Alum Silas Adekunle was invited by the United Nations to give a statement at the historic launch of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance this autumn.
The advice he gave to the General Assembly of world leaders was born out of his experience, passion and expertise as a builder of technologies in both the UK, and Nigeria.
Silas called for a framework that empowers innovators everywhere, especially across Africa.
Silas’ speech to those responsible for ensuring AI development is inclusive, trustworthy and globally relevant:
Excellencies and distinguished colleagues, thank you for having me here today and for the leadership that has brought such a diverse community together.
Since age 12, I’ve lived between Nigeria and the UK and I’ve seen first-hand how technology gaps become chasms.
That experience drives everything I do – from building education and gaming tech that captured imaginations, to creating visual AI for science at Reach Industries, and developing AI for African languages at Awarri.
Today’s launch matters because it tackles that gap at scale.
I speak with a dual perspective – someone who has built in resource-limited settings and also seen how quickly ideas can scale when ecosystems trust and invest in innovators.
The UN is getting three things right in its AI governance approach – and these matter deeply to builders like me:
First, the independent scientific panel. I’ve pitched to enough VCs to know there is a gap between hype and reality. Governments need unbiased technical assessment to cut through claims and focus on what’s real.
Second, and this is huge, inclusion.
More than a hundred countries have been absent from AI governance conversations until now. These are countries dealing with challenges Silicon Valley hasn’t thought about.
When we built Nigeria’s first national language model in partnership with the Government, we faced challenges like tonal speech, unseen in AI built for high-resource languages.
Third, the funding mechanism. AI investment follows old wealth patterns. This initiative could break that cycle.
I’m proof that small, agile teams can build cutting-edge AI systems that serve entire nations and transform whole industries. But we shouldn’t have to fight for every dollar whilst also solving global challenges. We need support.
The UN and its Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies now have the huge responsibility to keep the UN fit for purpose and to turn this into follow-through. It needs resourcing, technical expertise, with people who understand both code and policy. And staying close to those building on the ground.
To countries joining these talks: don’t be polite, be demanding. Your farmers need different AI than Wall Street; your students face challenges other parts of the world can’t imagine. Make that known.
AI is moving fast. We need outcomes, not just dialogue: real capacity building, interoperable systems, and trust – genuine trust that this technology won’t leave half the world behind.
If governance is shaped only by those who already hold power, it isn’t governance – it’s entrenchment. Let’s build something that truly works – not just for the few, but for everyone.
If the next majority are left out, the world misses out on what its young brilliant minds, including Africa’s, have to offer!
Thank you.
Silas Adekunle
BSc(Hons) Robotics, 2014
Honorary Doctor of Technology, 2018
See a video of Silas delivering this speech at the UN on LinkedIn.