The Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Foundation is set to convene a virtual expert panel to explore the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on the 2027 general election and the role of media and information literacy (MIL).
In a statement on Thursday, the foundation said the virtual dialogue, which will be held on Saturday, November 1, with the theme “Minds over AI: MIL and Nigeria’s 2027 elections”, is in partnership with Roundcheck, a fact-checking organisation, to mark the 2025 UNESCO Global MIL Week.
MILID noted that the programme is put together to mark the 2025 UNESCO Global MIL Week.
Chiamaka Okafor, executive director of the MILID Foundation, said the role of artificial intelligence in polls has become increasingly relevant as Nigeria heads into another election year in 15 months.
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Okafor noted that concerns over the integrity of the process continue to grow with the expanding influence of AI among the voting population.
She stated that the 2023 general election offered a glimpse into what the 2027 polls might look like, given the rapid advancement of technology and the accessibility of various AI tools.
“One thing we are assured of in 2027 is that we will have a population that is heavily impacted by artificial intelligence,” she said.
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“Now we must worry about what this impact will translate into in terms of the credibility of the elections.”
Suraj Olunifesi, an associate professor of mass communication at the University of Lagos and global co-lead of the UNESCO University Network on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, will open the conversation as lead discussant.
Olunifesi will bring on board decades of experience from the MIL and communication space.
Hannah Ajakaiye, journalist and founder of FactsMatterNG, a civic media initiative leveraging the power of social media, will join the panel.
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Caleb Ijioma, executive director of Roundcheck, a fact-checking organisation building a network of young fact-checkers, will also be on the panel.
Lois Ugbede, an editor at Dubawa, a fact-checking platform of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), will be part of the panel.
