Time Magazine has listed renowned Nigerian-American computer scientist Chinasa Okolo among the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence.

The magazine revealed this in a video showing the recipients on its website on Thursday.

TIME magazine explained that Mrs Okolo, a Brookings Institution fellow, has contributed passages to the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI led by Yoshua Bengio, the African Union’s strategy for responsible AI adoption, and Nigeria’s national AI strategy.

It explained that through these, along with her research, Ms Okolo is raising awareness about the benefits using AI could bring to African countries.

According to TIME, the benefits include the detection of floods and crop diseases and their potential harms, such as digitally-enabled harassment on microlending platforms.

Speaking to TIMES, Ms Okolo expressed optimism that “AI could help fuel socioeconomic development that has been much needed in Africa for the last half-century.” 

Ms Okolo was “also concerned that this competition could limit the autonomy of African countries and perpetuate neo-colonial practices that have negatively impacted their economies.”