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Be ethical in exploring Artificial Intelligence, Adedimeji urges Nigerians

The Chairman of the Editorial Board of UNILORIN Bulletin, Prof. Mahfouz Adebola Adedimeji, has urged Nigerians to embrace Artificial Intelligence as he cautioned that it must be used ethically.

Prof. Adedimeji, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics (The Pan African University of Excellence), gave this advice in his address, “The Past is Present, The Present is Now”, which he delivered at the maiden Public Lecture of the University held penultimate Thursday, (January 30, 2024) in Abuja.

The theme of the lecture, which was delivered by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone Limited, an agency of the Federal Government, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Higher Education in Africa.”

Prof. Adedimeji pointed out that humanity today stands precariously on the brink of a precipice with fascinating and disruptive technologies that can be used to make life easy and abused to commit atrocities. 

He described Artificial Intelligence, once a subject of science fiction, as a current reality that permeates various facets of our lives, with its potential in education being amazing, adding that it is part of the past that is still present and it is an innovation that will still shape the future and the future is here already.

He said, “With AI, it is possible for each student to receive personalised instruction. We can also analyse vast amounts of data and gain insights into how each student learns best, meaning that a one-size-fits-all model of education may no longer be applicable or sustainable. AI opens new doors to customised learning experience that nurtures each student’s potential. With instructional tools, education can be more dynamic, engaging and interactive, sparking curiosity, igniting creative thinking and fostering a love for lifelong learning”.

Prof. Adedimeji also noted the indispensable roles of AI in facilitating access to education. He said, “We know that AI can facilitate global access to quality education, the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, and bring world-class resources to remote and underserved areas, thereby breaking down geographical barriers and democratising access to knowledge. Students anywhere can also have access to the same cutting-edge materials and expert instruction available somewhere, leveling the playing field like never before. The opportunities are limitless.”

Nevertheless, he warned against its abuse, arguing that while Africans embark on the exciting journey that AI offers, there is a need for protocol, policies and frameworks to safeguard those values that are dear to us from being eroded, so that technology one day does not become our master, controlling and misleading us.

The Professor of Applied English Linguistics and former Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, added that the tail should not wag the dog and humans should always be in charge, not that we should allow technology to control us.

He illustrated the need for ethical use of AI with the situation encountered in the 2004 American film, “I, Robot”, which stars Will Smith.

Prof. Adedimeji further used the occasion to invite applicants to the University, which he described as a conventional university that offers twenty academic programmes in Arts, Social Sciences, Science and Computing as well as Allied Health Sciences at the undergraduate level. He added that his University also runs approved postgraduate programmes in Economics, Public Administration, Business Administration as well as Finance and Management.