LASU DVC Prof. Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin Urges Nigerians to Embrace AI Without Losing Human Judgment
Lagos State University Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin, has urged society to embrace artificial intelligence while ensuring that technology strengthens rather than diminishes human thinking and judgment.
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LASU DVC Prof. Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin has urged Nigerians to use AI responsibly, protect digital identity and preserve independent human judgment.
Though human thinking is being increasingly mediated by digital technology, it must be consciously shaped so that technology will amplify and not diminish our humanity, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Lagos State University, LASU, Prof. Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin, has said.
He make the submission while delivering the 127th inaugural lecture of the university titled, “Thinking machines and the future of thinking: Cyberphysicalism, the transformation of human thought and the emergence of an Artificial Intelligence driven Algorithm Society.”
The Professor of Computer Science noted: “We are the thinking species. We built the thinking machine. Now, more than ever, the quality of our thinking will determine the quality of everything we build next.
While emphasizing the importance of technology to human existence, Enikuomehin suggested that human beings must think with machines without surrendering independent judgment.
He also called for the practice of ethical discernment and the protection of one’s digital identity.
For the society at large, he called for the establishment of a culture of critical technology engagement, the protection of the most vulnerable from algorithm harm, investment in AI readiness infrastructure and the championing of African voices in the global AI conversations.
For the university community, the DVC called for the establishment of a centre for AI and emerging technologies.
“Lagos State University should establish a dedicated interdisciplinary research centre for AI grounded in African realities, serving as Nigeria’s premier hub for AI research, training the next generation of African AI researchers and providing the intellectual foundation for AI policy,” he noted.
He also charged graduates of Nigerian universities to engage critically with AI systems in their professional domain, not merely as users, but as commissioners, evaluators and challengers.
Enikuomehin alse stressed the importance of investing in quantum-readiness alongside AI readiness by universities, to help in training, research and international partnerships.
