The ethical and responsible deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scientific research took centre stage at the maiden Conference, Workshop and Exhibition of the Lagos State Chapter of the Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN).
The two-day event, hosted by the University of Lagos (UNILAG), commenced on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at the African Centre of Excellence for Drug Research, Herbal Medicine Development and Regulatory Science (ACEDHARS), with the theme: “Responsible AI in Chemical Sciences for Advancing Security, Ethics and Sustainable Environment.” The conference brought together academics, researchers and industry practitioners to explore opportunities, challenges and ethical considerations of AI in the Chemical Sciences.
Delivering the keynote presentation, Professor Omotayo Arotiba of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, highlighted AI’s transformative impact across fields of human endeavour, including Chemical Sciences. He stressed that AI must be deployed ethically and responsibly in chemical research.
Professor Arotiba, Director of the Centre for Nanomaterials Science Research, acknowledged AI’s potential to accelerate scientific discovery. However, he cautioned against risks in chemical sciences, including dual-use research concerns, unsafe experimental recommendations, hallucinated scientific information, biases in chemical datasets, loss of scientific understanding from over-dependence on AI outputs, reproducibility challenges, data privacy and intellectual property issues, erosion of research integrity, environmental costs, cybersecurity threats, and gradual loss of expertise.
Advocating responsible use, Professor Arotiba said: “the greatest risk is not that AI will replace chemists; the greatest risk is that chemists may trust AI without sufficient validation, oversight and responsibility.” He urged stakeholders to ensure that AI-driven discoveries do not create unintended risks while maximizing benefits to society.
Professor Arotiba also called on the Chemical Society of Nigeria to lead AI awareness advocacy from primary school level. He urged universities to develop accessible short courses and certification programmes in AI for academic staff, and to promote inter-faculty and multidisciplinary research collaborations to strengthen AI-related competencies.
The guest speaker, Dr. Desmond Moru of the Department of Computer Science, Pan-Atlantic University, presented a paper on “Harnessing Machine Learning for Sustainable Chemical Synthesis: Balancing Innovation, Safety and Ethics.” He explored emerging machine learning trends and ethical considerations in integrating advanced computational tools into chemical research.
Goodwill messages from partner institutions, professional bodies and industry stakeholders congratulated CSN Lagos Chapter on the successful inaugural conference and expressed confidence that it would reposition the Society for greater impact in the scientific community.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Amaka Dueze-Eze, delivered welcome remarks, while the Chairperson of the Lagos State Chapter of CSN, Mrs. Oluseun Popoola, gave the opening remarks. They adjudged the event a demonstration of CSN’s commitment to promoting ethical and responsible AI for sustainable scientific advancement.
Report: Gbenga Gbelee
Photograph: Michael Joshua
