Dal computer science professor appointed to UN panel on AI
From Dalhousie University and the Springboard Content Lab
Springboard congratulates Dalhousie Computer Science Professor Dr. Rita Orji who has has been appointed to the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence for the United Nations (UN).
She is one of two Canadians appointed to the panel in February and will serve a three-year term focusing on human-centred, equitable, and responsible AI.
“Rita is a powerhouse. We are continually impressed with her accomplishments and the incredible way she represents our faculty and institution. I know she and the panel will achieve amazing things.”
– Faculty of Computer Science Associate Dean Research, Dr. Nur Zincir-Heywood
Advocating for equitable AI in underserved Global South
Dr. Orji has advocated for inclusive and equitable AI development, particularly for underserved communities and the Global South.
Her appointment to the UN panel reflects years of work at the intersection of AI and human behaviour and follows a slew of recognition, including recently being named a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and receiving NSERC’s most prestigious prize for early-career researchers, the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship.
Establishing a global AI advisory panel
The Scientific Panel on AI was established by the UN General Assembly in August 2025. It is a global scientific body dedicated entirely to artificial intelligence and its scientific development, implementation, ethical use, and transformative power.
The panel was chosen in February 2026 from more than 2,600 candidates and is a multidisciplinary group that is both geographically diverse and gender balanced.
The panel’s mission is to provide independent and impartial assessments of AI’s opportunities, risks, and impacts to the new Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The group will advance understanding and ensure that international deliberations regarding AI are informed by independent science.
Dr. Orji’s work on persuasive technology
Dr. Orji’s research on AI-driven persuasive systems, culturally adaptive technologies, and digital health interventions aligns closely with the panel’s mandate to assess AI’s opportunities, risks, and impacts across diverse global contexts.
As the holder of the Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology and director of the Persuasive Computing Lab at Dalhousie, her expertise in understanding how AI systems influence human behaviour is deep. She will bring perspective to the UN about how to design and implement AI responsibly and equitably.
Supporting decisions based on ‘evidence and solidarity’
The Global Digital Compact was adopted in 2024 as part of the UN’s Summit of the Future, and outlined a shared vision for an “open, safe, and inclusive digital future.” Part of that vision included establishing an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI to advance scientific understanding and ensure that international deliberations are informed by the best available evidence and solidarity.
Dalhousie University is a member of the Springboard Network of 19 post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada. Our mission is to grow the economy through industry collaborations and research commercialization.