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By Chris Torney

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have the potential to offer significant benefits and opportunities to businesses, from greater efficiency and productivity to transformational insights into customer behaviour and business performance. But it is vital that firms take into account a number of ethical considerations when incorporating this technology into their business operations. 

The adoption of AI is still in its infancy and, in many countries, there are few clear rules governing how companies should utilise the technology. However, experts say that firms of all sizes, from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to international corporations, need to ensure their implementation of AI-based solutions is as fair and transparent as possible. Failure to do so can harm relationships with customers and employees, and risks causing serious reputational damage as well as loss of trust.

What are the main ethical considerations around AI?

According to Pierluigi Casale, professor in AI at the Open Institute of Technology, the adoption of AI brings serious ethical considerations that have the potential to affect employees, customers and suppliers. “Fairness, transparency, privacy, accountability, and workforce impact are at the core of these challenges,” Casale explains. “Bias remains one of AI’s biggest risks: models trained on historical data can reinforce discrimination, and this can influence hiring, lending and decision-making.”

Part of the problem, he adds, is that many AI systems operate as ‘black boxes’, which makes their decision-making process hard to understand or interpret. “Without clear explanations, customers may struggle to trust AI-driven services; for example, employees may feel unfairly assessed when AI is used for performance reviews.”

Casale points out that data privacy is another major concern. “AI relies on vast datasets, increasing the risk of breaches or misuse,” he says. “All companies operating in Europe must comply with regulations such as GDPR and the AI Act, ensuring responsible data handling to protect customers and employees.”

A third significant ethical consideration is the potential impact of AI and automation on current workforces. Businesses may need to think about their responsibilities in terms of employees who are displaced by technology, for example by introducing training programmes that will help them make the transition into new roles.

Olivia Gambelin, an AI ethicist and the founder of advisory network Ethical Intelligence, says the AI-related ethical considerations are likely to be specific to each business and the way it plans to use the technology. “It really does depend on the context,” she explains. “You’re not going to find a magical checklist of five things to consider on Google: you actually have to do the work, to understand what you are building.”

This means business leaders need to work out how their organisation’s use of AI is going to impact the people – the customers and employees – that come into contact with it, Gambelin says. “Being an AI-enabled company means nothing if your employees are unhappy and fearful of their jobs, and being an AI-enabled service provider means nothing if it’s not actually connecting with your customers.”

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OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
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From personalization to productivity: AI at the heart of the educational experience.

Click this link to read and download the e-book.

At its core, teaching is a simple endeavour. The experienced and learned pass on their knowledge and wisdom to new generations. Nothing has changed in that regard. What has changed is how new technologies emerge to facilitate that passing on of knowledge. The printing press, computers, the internet – all have transformed how educators teach and how students learn.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next game-changer in the educational space.

Specifically, AI agents have emerged as tools that utilize all of AI’s core strengths, such as data gathering and analysis, pattern identification, and information condensing. Those strengths have been refined, first into simple chatbots capable of providing answers, and now into agents capable of adapting how they learn and adjusting to the environment in which they’re placed. This adaptability, in particular, makes AI agents vital in the educational realm.

The reasons why are simple. AI agents can collect, analyse, and condense massive amounts of educational material across multiple subject areas. More importantly, they can deliver that information to students while observing how the students engage with the material presented. Those observations open the door for tweaks. An AI agent learns alongside their student. Only, the agent’s learning focuses on how it can adapt its delivery to account for a student’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and existing knowledge.

Think of an AI agent like having a tutor – one who eschews set lesson plans in favour of an adaptive approach designed and tweaked constantly for each specific student.

In this eBook, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) will take you on a journey through the world of AI agents as they pertain to education. You will learn what these agents are, how they work, and what they’re capable of achieving in the educational sector. We also explore best practices and key approaches, focusing on how educators can use AI agents to the benefit of their students. Finally, we will discuss other AI tools that both complement and enhance an AI agent’s capabilities, ensuring you deliver the best possible educational experience to your students.

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OPIT Supporting a New Generation of Cybersecurity Leaders
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Aug 28, 2025 5 min read

The Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) began enrolling students in 2023 to help bridge the skills gap between traditional university education and the requirements of the modern workplace. OPIT’s MSc courses aim to help professionals make a greater impact on their workplace through technology.

OPIT’s courses have become popular with business leaders hoping to develop a strong technical foundation to understand technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, that are shaping their industry. But OPIT is also attracting professionals with strong technical expertise looking to engage more deeply with the strategic side of digital innovation. This is the story of one such student, Obiora Awogu.

Meet Obiora

Obiora Awogu is a cybersecurity expert from Nigeria with a wealth of credentials and experience from working in the industry for a decade. Working in a lead data security role, he was considering “what’s next” for his career. He was contemplating earning an MSc to add to his list of qualifications he did not yet have, but which could open important doors. He discussed the idea with his mentor, who recommended OPIT, where he himself was already enrolled in an MSc program.

Obiora started looking at the program as a box-checking exercise, but quickly realized that it had so much more to offer. As well as being a fully EU-accredited course that could provide new opportunities with companies around the world, he recognized that the course was designed for people like him, who were ready to go from building to leading.

OPIT’s MSc in Cybersecurity

OPIT’s MSc in Cybersecurity launched in 2024 as a fully online and flexible program ideal for busy professionals like Obiora who want to study without taking a career break.

The course integrates technical and leadership expertise, equipping students to not only implement cybersecurity solutions but also lead cybersecurity initiatives. The curriculum combines technical training with real-world applications, emphasizing hands-on experience and soft skills development alongside hard technical know-how.

The course is led by Tom Vazdar, the Area Chair for Cybersecurity at OPIT, as well as the Chief Security Officer at Erste Bank Croatia and an Advisory Board Member for EC3 European Cybercrime Center. He is representative of the type of faculty OPIT recruits, who are both great teachers and active industry professionals dealing with current challenges daily.

Experts such as Matthew Jelavic, the CEO at CIM Chartered Manager Canada and President of Strategy One Consulting; Mahynour Ahmed, Senior Cloud Security Engineer at Grant Thornton LLP; and Sylvester Kaczmarek, former Chief Scientific Officer at We Space Technologies, join him.

Course content includes:

  • Cybersecurity fundamentals and governance
  • Network security and intrusion detection
  • Legal aspects and compliance
  • Cryptography and secure communications
  • Data analytics and risk management
  • Generative AI cybersecurity
  • Business resilience and response strategies
  • Behavioral cybersecurity
  • Cloud and IoT security
  • Secure software development
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving
  • Leadership and communication in cybersecurity
  • AI-driven forensic analysis in cybersecurity

As with all OPIT’s MSc courses, it wraps up with a capstone project and dissertation, which sees students apply their skills in the real world, either with their existing company or through apprenticeship programs. This not only gives students hands-on experience, but also helps them demonstrate their added value when seeking new opportunities.

Obiora’s Experience

Speaking of his experience with OPIT, Obiora said that it went above and beyond what he expected. He was not surprised by the technical content, in which he was already well-versed, but rather the change in perspective that the course gave him. It helped him move from seeing himself as someone who implements cybersecurity solutions to someone who could shape strategy at the highest levels of an organization.

OPIT’s MSc has given Obiora the skills to speak to boards, connect risk with business priorities, and build organizations that don’t just defend against cyber risks but adapt to a changing digital world. He commented that studying at OPIT did not give him answers; instead, it gave him better questions and the tools to lead. Of course, it also ticks the MSc box, and while that might not be the main reason for studying at OPIT, it is certainly a clear benefit.

Obiora has now moved into a leading Chief Information Security Officer Role at MoMo, Payment Service Bank for MTN. There, he is building cyber-resilient financial systems, contributing to public-private partnerships, and mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity experts.

Leading Cybersecurity in Africa

As well as having a significant impact within his own organization, studying at OPIT has helped Obiora develop the skills and confidence needed to become a leader in the cybersecurity industry across Africa.

In March 2025, Obiora was featured on the cover of CIO Africa Magazine and was then a panelist on the “Future of Cybersecurity Careers in the Age of Generative AI” for Comercio Ltd. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry also invited him to speak on Cybersecurity in Africa.

Obiora recently presented the keynote speech at the Hackers Secret Conference 2025 on “Code in the Shadows: Harnessing the Human-AI Partnership in Cybersecurity.” In the talk, he explored how AI is revolutionizing incident response, enhancing its speed, precision, and proactivity, and improving on human-AI collaboration.

An OPIT Success Story

Talking about Obiora’s success, the OPIT Area Chair for Cybersecurity said:

“Obiora is a perfect example of what this program was designed for – experienced professionals ready to scale their impact beyond operations. It’s been inspiring to watch him transform technical excellence into strategic leadership. Africa’s cybersecurity landscape is stronger with people like him at the helm. Bravo, Obiora!”

Learn more about OPIT’s MSc in Cybersecurity and how it can support the next steps of your career.

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