Brain John Aboze, a UK-based data scientist and technical writer of Nigerian descent, asserts that the widespread use of AI tools such as ChatGPT can assist writers in brainstorming, overcoming writer’s block, clarifying complex concepts, and improving their writing style.
Aboze, who has collaborated with notable AI startups including Deepchecks, Lakera, and Neptune AI, cautioned writers against “AI Washing, where tools are marketed as AI-powered without meaningful functionality,” and to use the tools ethically as AI “can generate incorrect or misleading information (a phenomenon known as ‘hallucination’) when used to generate entire pieces and can impact the writer’s integrity and credibility.”
He also highlighted the potential dangers of AI in generating misinformation, such as deepfakes, while noting that the technology possesses significant capabilities to address these issues. He remarked that AI remains neutral until it is utilized by humans.
The seasoned data scientist, who has experience with Axa Mansard and FairMoney during his time in Nigeria, elaborated on how AI can effectively identify fake news, automate fact-checking, and highlight biased or false narratives, similar to its role in revolutionizing spam detection.
He further mentioned the concept of “Concepts like ‘AI-as-a-judge,’ where one AI system evaluates the outputs of another AI system, add an extra layer of accountability and reliability.”
Aboze further urged the government to facilitate the widespread adoption of AI technology due to its numerous advantages. He highlighted that AI can significantly improve the accessibility of written materials for individuals with disabilities by utilizing tools such as text-to-speech conversion, plain language rephrasing, sign language translation, eye-tracking, and speech generation, among others.
He said, “The cost of AI remains prohibitive, with most providers based outside Africa and no subsidies for emerging markets. Fine-tuning AI to reflect Nigeria’s cultural and linguistic diversity is computationally and financially demanding. Awareness of AI is growing, especially among the youth, but targeted training is essential. Skills like AI literacy and prompt engineering can help users craft effective queries, as ‘garbage in, garbage out’ is still prevalent with these systems.”