At EY Alumni Week, Experts Seek Responsible AI Adoption

Business leaders and technology experts gathered virtually at EY Nigeria Alumni Association’s EY Global Alumni Week to discuss the responsible adoption of agentic artificial intelligence (AI). The discussion, themed “Leading with Confidence in the Age of Agentic AI,” examined how increasingly autonomous AI systems could impact business operations, decision-making, customer service, and the workforce.

Panelists Wilfred Mamah, Tomiwa Adefokun, and Ashish Bakhshi emphasized the need for clear governance, defined limits, and sustained human oversight as AI systems move from assisting employees to executing tasks and making decisions. Mamah highlighted sectors like banking, insurance, and public services where agentic AI could be used for credit and service orchestration, claims triage, settlement support, and citizen-service fulfilment.

He explained that AI agents could gather evidence, coordinate approvals, identify exceptions, and communicate next steps, potentially reshaping how work is organized. Adefokun stressed that the level of autonomy granted to AI agents should be determined by the risk and potential impact associated with their actions, suggesting organisations should consider factors such as risk, reversibility, confidence, and business impact when deciding AI system functionality.

He stressed that responsible AI deployment involves clear boundaries, accountability, and human oversight. Bakhshi urged business leaders to move beyond potential discussions and translate them into practical organizational changes, measuring adoption by responsible redesign of work and maintaining stakeholder confidence. The panel warned of potential risks, including excessive system permissions, manipulated instructions, unauthorised actions, and compromised data, stressing the need for robust governance and accountability as organisations move towards greater AI autonomy.