The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on Nigerian universities to develop ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption strategies to maximise its benefits while addressing challenges associated with its use in academia.
CITAD made the call at its 6th Digital Tech Policy Forum themed: “AI in Academia: Negotiating Benefits in the Context of Crisis and Complexity,” where stakeholders discussed the role of AI in teaching, learning and research.
Speaking at the event, a lecturer at the Department of Software Engineering, Bayero University Kano, Dr Sana Abdullahi Muaz, said AI should not be seen as a replacement for academic expertise but as an intelligent assistant that enhances productivity, creativity and learning when used responsibly.
She explained that AI is not about creating machines that think like humans, but about augmenting human intelligence by using data to solve problems and support decision-making.
According to her, the increasing use of generative AI by students and researchers requires proper guidance, as some students now rely on AI tools to generate research problems, write thesis chapters and handle sensitive academic materials without adequate verification.
“AI should assist academic thinking, not replace scholarly judgement. It can unintentionally reproduce bias because of ethical and algorithmic challenges.
“When AI generates a first draft, it is the lecturer’s responsibility to review, edit and validate the content,” Muaz said.
She noted that AI offers significant opportunities in teaching and research, including analysing students’ past performance to improve learning outcomes, summarising thousands of academic papers within minutes and assisting researchers in identifying trends.
However, she warned that AI is not a neutral technology and its adoption must be guided by ethical principles, transparency and accountability.
Also speaking, a software engineer with CITAD, Muhammad Bello Yahya, stressed the need to uphold academic integrity in a changing educational environment and promote responsible AI use in higher institutions.
He quoted UNESCO as saying: “Generative AI offers tremendous opportunity for education and research, but it must be guided by ethical principles.”
The forum was attended by academics, telecom regulators, government officials, civil society organisations, media practitioners and private sector representatives.
