Introduction
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Dr. Obasesam Okoi is Associate Professor in the Department of Justice and Society Studies and Founding Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Society Innovation Lab (ASIL). His scholarship examines how social, environmental, and technological systems interact to create conditions for conflict and insecurity, how state and non-state actors respond to these complex and interconnected challenges, and how such responses can advance peace and justice. He is particularly interested in how natural resource extraction, climate change, artificial intelligence, and governance challenges reshape patterns of conflict and insecurity and the conditions of societal well-being.
His expertise and research interests span peace and conflict studies, artificial intelligence and society, global governance, natural resource governance, forced displacement, critical security studies, and peace engineering.
Dr. Okoi’s current research focuses on the security, environmental, and human rights implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and robotics. His work examines the development and governance of autonomous weapons systems, the implications of AI and robotics for security provision and the changing nature of warfare, and the environmental and resource consequences of AI infrastructure. He investigates how these technologies redistribute power and decision-making authority and generate new forms of social and environmental vulnerability, while also exploring their potential to strengthen conflict prevention, institutional innovation, and more equitable forms of governance.
His research has been supported by competitive fellowships, including the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship, Georg Arnhold Fellowship, and Provost Innovation Fellowship. He serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of African Security. He is the author of Punctuated Peace in Nigeria’s Oil Region: Oil Insurgency and the Challenges of Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, and co-editor of Governing Natural Resources for Sustainable Peace in Africa: Environmental Justice and Conflict Resolution.
As Founding Director of ASIL, Dr. Okoi leads interdisciplinary research and innovation connecting scholarship, policy, and practice. The Lab advances human-centered approaches to artificial intelligence and explores how emerging technologies can be governed and deployed in ways that protect human dignity, strengthen communities, promote sustainability, and contribute to more just, peaceful, and prosperous societies.