Every year on September 8, the world observes International Literacy Day, a UNESCO-declared event since 1966. In Nigeria, this day is marked with goodwill messages, panel discussions, and reading sessions. However, the celebration often ends with mere ceremony, without translating into sustained action. This year's observance has sparked a deeper reflection on what literacy means for a generation that is increasingly dependent on technology. The PEN Nigeria Young Writers Committee has taken a closer look at this issue, highlighting the need for a new kind of literacy in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
The concept of literacy has evolved over generations. For grandparents, it was about farming and hunting, while for parents, it was access to formal education and computer literacy. For the current generation, the dividing line has shifted to Artificial Intelligence. Nigeria faces significant challenges in maintaining stability across various development indices, with literacy at the core of many issues. The country struggles to address the dangers of unethical data harvesting and misinformation, which are critical components of AI literacy.
The rapid transition from offline to online and now to AI has left many Nigerians disoriented. The convenience of AI tools often masks the extraction of data, which is then used to amass fortunes. Data has become the new oil, and Nigerians are the fields from which it is being mined. AI has the potential to enhance learning, but it also poses a threat if not used critically. The tool can either enhance understanding or supplant reasoning faculties, making it essential to develop critical thinking skills.
The founder of the Awareness Literary Society, Awareness Temitope Timothy, argues that each generation inherits its own literacy divide. For Nigeria, this divide concerns who can code, question outputs, trace biases, and recognize when convenience has turned into control. Literacy Day should inspire a mental uprising against passive consumption, rather than rebellion against technology. It calls for educating young Nigerians to utilize AI tools critically, asking questions about data sources, biases, and silenced voices.
The systemic erasure of Nigeria's essence is a troubling aspect of the AI revolution. The glitz surrounding AI has subtly opened doors without resistance, allowing data to be harvested and used for unknown purposes. Nigerians have opened the gates themselves, logging in with unread terms and conditions, giving up their agency one click at a time. This makes it essential to develop critical thinking skills, rather than just device ownership, as a true indicator of digital literacy.
The essay by Halimah Abdulazeez, a poet and author, highlights the need for Nigeria to wake up and address the AI literacy challenge. The country must educate its young people to interrogate AI tools, rather than just use them. This requires a critical examination of whose data trained the model, whose interests it serves, and whose voice might be quietly silenced. Literacy is what safeguards self-agency, and Nigeria must prioritize education to avoid being trapped in the den of AI.
As Nigeria navigates the new frontier of AI, it must prioritize education and critical thinking. The country's literacy levels will determine the outcome of this century, and no rescues or ships will come to save it. Treaties will be inked with terms and conditions, and Nigeria must be prepared to negotiate its place in the digital world. By choosing education and critical thinking, Nigeria can avoid being a victim of the AI revolution and become a key player in shaping its future.
Key points
- Nigeria must prioritize education and critical thinking to navigate the AI literacy challenge.
- The country must develop critical thinking skills, rather than just device ownership, as a true indicator of digital literacy.
- Literacy is what safeguards self-agency, and Nigeria must prioritize education to avoid being trapped in the den of AI.
