Help policy makers appreciate artificial intelligence, UniIlorin VC tasks academics

Prof. Wahab Egbewole, the Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, has appealed to researchers and academics to help policy makers appreciate Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation.

Egbewole made the call in a goodwill message he delivered at the 4th edition of the Indabax Nigeria Conference held at Thomas Adewumi University, Oko, Kwara.

Speaking at the Conference themed: “Human-Centric AI for A Digital Nigeria”, the vice chancellor said AI can assist in reshaping and delivering good governance, enhancing economic prosperity and improving societal needs.

According to him, AI has the potential to transform the country.

He said the conference provided a platform for exploring how scholars can harness the technology to improve the lives of the people while ensuring that it is human-centric.

Egbewole, whose paper was titled: “Delivering on Impactful Research”, said AI should not be seen as a threat to our jobs or our way of life but rather as a tool that can be used to enhance human capabilities and improve society.

He expressed belief that the conference would provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, sharing of best practices and creation of new knowledge that would contribute to the development of the country.

“This conference presents an excellent opportunity for scholars, researchers and practitioners from different parts of the world to come together and share their knowledge and experiences on critical issues facing our society.

“The theme of this year’s conference, ‘Human-Centric AI for a Digital Nigeria’, is timely and relevant, given the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in our daily lives and the misconceptions in various quarters,” he said.

The vice-chancellor however expressed his delight that Thomas Adewumi University, Oko, one of the KU8 universities, is the host of the conference and part of the efforts to promote innovation in the knowledge industry.

Egbewole said that in line with the thoughtful vision of the initiators of the conference, he was confident that the presentations and discussions at the conference would be insightful, informative, thought-provoking and practicable.

Besides, he challenged academics not to proffer solutions without showing how such can positively impact society.

Egbewole further suggested that the impact of the research should be the focus of the conference of the best brains in this very critical area of study.