​Former Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, issued a stern warning on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, regarding the escalating misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and synthetic content across social media platforms.
​Speaking at a media brief in Abuja on Wednesday afternoon, Runsewe cautioned that the unchecked consumption and deliberate generation of AI-manipulated content pose severe risks to national unity, societal peace, and intellectual integrity as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
​Runsewe highlighted that AI-driven misinformation, including deepfake audio, fabricated video recordings, and deceptive, official-looking political messages, is increasingly being designed to incite tension and heat up the polity.
​”Artificial Intelligence, an innovative technology in the global information and communication system, can be counterproductive in Nigeria if citizens consume social media information without proper scrutiny,” Runsewe stated.
​He called on political parties, civil society organizations, and electoral bodies to act proactively by deploying robust information dissemination strategies to counter fake narratives before they gain traction in the public domain.
​Beyond electoral risks, the former NCAC boss expressed concern over the broader educational and cultural impacts of unguided AI adoption. He noted that excessive dependence on AI systems is eroding critical thinking, worsening intellectual laziness, and undermining original scholarship in academic institutions.
​”Excessive reliance on AI has promoted plagiarism, lack of originality, and the production of graduates without adequate knowledge and skills,” he warned, stressing that the country risks raising a generation reliant on automated routines rather than genuine problem-solving skills.
​To cushion the impact of deepfakes and algorithmic misinformation, Runsewe urged the Nigerian public to verify unconfirmed digital claims before sharing.
He recommended cross-checking viral social media content directly against press releases from official government agencies and established news organizations rather than accepting unverified posts “hook, line, and sinker”.
​He also called for strengthened reliance on professional, conventional media houses to ensure prompt delivery of verified information, helping to curb speculative reporting, sensationalism, and deliberate online campaigns.
