Nigeria must regulate AI before it’s too late, LASU don warns

Professor Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin of Lagos State University has issued a stark warning regarding the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence, stating that it is fundamentally altering how humans think, remember, and make decisions. The professor stressed the urgent need for Nigeria to establish a National AI Act to regulate the technology before its rapid advancement outpaces governmental control.

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This morning, like many of us, the first thing I reached for was not a book but my phone. Before I was fully awake, I had checked messages, glanced at updates, responded to prompts and asked questions that required answers. In those few minutes, something subtle but important had already happened. I had begun my day not by thinking alone, but by thinking with a machine.

During the university's 127th Inaugural Lecture, titled “Thinking Machines and the Future of Thinking: Cyberphysicalism, the Transformation of Human Thought and the Emergence of an Artificial Intelligence Driven Algorithmic Society,” Enikuomehin argued that the critical question is no longer about machines' intelligence but rather AI's impact on human cognition. He observed that people are increasingly "thinking with machines," citing the common practice of reaching for a phone first thing in the morning for messages, updates, and information retrieval.

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AI governance is a layered problem. Failure at any layer propagates upward and undermines the layers above it. A system with perfect ethical oversight but weak data governance will still produce biased outputs.

Enikuomehin presented his AI Governance Stack, a seven-layer framework designed to ensure accountable AI deployment. This framework addresses infrastructure security, data governance, algorithmic accountability, explainability, ethical oversight, regulatory compliance, and societal impact assessment. He emphasized that failure at any layer can compromise the entire system, leading to biased or harmful outputs, even with strong ethical oversight if data governance is weak.

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Nigeria requires a comprehensive legislative framework that is architecturally precise, specifying what governance mechanisms are required at each layer of the Governance Stack.

To facilitate effective governance, the professor proposed the creation of an independent National AI Research and Governance Council. This body would assess AI's social impact, advise the government on policy, and represent Nigeria in international AI governance discussions. Furthermore, Enikuomehin highlighted the risk of inadequate digital infrastructure exacerbating existing inequalities, calling for universal broadband access, affordable digital devices, and reliable electricity to ensure AI serves as an equalizer rather than a divider.

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Without universal broadband, affordable device access and reliable electricity, AI will deepen the inequalities it promises to address.