Colleen V. Chien | Lightnews

Colleen Chien

@colleenchien.bsky.social

760 followers 130 following 43 posts

Law Prof and Co-Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology. linktr.ee/colleenchien

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Colleen V. Chien is an Asian-American legal scholar who is a law professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, where she teaches, mentors students, and conducts cross-disciplinary research on innovation, intellectual property, and the criminal justice system, with a focus on how technology, data, and innovation can be harnessed to achieve their potential for social benefit. Her recent works focus on the use of artificial intelligence in legal practice. .. more

Business 45%

Economics 31%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · 7d

Looking forward to discussing research on automated expungement notification and impacts for the Advancing Clean Slate Research webinar on Feb 11, 1–2pm EST. w/ JJ Prescott, Laura Chavez, and Nyron Crawford.

Register: buff.ly/1JsPjFD

About our Juneteenth agenda and pilots:
buff.ly/OhARIyH

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · 13d

Delighted to be presenting science-based insights on mentoring lawyers and inventors: “Best Practices in Mentoring: Creating Programs that Can Change Lives,” w/Margo Bagley, Jason Sandvik, & American Inns of Court to celebrate #MentoringMonth!

1/31 at 10:00 PST/1:00 EST: lnkd.in/gm8mRUAe

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · 29d

Millions have had their records cleared under Clean Slate laws—but without knowing, they still live w/the consequences. Paper Prisons is proud to announce a partnership with the Santa Clara PD to implement RCTs to notify and evaluate this crucial link b/w legal reform + lived freedom buff.ly/RbuybAk

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 8

From #ASSA2026, our second Diversity Pilots paper: Small-Scale Mentoring, Large-Scale Innovation.
Evidence from seven cohorts shows formal mentoring increases inventive productivity—largest for underrepresented innovators—plus retention and satisfaction.
Full paper:

Small-Scale Mentoring, Large-Scale Innovation: Evidence from a Superstar Firm

Exploiting the staggered roll-out of a mentorship program in a superstar technology firm, we examine inventive efficiency and inclusion. Novel idea-level

papers.ssrn.com

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 8

New paper workshopped by co-authors Jillian Grennan and Joan Farre-Mensa at #ASSA2026. Prelim findings show that patent grants don’t just matter for firms—they shape inventors’ careers. See LinkedIn for further details: buff.ly/KPhCzus
@aeainformation.bsky.social @assameeting.bsky.social #EconSky

Patent Grants Shape Inventor Trajectories | Colleen Chien posted on the topic | LinkedIn

Excited to share preliminary findings from new patent paper, on the impact of patenting. Important work from the past decade found that first patents positively reshapes the trajectories of startup…

buff.ly

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 5

2/2 Heard about cool PhD projects, on privacy law diffusion (Raquel De Haro) and personhood interests in AI-assisted creations (@mtwindisch)- check them out! Thanks Stefan Bechtold for organizing, and sharing Einstein's locker at ETH, the exhibit emphasizes books, music, & the pipe! Papers in bio.

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 5

1/2 Fun visit to @ETH_en @eth_cle in Dec. presenting on two projects: "Surveillance Pricing: Inclusion or Exploitation?" (w/ @xu_yixiang, Cal. L. Rev., forthcoming) and "Inclusive Innovation & Knowledge Production" (papers w/@GrennanJill, Jason Sandvik & @jfm82)

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 3

Excited about a new project w/ Prof. @chrishwiggins.bsky.social of @datascicolumbia.bsky.social on "tech bono" - the commitments we have in law to service learning/ professional volunteerism called “pro bono" mapped to tech+data science. More: buff.ly/hGPZy5I

#techbono @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social

Tech Bono

In law, pro bono service is institutionalized: embedded in legal education, supported by firms, coordinated by dedicated staff, and engrained in the culture. In tech and data science, skills-based “tech for good”—what I call tech bono—remains largely ad hoc, driven by individual initiative rather than durable institutional pathways. Explore how we're working to change that culture in this article.

buff.ly

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Nov 22

(3/3) thanks to AI and Society co-chairs @rajiinio.bsky.social and @irenetrampoline.bsky.social

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Nov 22

(2/3) lift, per EECS Prof. @adityagp.bsky.social Since launch it’s already shaped policy: AB 1388 ended “secret separation deals,” and Newsom barred deception when police interview families. database: clean.calmatters.org | EPIC: epic.berkeley.edu | AI and Society: ai-and-society.github.io

Police Records - CalMatters

Search California public records about law enforcement violence and misconduct.

clean.calmatters.org

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Nov 22

Closed out the inaugural year of the Berkeley AI & Society social with a look at a new statewide police use-of-force + misconduct database built by Berkeley EECS, journalism, law, data science, and others, including at Stanford. ML+ other techniques+sweat pulled of the enormous data cleaning (1/3)

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Oct 31

Wonderful to visit Jessica Jackson in NY. As a Santa Clara student, she inspired Paper Prisons when she drew attention to prisons overstay as a data problem. She’s since led REFORM; which has in 6 yrs passed 21 laws in 12 states to reform our broken probation/parole system:
youtu.be/Gk8aREuaGAg?...

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Oct 31

So impressed with the spooky smart and creative costumes of students in my AI Law and Governance class! Adding our family's AI-themed costume from a few years ago too. Happy Halloween! 🎃

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Oct 2

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!

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....

Reposted by Colleen V. 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

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.

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....

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!

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...

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

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.

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

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

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:

Reposted by Mark D. Hayward, Samuel Morin, Luca Ricci , and 4 more Mark D. Hayward, Samuel Morin, Luca Ricci, Ines Mergel, Amy X. Zhang, Colleen V. Chien, Tracey L. Meares

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

Colleen Chien @colleenchien.bsky.social · Jan 23

Will be recorded, reach out to aliviamd@berkeley.edu 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

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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