Artificial intelligence is not an immediate threat to jobs but a tool that can enhance human creativity and innovation, Professor Afolashade Kuyoro has said.
Delivering Babcock University’s 60th inaugural lecture, Kuyoro explained that AI is evolving from data-driven prediction and classification to more advanced generative systems capable of creating new content, simulations, and innovations.
The lecture, titled “From Data to Imagination: The Next Frontier of Intelligent Systems,” highlighted a shift in how intelligence is defined and applied.
“Intelligence is no longer driven by data alone, but also by imagination,” she said.
Kuyoro described imagination as humanity’s most valuable faculty, noting that machines are increasingly beginning to replicate aspects of it.
She, however, stressed the need for collaboration between humans and AI, positioning technology as a complement to human creativity rather than a replacement.
Addressing ethical concerns surrounding AI, she called for greater emphasis on transparency, fairness, safety, authorship accountability, and digital truth in its development and deployment.
To prepare for the future of intelligent systems, Kuyoro presented an eight-point recommendation.
These include the establishment of a Babcock University Center for Imaginative Intelligence, introduction of AI literacy programmes, strengthening of research collaborations, and the creation of a strong institutional framework for ethical AI use.
She also proposed the development of an AI-driven Smart Campus Initiative.
According to her, the initiative would transform the university into a “living laboratory” equipped with technologies such as predictive maintenance, intelligent security, student learning analytics, and energy and resource optimisation.
Kuyoro concluded that imagination would remain the most valued skill driving civilisation and governance, emphasising the need for humans to guide AI development with strong ethical principles to ensure it serves humanity’s best interests.
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