Ethical AI use vital for democracy, media sustainability in Africa: Olorunyomi
The founder of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, has urged African media stakeholders to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly and ethically to safeguard democracy and ensure media sustainability across the continent.
Speaking through Mr. Monsur Hussein, CJID’s Innovation Lead, at a forum themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s AI Potentials for Media Sustainability and Democracy,” organized by the New Thought Media Support Foundation (NTMSF) in Lagos, Olorunyomi warned that while AI brings efficiency and innovation to journalism, it also poses serious ethical and democratic challenges.
He noted that AI is transforming global newsrooms through transcription, data analysis, and content generation tools but cautioned that “the real danger is not that AI will replace journalists, but that it might replace judgment.”
He stressed that the critical question now is “in whose image” AI will reshape journalism.According to him, traditional measures of media success—such as circulation and advertising—are losing relevance. Instead, trust, data, and relevance have become the new pillars of sustainability.
“In a world flooded with falsehoods, credibility is our rarest asset,” he said, adding that innovation must always serve truth and democracy, not vanity or profit.Olorunyomi also decried the marginalization of African languages and cultures in global AI systems, noting that most major AI models are built on Western data.
“When our languages are absent from technology, our realities become invisible,” he warned, emphasizing that “whoever controls knowledge controls power.”To bridge this gap, he highlighted CJID’s efforts, including the Dubawa Audio Platform, which fact-checks radio content in African languages, and a WhatsApp chatbot that helps citizens verify information in real time.
Concluding, Olorunyomi urged African innovators, institutions, and citizens to shape AI’s future as a tool for justice, accountability, and inclusion. “AI is not destiny—it is a tool,” he said. “The future we want is not one where machines tell our stories, but one where they help us tell them better.”
