Debola Ibiyode, the founder and chief executive officer of CarbonAI, has called for a new approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance, warning that Nigeria cannot enjoy the full economic benefits of AI unless innovation is matched with strong regulation and what she described as “AI Diplomacy.”
Speaking at the AI Summit 2026 in Lagos, Ibiyode said the country must strike the right balance between encouraging innovation and putting safeguards in place to protect businesses, citizens and national interests.
The summit focused on the theme, “The AI Conversation – Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria: Balancing Regulation and Innovation.”
According to her, regulation should not be seen as an obstacle to technological progress but as a foundation for building trust in AI systems.
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“Innovation without regulation is a risk, and regulation without innovation is stagnation. We should apply AI for economic growth. However, without regulation, economic growth will not happen because there will not be profitability. If we do not apply AI responsibly, we cannot profit from it,” she said.
Ibiyode explained that as AI adoption grows across Nigeria, companies are becoming more concerned about the safety, transparency and accountability of AI systems before deploying them in their operations.
Drawing from her experience leading CarbonAI, an AI-powered sustainability platform for the carbon market, she said large corporate customers now demand clear answers about how AI models make decisions and what legal protections exist for users.
She said many organisations ask questions such as how they can trust AI models, what regulations protect customer information, and whether AI decisions can be traced and explained.
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According to her, this growing demand shows that trust has become one of the biggest barriers to wider AI adoption.
“There is a critical trust element right now, and only regulation can deliver that peace of mind,” she said, adding that companies increasingly want transparency in how AI models generate their responses.
Ibiyode noted that while AI technologies have existed for many years, the rapid rise of generative AI and advanced natural language processing has created new risks that require urgent attention.
She warned that without proper safeguards, technologies such as deepfakes and other forms of AI misuse could undermine public confidence and expose citizens to fraud and misinformation.
“As humans, we always seek the negative part of a good thing. We need regulations so citizens are protected from threats like deepfakes,” she said.
To address these challenges, Ibiyode proposed what she called “AI Diplomacy,” describing it as a framework that brings together innovation, regulation and national sovereignty.
She explained that innovation creates economic opportunities and drives technological advancement, while regulation provides security for users, businesses and sensitive data.
According to her, AI Diplomacy goes a step further by ensuring that countries and organisations retain control over how their data is collected, processed and used in AI systems.
She argued that discussions on AI governance should involve governments, businesses, technology companies and civil society to develop practical regulations that encourage innovation without compromising security.
“AI diplomacy must happen at both the national level and the corporate level. Innovation brings growth and regulation gives security, but AI diplomacy is what will actually give us sovereignty over our tools and our data,” she said.
Ibiyode said Nigeria has an opportunity to build an AI ecosystem that supports economic growth while protecting the interests of businesses, citizens and the country as AI adoption continues to expand across sectors.
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