Don raises alarm over AI threats to students’ academic performance

A lecturer of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin (Unilorin), Professor Abdulwahab Olanrewaju Issa, has raised alarm over the decline of genuinity of academic research, projects and theses, noting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) threats to students’ academic performance. Issa, who doubles as a visiting professor at the Kwara State University Malete, expressed this concern […]

A lecturer of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin (Unilorin), Professor Abdulwahab Olanrewaju Issa, has raised alarm over the decline of genuinity of academic research, projects and theses, noting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) threats to students’ academic performance.

Issa, who doubles as a visiting professor at the Kwara State University Malete, expressed this concern while delivering his address at the 2nd International Conference of the School of Communication and Information Technology at the Federal Polytechnic Offa (FEDPOFFA), Kwara State.

Speaking on the theme, “Harnessing ICT Potential for Growth and National Development”, the scholar said AI has eroded personal privacy, warning academic communities against the hazards of the techno-human-machine invention.

“Let me wonder that your assignment, project or thesis can be written for you by AI. It will write you a very fantastic thesis within the twinkling of an eye. What it requires is for you to be able to tell it what exactly you want, as AI is very smart.

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“However, there is a big challenge to us as academics. We have a very big problem on our hands because of these ICTs and AI.

“It’s very likely very soon we would be awarding those certificates, diploma, National Diploma, Higher National Diploma (HND), bachelor, masters, and even doctoral degrees by proxy.

“As lecturers, if you can’t behave higher than the level of AI, then you’re already in trouble, because your students would come with fantastic AI-generated work, and on this basis, you would be awarding the highest grade of distinction and first-class,” he said.

Earlier, the Head of Strategic Communication and Media Studies and Organising Committee chairman, Dr Jimoh Olorede, emphasised the inevitability of ICTs in modern-day life, while acknowledging the scholarship of the presentations and their impacts on the audience.