Don: Africa must develop AI tools to meet local needs
By Salim Ashir Mahuta, Sokoto A Professor of Communication Studies at Howard University, United States, Prof. Kehbuma Langmia, has said Africa must develop its own Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to meet local needs and reduce dependence on foreign technologies. Langmia stated this while delivering the keynote address at the maiden International Conference of the Department […]
By Salim Ashir Mahuta, Sokoto
A Professor of Communication Studies at Howard University, United States, Prof. Kehbuma Langmia, has said Africa must develop its own Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to meet local needs and reduce dependence on foreign technologies.
Langmia stated this while delivering the keynote address at the maiden International Conference of the Department of Mass Communication, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS).
He said Africa is currently facing what he described as an “algorithm of dependence” and called for greater inclusion in the development and use of AI technologies.
“We are now suffering from the algorithm of dependence. We must therefore move to the algorithm of inclusivity,” he said.
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The professor said AI should be seen as a tool to support human efforts and not one that takes over human decision-making.
“AI is a third partner and not a third leader,” he added.
Langmia urged Mass Communication students to study computer science alongside their communication courses in order to prepare for changes in the media industry.
He also called for the development of AI applications, adding that there was a need for the regulation of data centres across Nigeria and the continent.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of UDUS, Prof. Bashir Garba, said AI was no longer a subject confined to science fiction but had become part of everyday life.
He said the technology was already influencing the way people access information and consume news.
“It is here, in our newsrooms, on our smartphones, in algorithms that decide what news we see and, increasingly, in what we believe,” he said.
Garba said AI was reshaping the media industry and many other sectors, making discussions on its opportunities and challenges important.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who was represented by the District Head of Gwadabawa, Alhaji Lawal Zayyana, urged media practitioners to remain ethical and God-fearing in the discharge of their duties.
He described the conference as a welcome initiative and commended the university for organising it.
In his vote of thanks, the Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Dr Umar Jibril Gwandu, appreciated organisations and individuals who supported the conference, including Daily Trust.