R&D Unplugged #21 - with Colin de la Higuera
How to ensure your research benefits the greatest number.
As an AI researcher, I found myself confronted with the possibility that my work might only be used for economic purposes-or perhaps not used at all. Like other researchers, I felt the need to guide this research toward applications more aligned with my own values. However, this process cannot be improvised; it has become a field of research in its own right. In this talk, moving beyond a personal journey, we will examine the interactions between Artificial Intelligence and the sharing of knowledge, with a primary focus on education.
Event open to all
→ Register here
More about the speaker
Colin de la Higuera is a Professor of Computer Science at Nantes University, where he teaches and conducts research in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. He was the founding president of the SIF (the French Computer Science Society) and is currently a trustee of the Knowledge for All foundation.
In 2017, building on the Class'Code project he helped launch in France, UNESCO established a Chair at Nantes University dedicated to Teacher Training Technologies through Open Educational Resources (OER), which he has held since its inception. In 2025, UNESCO renewed this chair as the “Chair on Open Educational Resources and Artificial Intelligence.” In 2024, UNESCO created a Unitwin network in Open Education with 16 partners across 14 countries, which Colin coordinates. That same year, he received the Open Education Global Leadership Award. Since January 2026, he has been a member of the Conseil Supérieur des Programmes (the French Higher Council for School Curricula).
Organised by the Learning Transitions Research Unit, R&D Unplugged series - the Talk and the Podcast - focuses on the purpose of Research, its key data, and its tangible impact on the real-world. Sign up to receive news (in English) from our R&D Unplugged series: more info here.
