The Vice Chancellor of ABU advocates for the ethical use of AI in tertiary institutions.

The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Prof. Kabiru Bala, emphasized the need to formulate guidelines for the responsible, ethical, and safe use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching, learning, research, and decision-making processes within the higher education sector. Prof. Bala made this statement in Abuja on Thursday during a one-day National Dialogue on a Consensus Framework towards a Policy/Guidelines Roadmap for Nigerian Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

The event, organized by Ahmadu Bello University, the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE), and UNESCO’s International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO-ICHEI), focused on the theme: “National Dialogue on Consensus Framework Towards a Policy/Guidelines Roadmap for Nigerian Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”.

According to Prof. Bala, establishing guidelines for the ethical and safe use of AI will allow higher institutions in Nigeria to harness its potential while minimizing risks, thus ensuring a responsible and sustainable approach to its adoption. He highlighted that the national dialogue aims to develop recommendations for policymakers to support the integration of AI technologies in higher education, formulate guidelines for the responsible, ethical, and safe use of AI, identify key opportunities, resources, and challenges in integrating AI into the Nigerian higher education sector, and create a network of stakeholders committed to ongoing collaboration in AI in higher education.

Prof. Bala further noted that upon assuming the role of Rotating Presidency Unit of IIOE for 2024, he committed to developing at least two micro-certification courses for teachers at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in collaboration with UNESCO-ICHEI. He reported that the domestication of B1 was completed in April 2024, with the title ‘Domestication and Production of Micro-Courses’, where 40 participants, including 12 females and 28 males, completed the program.

Additionally, the co-development of micro-certification courses A3 titled ‘Design and Produce Presentation’ and T1 titled ‘Conduct Collaborative Instructional Research with Online and Offline Integration’ has been undertaken by the Nigeria National Centre and reviewed by the IIOE expert team. The review meeting took place on 28th June 2024, and these two courses are currently under further review.