Author urges students to stop consuming AI, build solutions

Artificial intelligence. Photo: Jobaaj Learnings

Chief Executive Officer of Tritek Academy, Dr Adeshola Cole-Alegbe, has urged Nigerian youths to stop merely consuming artificial intelligence and acquire the skills required to build and develop AI solutions.

Cole-Alegbe said Nigeria must change its approach to AI education by moving beyond teaching young people how to use existing AI tools and instead equipping them with the knowledge required to understand and develop the technology.

She made the call while unveiling her first book, The Woman I Have Become, a memoir that chronicles her journey from growing up in the United Kingdom to adapting to Nigerian culture, overcoming setbacks, developing as a leader and eventually building a career in technology.

The author stressed that the rapid growth of AI made it increasingly important for young Nigerians to develop their intellect rather than depend entirely on technology to perform tasks for them.

“Whether they like it or not, their intellect, their level of intellect, is still going to be important. Even if you get a job and you’re thinking, well, AI helped me, at some point, if you don’t have the mental and intellectual knowledge, you will get caught out,” she said.

Cole-Alegbe, who is also a project manager, business analyst and AI specialist, said the book was intended to teach the younger generation that success was a gradual process involving mistakes, resilience and self-discovery.

“For me, the book is something that I’ve been trying to write for many, many years. It’s a book about survival. It’s a book about adapting to my culture, Nigerian culture, having been raised in the UK for a very, very long time.

“It’s a book about self-identity. It’s a book on my steps to leadership and the mistakes that I’ve made with my leadership. But the woman I have become, the title for me is so powerful because it shows the fact that I’m still a work in progress,” she said.

She said the five-chapter book covers her journey to Nigeria, adaptation to Nigerian culture, her university years, her return to the UK where she took up various jobs, and her eventual journey to becoming a CEO.

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Cole-Alegbe disclosed that her organisation, Tritek Academy, had spent nine years helping people without technology backgrounds transition into tech careers, adding that AI had now been incorporated into its training programmes.

She said the organisation was prepared to partner with the government and institutions, adding that she was planning an initiative aimed at exposing Nigerian youths to the development and backend workings of AI.

According to her, government and universities would have to play a major role in ensuring that young Nigerians acquired the skills needed to develop AI solutions rather than remain users of existing technologies.

Speaking at the book launch, the wife of the Ooni of Ife, Queen Ashley Ojaja-Ogunwusi, urged Nigerians, particularly young professionals and entrepreneurs, to use technology and AI to create meaningful impact rather than merely pursue visibility and popularity.

She said the growing influence of technology, particularly AI, should not be viewed with fear but embraced as a tool capable of transforming the way people work, communicate, learn, lead and create opportunities.

The Queen noted that technological advancement had created unprecedented opportunities for individuals to build businesses, educate others, reach international markets and influence conversations across the world.

Speaking on AI, Queen Ashley urged people to move beyond asking what the technology could do and instead focus on how it could be deployed to solve real problems.

“We can honour tradition and embrace innovation. We can understand our history while preparing for the future. We can carry our identity into the digital economy rather than allowing the digital economy to erase our identity,” she said.