The Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC), University of Wah, to advance research and foster meaningful dialogue on emerging technologies with far-reaching societal impact, organized an exclusive seminar on “Building Trustworthy and Efficient AI: A Societal Imperative for Fairness and Progress” on 18 August 2025. Prof. Dr. Atif Azad, an eminent scholar in Artificial Intelligence and Genetic Programming from Birmingham City University, UK, who is ranked among the world’s top 100 authors in Genetic Programming and also a recipient of the prestigious ACM SIGEVO Humies Award, was the resource person.
Prof. Dr. Atif Azad shared insightful perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in contemporary society. Through real-world case studies, he explained how unchecked biases in AI systems could pose risks in critical areas such as healthcare, criminal justice, and everyday decision-making. He also emphasized strategies to design fair, reliable, and contextually relevant AI systems, particularly for diverse societies like Pakistan. By emphasizing the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration and inclusivity, Prof. Dr. Azad underscores that AI must catalyze equity, fairness, and societal progress.
Faculty, researchers, and students across disciplines, both on-site and online, attended this enlightening session. The seminar concluded with an interactive Q&A session, sparking thoughtful discussions on the ethical, social, and technical aspects of AI.
