Get Guardian on GoogleFormer Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has expressed serious concern over effects of Artificial Intelligent (AI), saying true democratic sustenance can be linked to information integrity.
Speaking at the 26th Edition of NECCI PR Roundtable held in Lagos recently, she observed AI has made crossing the lines cheaper, faster and harder to catch.
To her,“AI has made anyone be able to manufacture the truth at no cost. The carrier of truth is a machine and the maker of lies is also a machine and the citizen sits between both.”
Speaking further, she quoted the World Economic Forum global risks report that ranked misinformation and disinformation among the five global risks.
To her, “nobody jokes with the ranking. We are in an age of plausible denial.”
Ezekwesili further highlighted some parties to democratic covenant, that is, those who hold power—the government and institutions must not punish the truth; those who carry the truth–the broadcasters and platforms must deliver the truth faithfully and the citizens must promise to question and must hold the others to account.
In her welcome remarks, convener NECCI PR Roundtable Nkechi Ali- Balogun agreed that AI is no longer a mere idea.
But it is actively reshaping public conversations, campaigns, and discourse by curating biased content, spreading disinformation, and creating echo chambers.
From the rise of deepfakes and synthetic media to the viral spread of misinformation across digital platforms, she said public relations as a profession is being tested like never before.
She added, “we live in a rapidly changing world powered by AI, where a single algorithm can shape political narratives, fuel conspiracy theories, and dictate what millions read, believe, and share, way before journalists or PR professionals can intervene.”
To her, “the tools have changed. The speed has changed. The stakes have changed. And so must we. Much of the power once held by editors and communicators has passed to algorithms. AI can now clone a familiar voice or produce a video of a leader saying what he never said, and a falsehood can travel round the country before the truth has been drafted.”
Speaking further, she added, “this year, we confront a question that touches every one of us: when machines decide what we see, who is really shaping the Nigerian mind? Who now controls the flow of information that shapes what Nigerians believe? This year, we confront a question that touches every one of us: when machines decide what we see, who is really shaping the Nigerian mind? Who now controls the flow of information that shapes what Nigerians believe?”
As the country approaches another electoral cycle, she argued the integrity of the information people receive is inseparable from the integrity of democracy.
In conclusion, Ali-Balogun recalled, “26 years ago, we started this roundtable with a simple conviction: that public relations professionals must not only manage messages, but they must also lead the national discourse. That we are gathered here again, for the 26th time, is a testimony to your loyalty.”
Okeowo Elizabeth Opeyemi and Adesina Abdullahi both from Olabisi Onabanjo University emerged first andsecond winners respectively of the PR Pulse Essay.
