Journalist · Boston

James O'Donnell

Senior reporter at MIT Technology Review

I cover artificial intelligence, including the companies creating it and a recent focus on the ways AI meets policing, war, and surveillance.

My work has appeared in MIT Technology Review, The Washington Post, FRONTLINE PBS, ProPublica, The New Republic, Documented, WNYC, and other outlets. My story about AI's energy footprint is a finalist for the 2026 National Magazine Award. The documentary I co-reported with FRONTLINE and The Washington Post was nominated in 2024 for an Emmy. My work has led to state-level reforms.

I'm a graduate of CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

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Before journalism, I worked in the sustainable agriculture movement, often writing about the social and environmental harms of agribusiness. I attended Tufts University as a first-generation college student and studied economics, and later got my master's from CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in 2022, where I focused on business and economics reporting.

Outside of journalism I play in bands that perform for exceedingly small audiences. In 2024, I became a certified EMT.

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