Accelerating AI Ethics

In this episode Dr Caroline Green from Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI speaks to Professor Alondra Nelson about the social foundations of AI governance and thick alignment, a broader approach to aligning artificial intelligence with human values. Professor Nelson reflects on her interdisciplinary career bridging science, social research, and policy, including her role in developing the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. She discusses how public engagement, trust, and clear communication are essential for ensuring that AI systems serve society rather than deepen existing inequalities.
Together, they explore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in AI ethics and governance, highlighting the risks of deploying powerful technologies without meaningful public dialogue. The conversation examines emerging challenges such as emotional relationships with AI chatbots, the role of governments and companies in shaping responsible innovation, and how inclusive policymaking can help align AI development with democratic values and the public good.

In this episode Dr Caroline Green from Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI speaks to Dr Joy Buolamwini and Angela Oduor Lungati, Executive Director of Ushahidi, about building ethical, community-centered AI from Africa and beyond. Angela discusses her work leading Ushahidi, an open-source platform used globally to crowdsource crisis and human rights data, and how community-generated knowledge can shape more inclusive and context-aware AI systems.Joy reflects on her journey from uncovering bias in facial recognition systems to founding the Algorithmic Justice League, sharing how her research - featured in the documentary Coded Bias - exposes the social harms embedded in AI.
Together, they explore women’s leadership in technology, the importance of grassroots voices in shaping AI governance, and the need for data justice, language representation, and accountability across the AI supply chain. The conversation highlights Kenya’s national AI strategy, Africa’s growing role as a builder - not just consumer - of AI, and the environmental and labour impacts of AI infrastructure. The episode closes with reflections on creativity, humanity, and the role of art in guiding responsible innovation.

In this episode of Accelerating AI Ethics from Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI, Dr Caroline Green speaks with Professor Ignacio Cofone, Professor of AI Law and Regulation, about his book The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy.
They discuss why today’s consent-based privacy laws are ill-suited to an AI-driven data economy, how data harms are often relational rather than individual, and why focusing on data use - rather than data collection - is key to preventing exploitation while enabling innovation. The conversation also explores power dynamics in the tech ecosystem, harm liability, and what meaningful reform of data protection law could look like in the age of AI.

In this episode of Accelerating AI Ethics, host Dr Caroline Green is joined in Nairobi by Dr Joy Buolamwini, Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, and Angela Oduor Lungati, Executive Director of Ushahidi. Together they explore ethical AI from global and African perspectives, reflecting on the Coded Bias world tour, community-led technology, women’s leadership in tech, data justice, and the role of creativity in shaping responsible AI futures.
Featured guests and references
Dr Joy Buolamwini
Founder, Algorithmic Justice League
Author of Unmasking AI
Featured in the documentary Coded Bias
Angela Oduor Lungati
Executive Director, Ushahidi
Co-founder, AkiraChix

Organisations and initiatives mentioned
Algorithmic Justice League
Ushahidi (and the Ushahidi Platform)
AkiraChix
Masakhane Foundation
Lelapa AI

Key works and policy references
Coded Bias (documentary, dir. Shalini Kantayya)
Gender Shades research
EU AI Act (Article 5)
Kenya National AI Strategy

Brendan McCord Podcast: https://blog.cosmos-institute.org/p/the-claude-boys