Juliana Castro Varón


Hi! I’m Juli (pronounced who-li, but I’m not picky). I’m the Senior Design Editor of A.I. Initiatives at the New York Times. We use machine learning to uncover data patterns, and make journalism more accessible. I also draw, and my cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker

I’m interested in connecting people with art and stories. I’ve done this through book publishing, writing, infographics, drawing, and technology. I founded Cita Press, a publisher of open-access books, in 2017. Alongside a small but mighty team and Educopia, we raised ≈$1M to create digital readers, eBooks, and ensure Cita remains free for everyone. I’m very proud this work; check it out

I’m an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. When I was a fellow there in 2022, I studied the history of image manipulation, from darkroom to GenAI. Previously, I wrote a book about art and artists (Papel sensible, published in Spanish by Planeta), was invited to a bunch of podcasts, gave some talks, and worked for art museums. 

Talk to me about jokes, memes, the literary line between poor memory and fiction, taking baths, crying at the movies, sunset or Times New Roman. Online: Insta, Ex Twit, Threads, Arena, Email. Offline: I’m around!
HARVARD’S A.I. PEDAGOGY PROJECT (2023)

aipedagogy.org
The AI Pedagogy Project is a collection of assignments and materials inspired by the humanities, for educators curious about how AI affects their students and their syllabi. How do we make informed, intentional decisions about the role of AI in the classroom? How can students develop critical relationships with these tools? How can imaginative applications of AI technologies enhance learning? AIPP helps educators engage their students in conversations about the capabilities and limitations of AI informed by hands-on experimentation.