2025 in Review
16th December 2025, by Ismael Kherroubi Garcia
Jamillah Knowles & Digit / Better Images of AI / CC-BY 4.0
Kairoi has continued to shape AI ethics and research practices across the world in 2025, whilst exploring the North American market more closely, and reflecting on how we present ourselves to the world.
What we’ve been up to
On the AI ethics front, we continue to inform national and international bodies interested in regulating and influencing AI practices. This year, we made our input public on three occasions:
- Early in the year, we informed the terms of reference of the UN’s Scientific Panel on AI and Global Dialogue on AI Governance.¹ Among our recommendations was a call for the Panel and Dialogue to be in close conversation rather than operating in silos. We also recommended that the Panel promote open science practices, and that the Dialogue serve as a lever for civil society to hold AI industry leaders to account. Since our recommendation, the terms of reference have been published, and include a nod to the need for developing “open-source software, open data, and open AI models.”²
- Over in the UK, we made comments on the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) consultation on copyright and AI.³ Before the risks posed by generative AI tools for artists –whose creations are used for such tools without consent, compensation nor control–, we argue for the defence of artists’ rights. We recommend striking a balance between innovation and intellectual property rights by developing a more robust market for collective licensing agreements.
- For Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada, we urged the nation tap into its diverse heritage to become a world leader in responsible AI.⁴ Balancing both Canada’s status as a powerful Western nation and the potential for authentic engagement with its Indigenous populations would allow for Canada to stand out on the global stage. Crucially, the nation’s AI Strategy must also make provisions for international cooperation. This means leading by example, as responsible AI requires multidisciplinary collaboration.
Research governance expertise continues to be a key offering of Kairoi’s. Several key projects demonstrate our strength in the area:
- In January, PLOS Computational Biology published a paper we led with colleagues from across the world. Ten Simple Rules for Good Model-sharing Practices⁵ sets out good open science practices for computational modelling. The rules result from a series of workshops we facilitated in 2024. Among other things, the peer-reviewed paper suggests adapting model documentation for the interpretation of diverse stakeholders, including policy-makers and those who are ultimately impacted by model-informed decisions.
- In May, we published Making Research Reach Further, a brief on how organisations of all kinds can adopt the latest and best open science practices.⁶ The guidance has since been adopted by We and AI, a leading critical AI literacy non-profit based in the UK, and the Montreal AI Ethics Institute (MAIEI), an international non-profit democratising AI ethics literacy. For We and AI, the guidance and further work with us has resulted in a permanent identifier for the organisation’s research efforts, an authorship policy, and a generative AI use policy. For MAIEI, the guidance has informed a close partnership and a streamlined process for the collation and edition of essays for the latest instalment of the State of AI Ethics Report.⁷
- Throughout the year, we have also continued working with GO FAIR US, supporting their drafting of client- and public-facing science communications, including preprints and submissions to scientific journals.
- Navigating The Complexities of AI: Ethics, Data Quality & Critical Thinking.⁸ This podcast episode highlights the challenges of data quality in AI, the risks of deploying AI without proper consideration, and the societal pressures surrounding AI adoption. The conversation emphasises the role of organisations in shaping the responsible AI revolution, and the need for critical thinking in the face of AI hype.
- Regulating AI and computational models in clinical trials. In September, we joined a wide range of organisations –such as Gates Foundation, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and a range of universities and biotech and pharmaceutical companies– at the Academy of Medical Sciences in London. We advocated for one of the four pillars of responsible AI: meaningful public engagement, which is often termed “patient and public involvement and engagement” (PPIE) in medical contexts. A report following the roundtable was published in December.
- Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation (GESDA) Summit. Kairoi was cordially invited to GESDA, held at CERN in October. Our own focus on driving cultural change for the creation of more responsible innovation ecosystems was well represented in discussions from the leading scientists and diplomats speaking during the Summit. We were also invited to make the case that the history of open science offers a stable footing for better evidence-based decisions in the future of science and diplomacy.¹⁰
- The Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (RAIN). Also founded by the Founder of Kairoi, RAIN is a global network that has been led by Fellows of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the arts, manufactures and commerce (RSA) for almost three years. Kairoi’s spirit is present in events hosted by RAIN, and learnings from RAIN always find their way to the conversations we have with our clients.
- Tailored Research tackling organisations’ questions about AI governance and literacy
- One-to-one Coaching to strengthen individuals’ fluency in responsible technology
- Organisational AI Governance advice that enables thoughtful approaches to AI design, development, deployment and adoption
- Government Policy advocacy that shapes local, national and international guidance on AI, platforming more voices
- Workshops that inspire reflection and drive responsible innovation cultures.
Contact us
hello@kairoi.uk
References
¹ Kairoi (2025) RE: Input for the terms of reference and modalities for the establishment and functioning of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Github, online [Accessed 08 December 2025]
² UN (2025) Terms of Reference and Modalities for the Establishment and Functioning of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance (rev5), online [Accessed 08 December 2025]
³ Kairoi (2025) Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Github, online [Accessed 08 December 2025]
⁴ Kairoi (2025) RE: Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Github, online [Accessed 08 December 2025]
⁵ Kherroubi Garcia, I, Erdmann, C, Gesing, S et al. (2025) Ten simple rules for good model-sharing practices, PLOS Computational Biology, 21(1): e1012702, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012702
⁶ Kherroubi Garcia, I. (2025) Making Research Reach Further, Zenodo, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15497235
⁷ Butalid, R., Wright, C. & Kherroubi Garcia, I. (2025) The State of AI Ethics Report (Volume 7) – AI at the Crossroads: A Practitioner’s Guide To Community-Centered Solutions, Montreal AI Ethics Institute, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17328882
⁸ Nahai, N. (2025) Navigating The Complexities of AI: Ethics, data quality & critical thinking / Ismael Kherroubi Garcia, In Conversation with Natalie Nahai, online [Accessed 12 December 2025]
⁹ FORUM (2025) Regulating AI and computational models in clinical trials, Academy of Medical Sciences, online [Accessed 12 December 2025]
¹⁰ Geneva Public Portal to Anticipation (2025) Open science is reshaping everything from quantum to genomics to AI, Instagram, online [Accessed 12 December 2025]
¹¹ Kherroubi Garcia, I. (2023) From the Director’s Desk: Branding Kairoi, Kairoi, online [Accessed 12 December 2025]