Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has called on Nigerian universities to establish Artificial Intelligence (AI) task forces to guide the responsible use of the technology in learning, teaching, research, and administration.
Pantami made the call on Monday during the opening session of a three-day national conference organized by Gombe State University. The event, themed “Generative AI: Transforming Education — Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations,” brought together academics, researchers, and policymakers from across the country.
Delivering the keynote address, Pantami traced the evolution of AI and its transformative potential in the education sector. He explained that generative AI can produce original content — including text, images, voice, and computer code — with far-reaching implications for teaching and research.
Highlighting global economic prospects, he noted that AI could generate 97 million new jobs worldwide and contribute over $15 trillion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030.
Pantami emphasized that AI would not replace humans, but rather empower those who learn how to use it effectively.
“AI will not replace human beings; however, those who learn how to use it will replace those who fail to learn it,” he said.
He urged universities to integrate ethical and responsible AI principles into their curricula to ensure students remain globally competitive.
Citing the examples of leading global institutions such as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Pantami advised Nigerian universities to immediately establish AI working groups to oversee policy development and ethical frameworks.
The professor, who also serves as Co-Chairman of the African Union’s 4th Industrial Revolution Policy Council, identified major challenges in the adoption of AI in education. These include:
Academic Integrity: The growing use of AI tools by students to generate assignments and theses, making originality verification difficult.
Data Privacy and Security: Concerns over the handling of sensitive academic data in the digital age.
Algorithmic Bias: The potential for AI systems to perpetuate bias inherent in their training datasets.
Pantami also made five key recommendations for Nigerian higher institutions:
1. Establish AI Task Forces comprising academics, administrative staff, legal experts, and AI specialists to develop comprehensive guidelines for AI use.
2. Encourage AI-focused startups among students, leveraging the Nigeria Startup Act 2022 and government innovation funding.
3. Increase investment in AI research and innovation at institutional, state, and federal levels to enhance competitiveness.
4. Provide continuous training for lecturers and researchers on responsible AI integration in teaching and academic work.
5. Adopt plagiarism and AI-detection platforms to uphold academic integrity.
Pantami reiterated that with the right policies and capacity-building efforts, Nigerian universities can position themselves as leaders in ethical and impactful AI adoption in Africa.
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