Nigeria's AI Strategy Needs Trust, Communication Redefined, Expert Says

In the age of artificial intelligence, development hinges not just on infrastructure or policy, but crucially on engineered trust. This was a central theme at the First Mass Communication International Conference at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, where Omoniyi Ibietan presented "Engaging the blackbox-glassbox paradox: Media imperatives in the era of artificial intelligence."

Ibietan emphasized that communication transcends mere information transfer, defining it as a cooperative process of meaning-making and sharing. Drawing parallels with language acquisition in children, he linked communication to the development of language, implicitly challenging traditional linguistic theories in favor of a more contextual and contemporary understanding.

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communication IS NOT MERELY THE TRANSFER OF INFORMATION but a meaning-making and meaning sharing activity characterised by shared intentionality – a purely cooperative activity of mutual understanding and shared intent and mutual goals.

The presentation highlighted how, in today's virtual landscape, a single statement can ignite a national or global conversation. Reputation is no longer solely shaped by what is said, but by the speed and context in which meaning is assigned. This assignment is influenced by a complex interplay of social pressures, Nigerian "fault lines," geopolitics, and the emotions of a restless populace.

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a single statement becomes a national [or global] conversation, reputation is no longer shaped by what was said alone. It is shaped by how fast meaning is assigned to it