Ella Chakarian is a technology reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on the ways artificial intelligence is changing our lives and communities. She is currently supported by the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, 404 Media, Teen Vogue and other outlets. As a freelance journalist, she has covered a range of issues including the use of X’s AI image generator to create non-consensual intimate images of women, online support groups for people trying to curb compulsive chatbot use and AI “therapist” chatbots impersonating real mental health professionals. Before covering tech and AI, she was a reporting fellow with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, where she covered political unrest from Armenia. Born and raised in L.A., Chakarian studied English, journalism and creative writing at UC Berkeley and earned a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Get in touch with her on Signal: echakarian.77
