According to Ridwan Korawole, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, “Artificial intelligence (AI) is like having a second brain, and can provide support, but it cannot replace your own way of thinking.”
However, Kolawole said the problem with many students is that they rely solely on AI, ignoring other sources.
Research shows a significant surge in AI adoption among Nigerian students, particularly among institutions of higher education.
This is because machine learning generation tools such as CHATGPT and Germini have become particularly crucial for the success of academics in the modern era.
Nevertheless, in the face of many advantages of machine learning tools, stakeholders are concerned about the trends in student misuse and the ethical issues surrounding academic integrity.
In the 2024 Global AI Student Survey, the Digital Education Council looked at responses from 3,839 students in 16 countries. The study found that students on average used 2.1 AI tools for their courses. ChatGPT was 66% the most common tool, followed by 25% Grammarly and Microsoft Copilot, respectively.
This study found that despite the widespread use of AI tools, students were less confident in AI literacy.
Fifty-eight percent of students reported lacking sufficient AI knowledge and skills, while 48% felt inadequately prepared for the AI-enabled workforce.
Amid a rapid rise in plagiarism and student intellectual laziness, the consequences of replacing hard work with AI can be dire if not suppressed in time.
They also fear that 20th century equipment-equipped information and inadequate information and communication technology (ICT) facilities will build a strong romance between students and AI, thereby fragmenting the rest of the country's educational fabric.
Today, many students see AI as a lifeline. In particular, libraries at many Nigerian institutions may lack modern reading materials.
Although certain data are not available on the number of students using AI in Nigeria's higher education institutions, various studies have shown that a moderately increasing number of academics are aware of AI tools for academic purposes and are concerned about the ethical implications of AI in fraudulent conduct and the ethics of academic rigor.
Stanley Boro, a senior lecturer at the Federal University of Otuque in Bayelsa, emphasized that AI is gradually becoming a threat to the educational space.
However, he pointed out the fact that AI has now remained. “The first thing is to accept the fact that AI is now staying, and accepting that fact is better for us, but the problem is how it is, I think it should be used ethically.”
Uchenna Uzo, a faculty member at Lagos Business School (LBS), said there is a reality that AI is changing the way students engage in learning.
“Today, many students use AI to improve learning speed, quickly track understanding of basic principles, create solutions and more,” he said.
However, he emphasized that this challenges instructors who need to go ahead of students in terms of how to use AI for learning.
He further emphasized that AI is a catalyst for learning, a fellow learning, and that everyone in the field of education must embrace the fact that it has become a stay.
However, he said that with the drawbacks of AI for lazy students, he or she would become lazy using a learning machine.
“I'm not saying that I should blame AI for lazy students. He's lazy, he'll use AI to expand lazy,” he pointed out.
Uzo revealed that there are ethical, legal and regulatory issues with the use of AI tools and that it is still unfolding how to mitigate its use in academic settings.
“To mitigate the use of AI tools in the academic field, we need to have a proper policy. Of course there are issues with plagiarism, fraud, and so many terrible things.
“People can use it to impersonate fake products, challenges, or even others,” he said.
To address the negative effects of AI, academia has sought cooperation among all people in education in Nigeria to ensure that students use the tools in the right way.
AI abuse is carried out not only by students, but also by academics and researchers, which makes people lazy to prevent them from using their brains. AI should be used ethically, it is for smart people, to make your work easier, and I'm not going to do all the work for you.
Research shows that AI governance practices remain a barrier. This is because teachers are fully aware of their institutional guidelines and feel that they are completely inclusive.
In 2024, Nigeria released a draft of the National AI Strategy focused on the development of ethical AI with principles of equity, transparency, accountability and privacy.
Similarly, a recent UNESCO report called for institutions to regulate the use of AI in education by auditing algorithms and data sources to ensure ethical standards.
The report also highlighted the need to assess the long-term impact of AI on skills such as critical thinking and creativity, while implementing policies that align with a global ethical framework.
