi Marivate. edition.cnn.com/world/africa...

"...claims about being close to achieving AI that parallels human intelligence are not based on rigorous scientific evidence, but rather the interests of tech leaders’ financial interests." www.globalcenter.ai/research/dev...

I’ve been to a couple of European countries that have dozens of non-functional automated border control machines in their airports, and I hypothesize that some company sold them AI-enabled junk. I waited 45 minutes in Lisbon this morning because there was only one officer for non-EU passports 😵‍💫

🤔Newsome literally had Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, and Michael Savage, on his podcast. That's not a stand against fascism. At least, not an effective one. He's chasing "independent" voters, not fighting fascism. Good luck to him in that endeavour. Let me know how that works out for him.

I stay up too late for my own good sometimes, but the number of helicopters I hear roaming the D.C. skies at night is very interesting.

Framing GenAI as a battle between teachers and students is a red herring. Students and educators are on the same side. The real opposition are the data extraction firms and brokerages and their allies among the managerial class.

Me working on multiple article revisions:

"Western leftists forego socialism in place of chauvinism, centering their goals not in protecting marginalized people but rather a Western (predominantly white) working class base as a means to secure an electoral victory." africasacountry.com/2025/12/what...

As Toni Cade urged us: “Don’t leave the arena to the fools.” So speak up, good people, speak up.

The first time I heard my air fryer do the ‘reminder beep’ like a microwave, I laughed because I didn’t know they do that 🤣

The easiest way to understand why Hillary and Kamala lost is to quote them.

The post-colonial settlement has left Africa vulnerable to conflict, external pressure, and intellectual dependency. What comes next? africasacountry.com/2025/12/beyo...

Someone asked for "my assistant's" email to invite me to an event, and it's nice that they think I would have one. I just finished my PhD a little over two years ago, I'm not there yet 😆

Of course, Amtrak provides no explanation as to why a train originating from NY Penn Station is 30 minutes late leaving that exact station 😵‍💫

"WAICO would be a way for countries to coordinate AI governance rules while 'fully respecting the differences in national policies and practices' and championing the global south, Chinese officials have said." www.nature.com/articles/d41...

"... algorithm audits to date have been disproportionately focused on the US and Western European liberal democracies." dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...

"Academic writing does a lot of equivocation, and it hides in the ambiguity. Messy thinking can hide in ambiguity — fear about how one will be perceived and what the implications will be for their work." — Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom grad.uic.edu/news-stories...

"Writing, at its best and truest, can offer solace and salvation for both readers and writers." — Dr. Roxane Gay www.writermag.com/blog/roxane-...

"Migrant workers coming to Taiwan are assigned a broker before they arrive. The brokers have incredible sway over the workers’ lives. They manage their paperwork, accommodation, meals, transport, insurance, and other aspects." restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...

Trump’s threats of military action against Nigeria are not about Christian genocide, but are about rare earths, China, and the scramble to control Africa’s mineral future. africasacountry.com/2025/11/trum...

Happy Friday of African descent to you and yours

"Successive Taiwanese governments have done everything from offering baby bonuses to hosting singles mixers as a matter of national security." restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...

" 'Safe and Trusted AI' is one of the chakras for the summit, but while the summit treats it as one distinct theme, AI safety should not be thought of as optional. Rather, it is essential to the achievement of the other chakras." www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...

It’s almost December, and I've just been bitten by a mosquito. I thought they’d be hibernating or dead by now…D.C. is different 😅

I'll speak at a webinar for the French Development Agency later this week on technology-facilitated gender-based violence and policy mechanisms needed to shape a safer digital future. Date: Thursday, November 27th Time: 2:00 - 3:15 PM CET/ 8:00 - 9:15 AM EST Register: www.afd.fr/en/events/te...

COP30 overpromised, underdelivered, empowered distractions, backtracked on issues and once again gave big oil and big ag a free pass. Unfortunately, the suspicions of climate scientists (here in Brazil and abroad) were confirmed again.

"The arts remind us that none of the current truisms are absolutes—that there are other ways of living, existing, and being. Arts can exist outside of a tech lord’s algorithm." www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-...

It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!

Rest in Power to Mother Viola Ford Fletcher. 111 years, the oldest survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. She never got the justice she deserved www.fox23.com/news/mother-...

341,000 Black women are still missing from the labor force since the pandemic began. This is the most educated female cohort in the country, and more than half are breadwinners for households with children. Erasing their economic participation undercuts today’s stability and tomorrow’s workforce.

Since February, according to my latest analysis, almost 600,000 Black women have been economically sidelined. The November 20, 2025, Jobs Report makes clear this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. That is not a recovery. It is a redistribution of opportunity.

Digital economy ministers across West and Central Africa gathered in Cotonou, Benin, releasing the Cotonou Declaration to advance Africa’s digital transformation agenda. www.worldbank.org/en/news/stat...

"A draft executive order has recently been circulated that addresses state laws regulating artificial intelligence. The order would implement a strategy to limit, challenge, and potentially preempt the authority of states to regulate AI." www.citizen.org/article/lega...

Still wondering how many other people in D.C. were woken up at 5 AM yesterday (*a Sunday morning*) due to the government's continued aviation antics over the past week 🙄

"The state-run Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has opened a satellite lab in Sunnyvale, California, recruiting researchers from top U.S. universities and major tech firms to build AI models that rival American and Chinese systems." restofworld.org/2025/what-th...

I finally watched Sinners on my flight from Zurich, and all I can say is I need a prequel and sequel ASAP.