Prof. Pantami Urges All Nigerian Universities to Form AI Task Forces
Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim, FCIIS, FBCS, FNCS, CON, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy of Nigeria and Co-Chairman of the African Union’s 4th Industrial Revolution Policy Council, has called on all Nigerian universities to urgently set up Artificial Intelligence (AI) task forces to guide the responsible and ethical use of the technology in learning, examinations, teaching, research, and administration.
He made this call yesterday, Monday, at the opening of a three-day national conference organised by Gombe State University through its Faculty of Education. The event, which began on 10 November and will end on 12 November 2025, focuses on “Generative AI: Transforming Education—Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations.”
Delivering the keynote speech, Prof. Isa Pantami outlined five areas for his address: Introduction and Background of AI, Generative AI and How it Works, Generative AI Transforming Education, Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations, and Recommendations.
In his introduction, he provided an overview of the evolution of artificial intelligence, tracing its growth from simple machine learning systems to today’s generative models that can perform complex reasoning and creative tasks. Explaining how AI Works, he briefly described the basic structure of AI systems, including how data, algorithms, and computing power combine to enable machines to learn patterns, generate insights, and perform human-like tasks.
On Generative AI Transforming Education, he explained that, unlike traditional artificial intelligence, generative AI produces new and original content, including text, images, voice, audio, and even computer code. Speaking on opportunities, he said artificial intelligence has the capacity to create 97 million jobs globally and add $15 trillion to the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. He also highlighted the growth of AI-powered personalised learning, AI-enhanced teaching tools, and research platforms, including Zotero, a platform for managing and citing research sources; Connected Papers, which helps visualise and explore academic papers related to a topic; Research Rabbit, which assists in discovering connections between research papers; and Chat Academia, an emerging system designed specifically for higher education research.
Prof. Pantami emphasised that AI will not replace human beings, “but those who learn how to use it will replace those who fail to learn it.”
Discussing the Challenges and Ethical Considerations, he identified several key challenges in deploying AI in education: academic integrity, as students are increasingly generating entire assignments and writing their thesis using AI, making it difficult to distinguish original work; data privacy, with concerns over how student and institutional data is stored and protected; data security, as the exponential growth of global data in exabytes and zettabytes creates potential security risks; and algorithmic bias, where AI systems may reflect biases present in their training data, affecting fairness and outcomes.
Turning to his Recommendations, he urged all Nigerian universities and other higher institutions of learning to immediately establish AI task forces, noting that Harvard University, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania have adopted similar approaches. He recommended:
1) The establishment of AI task forces, including academics, non-teaching staff, legal experts, and AI specialists, is responsible for drafting guidelines on AI use in students’ projects and staff research.
2) Continuous training of staff to ensure faculty and support staff can effectively integrate responsible AI into teaching and research.
3) Acquisition of platforms to detect plagiarism and AI-generated work in order to maintain academic integrity.
4) Encouraging students to develop AI-related startups includes leveraging the Nigeria Startup Act 2022 and available government funding.
5) Increased investment in AI research and innovation by universities, state governments, and the federal government to remain globally competitive.
He concluded by recommending that universities begin accommodating ethical and responsible AI within their curricular structures, saying early exposure is necessary for students to compete globally.
He commended the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sani Ahmad Yauta, the Dean of the Faculty, Professor O.A. Adepoju, and the Local Organising Committee Chairman, Dr. Zubair Suleiman, for organising and hosting what he described as an essential and timely conference.
