Olaopa advocates AI literacy, warns of technology’s risks to humanity
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has proposed measures to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development while addressing its risks to humanity.
Olaopa spoke in Abuja while delivering a presentation titled “Media and Information Literacy, AI and Youth Creativity” at a stakeholders’ dinner organised by the International Media and Information Literacy Institute (IMILI), in partnership with UNESCO, to mark the 2026 Global Media and Information Literacy (GMIL) Week.
He said Media and Information Literacy (MIL) would develop the competencies needed to deploy AI tools effectively and responsibly.
The FCSC Chairman cited source evaluation, fact-checking, AI literacy and integration as essential to promoting responsible generative AI use, empowering youth creativity, encouraging ethical content creation and fostering innovative problem-solving.
According to him, MIL equips young people to identify AI-generated text and graphics, set boundaries for technology use, critically assess AI outputs and guard against hidden algorithmic biases.
“Thus, a mastery of the dual disciplines of MIL and AI rescues technology from the trap of being an automated shortcut. It rather becomes a path for multi-faceted development,” he said.
Olaopa called for educational reforms that reflect contemporary technological realities, including integrating data literacy and AI ethics into mainstream education.
He also advocated strengthening institutional hubs, such as academic libraries and community media networks, to provide disadvantaged young people with basic AI literacy and bridge the digital divide.
