St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata hosted the 2nd. Peace Lecture Series entitled, “Ethical Leadership in Public Governance.” Dr. Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur, graced the occasion as Chief Guest and dwelt on the subject with utmost care and conviction. He is also an alumnus of a Jesuit Institution.
Rev.Dr.John Felix Raj, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor reiterated, “peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice and the spirit of fostering harmony in society.” He also praised the medal recipients for their perseverance, discipline and commitment and highlighted their role as future leaders and policy makers of the country.
Dr. Suman Chakraborty delivered the peace lecture on “Ethical Leadership in Public Governance”, deliberating on how AI is reshaping human experience and focusing on the ethical dimensions of research and innovation. He emphasized the fact that AI driven analysis was often biased and ethically ambiguous, and one must be led by conscience and moral judgment in issues of public governance. He urged the students to always consider the human component in decision-making instead of depending on data and AI. His speech further justified the notion that leadership must be accompanied by accountability, and he proposed the model of responsible stewardship as a means of achieving an ethical social system.
He also appealed to the students community to follow the ten commandments concluded in the future including the principles of inclusivity, ethics, and transparency while engaging with AI.
First, "never outsource your conscience to a system, however intelligent it may be. Algorithms can assist decisions; they cannot replace moral responsibility”.
Second, “make every decision auditable-not just technically, but ethically. If you cannot explain a decision in human terms, you should not take it”.
Third, *design for the last person in the queue, true governance is not measured by how the privileged benefit, but by how the most vulnerable are protected”.
Fourth, "choose transparency even when opacity is convenient. Trust, once broken, is almost impossible to rebuild”.
Fifth, “treat power as a temporary trust, not a permanent entitlement. Authority is not ownership; it is stewardship”.
Sixth, “interrogate data, do not worship it. Behind every dataset lies a bias, a blind spot, or a boundary you must understand”.
Seventh,“institutionalize dissent. Build systems where questioning is not punished but encouraged-because silence is often the first symptom of ethical failure”.
Eighth, “act early when something feels wrong. Most governance failures are not sudden-they are the result of small ethical compromises accumulating over time”.
Ninth, “align innovation with inclusion. If your technology excludes, discriminates, or marginalizes, it is not progress it is regression in disguise”.
And tenth, “leave every system more just than you found it. That is the ultimate test of leadership-not what you inherit, but what you transform”.
The key-note speaker reminded the congregation that if you remember nothing else from today, remember this: the next century will not be defined by how intelligent our machines become; it will be defined by how ethical our leaders remain. And perhaps, when history looks back at your generation, it will not be said that you built powerful systems. It will say that you built a just society in an age where injustice could have been automated.
Therefore, go forth-not just as achievers, but as custodians of conscience. When you lead, lead with integrity. When you decide, decide with empathy. When you rise, rise with responsibility. And above all, never forget that the highest form of leadership is not authority over others, but accountability to humanity.
The peace lecture was followed by the distribution of silver and bronze medals by the Chief Guest and the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor to the rank holders from various departments.