Dr Emmanuel Ahene of the Department of Computer Science, KNUST, has been awarded a three-year research grant to lead pioneering work on secure and privacy-preserving Artificial Intelligence (AI) by the office of Naval Research, Science and Technology, USA.

The project will address one of the most pressing challenges in today’s digital age: how to ensure that AI systems remain safe, reliable, and resilient against cyber-attacks.

The research team will develop a new framework for AI agents that can defend against adversarial attacks, protect sensitive data, and collaborate securely across networks. By combining robust model design, privacy-preserving techniques, and adversarial testing, the project aims to make AI systems more trustworthy and dependable.

“Our goal is to lay the foundation for AI systems that people can trust,” said Dr Emmanuel Ahene. “This work will not only strengthen AI security but also open applications in critical areas such as defense, healthcare, and agriculture.” He will be supported by Dr Abdul-Salaam Gaddafi (Department of Computer Science) and Dr Justice Owusu Agyemang (Department of Telecommunication) as co-investigators on the project.

The project's outcomes are expected to benefit governments, businesses, and communities by making AI more resilient to evolving cyber risks.