On 10 December 2025, UNU-IAS co-organized a second webinar on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing university research and supporting scholars to generate knowledge for innovation and sustainable development. Titled “AI in Action: Advancing Research for the SDGs”, the event explored how AI-driven research methodologies can be implemented ethically and sustainably, and how AI can shape institutional research practices grounded in transparency, accountability and justice.
Opening the session, Jonghwi Park (Academic Programme Officer and Head of Innovation and Education, UNU-IAS) emphasized that AI is already shaping the response to climate change, and thus the key question is not whether to use AI but how to harness it responsibly for human and planetary well-being. A framing presentation by David Steingard (Associate Professor, Saint Joseph’s University) introduced the work of the implementation team on AI in Research and Development (AIRD) and its role in shaping global research pathways towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Francesco Fabiano (Computer Science Researcher, University of Oxford) examined the AIRD’s contributions to advancing the SDGs through UN-aligned approaches to AI policy, ethics, research and practice. Simon Linacre (Chief Commercial Officer, Cabells) outlined how innovative publishing programmes can leverage AI to accelerate SDG-related research while upholding high research integrity. Rebecca Torr (Publisher Development Manager, Emerald Publishing) and Yantao Yu (Assistant Professor, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) provided publishing and editing perspectives on disseminating AIxSDGs research and discussed how AI driven approaches, particularly in engineering fields, can improve research outputs while increasing equitable knowledge production. Overall, the guests highlighted how AI for Social Good (AI4SG) can guide ethical and inclusive research that advances human and planetary well-being. Key takeaways include the importance of cultivating trust in AI systems, understanding AI as a statistical tool to be used thoughtfully and remaining agile amid rapidly evolving publishing landscapes.
The webinar featured an interactive session to share ideas on practical AI applications and challenges. Jerome Silla (Research Associate, UNU-IAS) introduced ongoing activities of the Futures of Higher Education and AI Action Group, including the AI and Sustainability podcast series.
The webinar, the second in the AI Learning Lab series, was organized by the implementation team on AIRD of the Futures of Higher Education and AI Action Group under the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) and co-led by UNU-IAS and UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education (UNESCO IESALC).
