Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · 5d

New paper: Bridging Research Gaps b/w Academic Research & Legal Investigations of Algorithmic Discrimination, for AI, Ethics & Society 2025. @irenetrampoline.bsky.social, Anna Zink & I review civil enforcement actions & find 5 ways algorithmic research can better support enforcers; comments welcome!

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Aug 26

My new article, "Clean Slate, Dirty Data," audits automatic non-conviction record clearance laws in 5 states, finds good but imperfect compliance, suggesting 1) automation can succeed where petitions fail, 2) accountability in implementation is needed.(NC L. Rev 2025)
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

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Reposted by Colleen Chien

Alvaro M. Bedoya @bedoyausa.bsky.social · Aug 26

Dear journalists:

The President has not fired Lisa Cook. The President is *trying* to illegally fire her.

Your words shape people’s reality. Please be accurate in your reporting.

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Reposted by Colleen Chien

Morgan Fairchild @morgfair.bsky.social · Aug 26

We Are All Lisa Cook
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

We Are All Lisa Cook

Nobody is safe from weaponized government

open.substack.com

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 23

Despite backlash to DEI, our paper, w/ Jillian Grennan and Jason Sandvik, just presented @nber.org, suggests targeted mentorship boosts firm-wide innovation. Tracking 7 cohorts, 633 mentees & 20K+ employees, we find real ROI for well-designed mentoring.

📄 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 14

Registration for our 4/16 AI & Education event featuring
@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social Education Prof Zach Pardos
and CS Prof Gireeja Ranade now open: berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Series website: ai-and-society.github.io

Curated by @rajiinio.bsky.social and @irenetrampoline.bsky.social

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 9

Thanks for checking it out. We hope to add streaming soon, so stay tuned!

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 9

Just posted: working paper on the impact of drivers license suspension reform laws on employment w/ @bobapel.bsky.social. We find increases in statewide employment when people can drive & that the quality of reform matters. It’s an early draft, welcome your comments! paperprisons.org/news-blog.ht...

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 4

We've launched a biweekly AI & Society salon at Berkeley w/ @rajiinio.bsky.social & @irenetrampoline.bsky.social! This week, sociologist marionf.bsky.social joined EECS’ beenwrekt.bsky.social to discuss The Ordinal Society. Up next, on April 16th: AI & Education. Join us at ai-and-society.github.io

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 4

Part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_hG...
Part 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtsV...
Our tool and related papers: www.paperprisons.org/RJA

Part 1: Investigation reveals stark racial differences in past sentencing of robbery murder cases

YouTube video by KPBS Public Media

www.youtube.com

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Apr 4

Excited to see @kpbssandiego.bsky.social spotlight the Paper Prisons Racial Justice Act tool in their mini-series on racial disparities in the justice system. We’ve been humbled by the reception from people seeking to connect lived experience to data and welcome collaboration.

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Mar 14

📑 Slide decks
Federal AI Primer: drive.google.com/file/d/118M9...
Federal Panel slides: drive.google.com/file/d/11LIk...
🎥 Recordings & full slides from the conference: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Conference website: www.law.berkeley.edu/event/28th-a...

BCLT AI Conference Day 1 Chien Federal Overview .pdf

drive.google.com

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Mar 14

Focus: protect rights → advance industrial policy;
Agency AI inventories, personnel (Lynne Parker, M. Kratsios), AI Safety Institutes, US-dominated innovation;
Biden EO rescinded, OMB M-Memo revision, CTO/CAIO roles shifted to political appts;
AI Action Plan soon—Fed. Reg. comment period closes 3/15

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Mar 14

What’s happening in Federal AI law, policy & governance? We discussed @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social's recent conference, covering AI EOs across Trump I & II and Biden, the M-Memo, & agency shifts. Some highlights from my primer and the panel of computer & social scientists and lawyers I moderated:

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Reposted by Colleen Chien

Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Mar 1

18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people:
18f.org

We're not done yet | 18F

18f.org

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 23

Will be recorded, reach out to [email protected] to get on the list.

Event page www.law.berkeley.edu/event/techno...

Register sccgov-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Technological Developments & Tools in the Criminal Legal System. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

We are thrilled to welcome UC Berkeley Law educators Colleen Chien (Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology), Catherine Crump (Robert Glushko Clinical Professor of...

sccgov-org.zoom.us

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 23

Today at noon PST - Tech Devt’s & Tools in the Criminal Legal System webinar (qualifies for CA tech CLE) - I’ll be talking about Paper Prisons projects in AI, automation, & data re the California Racial Justice Act & Clean Slate w/ Andrea Roth, Chesa Boudin, Rebecca Wexler, and Jake Rhodes.

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Reposted by Colleen Chien

Issues in Science and Technology @issuesinst.bsky.social · Nov 27

ISSUES is thrilled to join the Bluesky community! ⁠

A brief introduction: We’re a digital and print opinion journal published by @nationalacademies.org and Arizona State University. We provide a forum for discussion of public policy related to science, technology, and society. ⁠1/ issues.org

20 recent ISSUES covers, designed by Fabio Cutro.

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Reposted by Colleen Chien

bclt.bsky.social @bclt.bsky.social · Nov 25

The 25th Annual Berkeley-Stanford Advanced Patent Law Institute is only 10 days away!

Seats are still available at the nation's premier patent law event. Register now!

@pamelasamuelson.bsky.social @jenniferurban.bsky.social

www.law.berkeley.edu/research/bcl...

25th Annual Berkeley-Stanford Advanced Patent Law Institute

Paul Brest Hall, Munger Building Stanford University

www.law.berkeley.edu

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Aug 1

Blog: paperprisons.org/blog.html?ke...
Berkeley coverage: law.berkeley.edu/sidebar/pape...
Video at the RJA Symposium: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOpS...

Journal

paperprisons.org

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Aug 1

Built by Santa Clara and Berkeley teams, including William Sundstrom, W. David Ball, Akhil Raj, Du Yabo, Bennett Cyphers, Chesa Boudin, Varun Gujarathi, and inspired by public defenders and Ash Kalra's Act. Your feedback is welcome!

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Aug 1

Our papers detail our data, tool, and the RJA's "significant difference" test:

1️⃣ Proving Actionable Disparity under the RJA:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
2️⃣ The Paper Prisons RJA Data Tool:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Proving Actionable Racial Disparity Under the California Racial Justice Act

Racial disparity is a fact of the US criminal justice system, but under the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in McCleskey v. Kemp, racial disparities--even sizable,

papers.ssrn.com

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Aug 1

By providing data for evaluating RJA claims, we aim to level the field for those seeking discovery/relief based on disparity evidence. Analyze your case against broader patterns; see our LA County burglary analysis (2013-2014).

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Aug 1

📣 New Racial Justice Act tool/paper alert! Our Paper Prisons tool offers CalDOJ data on racial disparities by county, charge, prosecution stage, and sentence in all 58 CA counties.

Tool: rja.paperprisons.org

Racial Justice Act Tool [beta]

rja.paperprisons.org

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Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jul 24

Excited to share UC Berkeley's new cluster hire in AI, Inequality, and Society including five T/TT positions at Berkeley Law, @berkeleyischool.bsky.social, UC Berkeley CDSS, and the departments of EECS and Sociology.

Please consider applying / spread the word!
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04498

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