The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has proposed measures to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development while addressing its risks to humanity.
Olaopa spoke on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a presentation titled “Media and Information Literacy, AI and Youth Creativity” at a stakeholders’ dinner organised by the International Media and Information Literacy Institute (IMILI), in partnership with UNESCO, to mark the 2026 Global Media and Information Literacy (GMIL) Week.
He said Media and Information Literacy (MIL) would develop the competencies needed to deploy AI tools effectively and responsibly.
He cited source evaluation, fact-checking, AI literacy and integration as essential to promoting responsible generative AI use, empowering youth creativity, encouraging ethical content creation and fostering innovative problem-solving.
According to him, MIL equips young people to identify AI-generated text and graphics, set boundaries for technology use, critically assess AI outputs and guard against hidden algorithmic biases.
“Thus, a mastery of the dual disciplines of MIL and AI rescues technology from the trap of being an automated shortcut. It rather becomes a path for multi-faceted development,” he said.
Olaopa called for educational reforms that reflect contemporary technological realities, including integrating data literacy and AI ethics into mainstream education.
He also advocated strengthening institutional hubs, such as academic libraries and community media networks, to provide disadvantaged young people with basic AI literacy and bridge the digital divide.
He expressed concern that while privileged youths had access to advanced media and AI technologies, many disadvantaged youths lacked basic knowledge of media, AI tools and information literacy.
“Such youth need access to the Internet and AI tools in their local settings for their creativity to flourish,” he said.
However, Olaopa cautioned that despite AI and modern media’s contributions to youth creativity, workplace transformation and the democratisation of information, their harmful implications for humanity must not be overlooked.
He noted that information democratisation was essential to protecting democracy and countering tyranny, citing the Arab Spring and the #EndSARS protests.
He recalled concerns expressed by the late renowned scientist Stephen Hawking about rapid technological advancement, noting that Hawking and more than 1,000 experts and researchers, particularly in robotics and AI, signed an open letter in 2015 at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Argentina.
The letter warned that an uncontrolled AI arms race could become humanity’s greatest existential threat and potentially end the human race.
According to Olaopa, Hawking questioned whether humanity could survive the next 100 years, a concern he said was not misplaced as machines increasingly assumed responsibilities across human life.
“Robotics and intelligent machines have taken over the workplace. They are even taking over the role of a wife or husband. With their dominance at home, and thus replacing a human wife or husband, Hawking’s prediction might after all not be a ruse but a dark reality awaiting humanity,” he said.
Olaopa therefore emphasised the importance of MIL in helping humanity navigate modern technology and maximise AI’s benefits.
“Since human beings were responsible for the creation of AI, as they were responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb and the Holocaust, it should not be taken for granted that they know how to tame AI.
“Rather, humanity should step forward and make a determined effort to stop AI from running amok. It is only through that we can enjoy the possibilities in media, information literacy, AI and youth creativity,” he added.
