The management of Cosmopolitan University in Abuja has honoured some secondary school students, who excelled in its first artificial intelligence (AI) competition.
The “Create with AI competition” tested pupils in secondary schools in areas such as creativity, evaluation, and referencing.
Speaking during the presentation of awards to the winners in Abuja, the university’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Carl Adams, said the institution has been at the forefront of promoting and using AI for educational purposes.
The vice-chancellor said the university has been collaborating with institutions within and outside Nigeria to promote the use of AI, noting that the competition was an extension of that effort.
He said: “It is the future of education, nursing, business, and many organisations. We are collaborating with other universities within and outside Nigeria.
“This AI competition is an extension of that. AI is embedded in many activities of many organisations and we will continue to grow. This competition is one of many to come in the future.”
Registrar of the university, Dr. Ibrahim Mani, said the institution needed to take the driver’s seat in promoting AI among secondary school students using the competition.
“This is the trajectory that we are going down. Why are we pushing for AI? AI will determine almost everything that will happen tomorrow. AI will criss-cross and transverse every human endeavour.
“If you look at it, we are seeing an incremental presence of AI in our everyday lives. We don’t want you to be left behind, and that informed the need for this competition—for you to be exposed to this disruptive technology that will shape the future.
“More importantly, we are happy that Cosmopolitan University is coming to be at the forefront of promoting the utilisation of AI among secondary school students in Nigeria. We are happy with the response that we received from the participants.”
Coordinator of the Create with AI competition team, Dr Juliet Okpo said the university seeks to promote responsible AI practices among the students because AI is sweeping across all spheres of life.
Okpo noted that students at the university are exposed to AI technology through teaching and learning to adequately prepare them to face life after school.
Students from Roberto Secondary School, Bristol Academy, and Starville Secondary School who took part in the competition were presented with awards.
By Frank Ikpefan
