Professor Kponyo calls for ethical AI development at UN STI Forum 2025

The Principal Investigator and Scientific Director of the Responsible AI Lab (RAIL), Professor Jerry John Kponyo has called for inclusive and accountable artificial intelligence at the 10th Annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum 2025). His intervention highlighted critical gaps in current AI development practices that risk excluding vulnerable populations. 

Addressing global leaders under the forum's theme "Advancing sustainable, inclusive, and evidence-based science and technology solutions for the SDGs," Prof. Kponyo challenged the tech industry's opaque development models. "AI systems cannot remain black boxes if we expect public trust, particularly in developing economies," he asserted, advocating for transparent design processes that engage end-users from inception. 

The RAIL director spotlighted three urgent priorities: mandatory inclusion of persons with disabilities in AI design teams, co-creation frameworks with marginalized communities like smallholder farmers, and pan-African collaboration through initiatives like Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D). His remarks drew particular attention to how top-down AI solutions frequently fail to address on-the-ground realities in Global South contexts. 

The presentation has sparked commitments from several UN member states to establish national AI ethics review boards, with Ghana's RAIL positioned as a potential model for responsible innovation in emerging markets. 

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye