2025.Sep.16

REPORTS

Report on the 3rd BAIRAL Research Meeting for Fiscal Year 2025
“Reconsidering the Origin of AI in ‘Ethics by Design’”

On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, from 5:00–6:30 pm (Japan Time) / 9:00–10:30 am (Nigeria Time), BAIRAL hosted a research lecture on the theme of “Reconsidering the Origin of AI in ‘Ethics by Design’.” The event, conducted online, featured Prof. H. Titilola OLOJEDE, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy at the National Open University of Nigeria, as guest speaker.

Prof. OLOJEDE began by situating the rapid rise of generative AI since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, noting how its influence now permeates virtually all spheres of life, from education and healthcare to industry and agriculture. She observed that most frameworks remain firmly anchored in Western perspectives, particularly in reference to the canonical “origin” of AI at the 1956 Dartmouth conference. Yet, she asked, are there alternative genealogies and intellectual traditions that might serve as precursors to AI, and how might these inform its ethical design today?

In response, Prof. OLOJEDE turned to African and Asian histories of thought and technology. She pointed out that both regions have long traditions of binary systems, automated devices, and mechanical innovations, which challenge the singular narrative of AI as a Western invention. She emphasized the importance of acknowledging these overlooked contributions in order to broaden the epistemic foundations of AI.

Central to her lecture was the articulation of six pillars of Ethics by Design, informed by human dignity which she connected to African ethical thought and Ubuntu philosophy, human-centredness, transparency and accountability, privacy and data governance, fairness, and natural law. These values, she argued, provide a rich basis for addressing enduring issues of bias, stereotyping, and exclusion in AI systems, particularly for historically marginalized groups and regions.

In conclusion, Prof. OLOJEDE proposed that a truly adequate framework for AI ethics must not only grapple with the technological and regulatory challenges of the present, but also re-examine AI’s historical and cultural roots. By integrating African and Asian perspectives into the global discourse, she argued, we may move closer to an “ethics by design” that reflects the diversity of human knowledge and experience.

For further reading, see articles written by Professor Olojede:

Olojede, Helen Titilola, and Ayo Fadahunsi. 2024. “On Decolonising Artificial Intelligence.” Àgídìgbo: ABUAD Journal of the Humanities 12 (1): 269–82. E-ISSN 3043-4475. Available: https://journals.abuad.edu.ng/index.php/agidigbo/article/view/924/523 

Olojede, Helen Titilola, and Felix Kayode Olakulehin. 2024. “Africa Dreams of Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Analysis of Its Limits in Open and Distance Learning.” Journal of Ethics in Higher Education. Available: https://shorturl.at/6ALCU

Olojede, Helen Titilola. 2025. “Reflecting on Diversity and Gender Equality in Artificial Intelligence in Africa.” The Thinker 101 (4): Quarter 4–2024. Available: https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/The_Thinker/article/view/3950