The Connected Development (CODE), on Tuesday, unveiled a $5 million media grant aimed at promoting ethical and impactful reporting on artificial intelligence (AI) in Nigeria.
It stressed the importance of responsible AI use, highlighting the need to balance its benefits with potential risks such as algorithmic bias, data privacy concerns, and unequal access to public services.
CODE’s Founder and CEO, Hamzat Lawal, disclosed this in Abuja during a media dialogue themed: “Exploring New Media Opportunities to Accelerate Development.” He said that the initiative aims to equip journalists with the tools and resources needed to explore AI’s benefits and challenges.
He emphasized the importance of ethical reporting on AI’s applications, opportunities, and risks in Nigeria’s governance and public service sectors.
Lawal said: “As we lay the groundwork for the start of this life-changing journey, it provides an excellent opportunity for us to strengthen our relationships with the media, civil society organisations, and technology experts in order to advocate for legislation that ensures AI serves the public interest through transparency, accountability, and inclusion in its implementation.
“Consequently, in keeping with our objective of empowering individuals to seek their rights to a decent level of living, I am pleased to announce to all of you our five-year strategic plan of $5 million to assist journalists in mobilising Nigerians for this proposed ethical use of AI tools.
“By launching this new project, our organisation intends to encourage the appropriate application of AI to investigate frameworks that reduce risks like algorithmic bias, data privacy issues, and unequal access to public services. “We intend to use the opportunities provided by this project to engage and build the capacity of media professionals, as well as provide them with financial support in the form of seed grants, so that they can investigate and report on AI-driven solutions and challenges in Nigeria’s development landscape.”
Also speaking at the event, Majeed Dahiru, a media practitioner, while discussing the benefits and challenges of AI in journalism, noted that AI has enhanced efficiency and productivity by automating repetitive tasks, analyzing large datasets, and optimizing processes.
He said: “AI tools can generate articles, social media posts, video summaries, and even scripts, allowing media companies to cover more stories faster and keep up with the rapid news cycle. For instance, news agencies like the Associated Press use AI to create financial reports and sports summaries.”
Dahiru emphasized the need for upskilling and reskilling media professionals to integrate AI responsibly rather than fear its impact.
He cautioned against potential pitfalls of AI in media and added, “Media professionals must embrace AI by learning how to use it for content generation, data analysis, and fact-checking, ensuring that human creativity and ethical standards remain at the core of journalism.
“Though AI comes with limitations, we are not powerless. We must continuously upskill our workforce, enforce ethical standards, and prioritize human creativity. AI should enhance, not replace, human effort and storytelling.”
THE GUARDIAN
