E-Business
The Onslaught of Artificial Intelligence (AI) part 1
By Evans Woherem, Ph.D
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, it is expected to have a significant impact on how we live and work. The integration of AI is a complex issue that requires a thorough understanding of the potential benefits and risks of this technology.
In this piece, DR. EVANS WOHEREM throws open an honest conversation about the implications of this technology and the need for collaboration to ensure that its development and use align with human values and promote the well-being of all individuals.
- Introduction
I have always believed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a promethean technology that can be used for good or evil. I therefore feel that while we welcome its positive uses, the negative impacts could be too deleterious for humanity to control or endure, and as such, we should have international treaties and controls put in place to regulate the technology.
With the arrival of ChatGPT and the promise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and possibly Artificial Super Intelligent (ASI) systems, I am even more convinced that some internationally agreed sets of controls and laws guiding the behaviour of such systems, and hardwired into the AI systems, should be implemented as soon as possible.
- My Early Years in AI
I started studying Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 1983 when I enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Cognition, Computing, and Psychology at the University of Warwick in England.
The course was all about AI – how to build AI systems by studying humans to determine what makes them intelligent and then applying that knowledge to develop intelligence-based systems. Since then, I have been keeping track of the development of artificial intelligence and its uses in various industries.
The knowledge and understanding of what makes humans intelligent have been applied to the development of AI systems capable of performing tasks previously thought to be unique to human intelligence. It is crucial to consider any possible disadvantages of these intelligence-based systems as we continue to push the limits of AI. That is why it is significant to develop internationally agreed-upon sets of controls and laws to govern the development and use of AI or intelligence-based systems.
Intelligence-based systems, also known as cognitive systems, imitate human intelligence and execute activities that typically require human intelligence, such as interpreting a spoken language, identifying objects or photographs, making judgments, and learning from prior experiences. When such systems are built, those who believe in the strong AI hypothesis refer to them as having human intelligence or intentionality.
On the other hand, those who believe in the weak AI hypotheses view intelligence-based systems as a tool or technology used to automate or enhance specific jobs rather than as an end in itself.
They see AI as a tool for better decision-making, increased productivity, and the provision of new insights and information. However, to those that believe in the strong hypothesis, if a system can display all the cognitive traits of people, it should be considered human.
During my above study course, I came to believe that humans are very creative and capable of building the above types of systems over time. However, I did not believe in the strong hypothesis; rather, I believed and still believe in the weak hypothesis of AI, as did people like Professor John Searle. He is widely known for his “Chinese Room” thought experiment.
In his thought experiment, Prof. Searle proposes that a person in an enclosed room who does not speak Chinese be given a set of rules and symbols that allow him or her to communicate in Chinese with a Chinese speaker outside the room.
The person in the room can receive Chinese words, convert them into English, understand the communication, respond in English, and then convert the response back into Chinese. It appears that the person in the room speaks Chinese fluently to the Chinese speaker outside the room.
However, the person in the room does not understand Chinese; he or she is simply manipulating symbols according to a set of rules. Searle argues that this thought experiment illustrates that a machine or algorithm can simulate an understanding of a natural language without actually understanding it. He further argues that this is true of AI systems in general: they can display traits associated with human intelligence, but this does not mean they possess genuine human intelligence or consciousness.
He suggests that the true objective of AI should be to produce machines that can perform specialized tasks efficiently rather than trying to build machines that can fully comprehend and have consciousness like humans.
John Searle’s opinions on the weak AI hypothesis have been widely studied and considered significant in AI. Hubert Dreyfus, a philosopher, and Daniel Dennett, a cognitive scientist, are two well-known individuals who have endorsed Searle’s opinions. It’s important to note that this thought experiment raises many questions and criticisms.
Some argue that this thought experiment is not a fair representation of AI, that it doesn’t take cognizance of the complexity of the human mind and consciousness, and that the Chinese Room thought experiment is not a fair representation of how AI systems work.
I believe that Prof. John Searle is right, AI systems are mere powerful symbol manipulators. However, that they are merely manipulating symbols does not detract from the fact that humans can judge their capabilities as human like, and so, can easily declare them to be human or even super-human.
- Motivations of the AI Intelligentsia
The motivations of the AI intelligentsia, consisting of researchers, engineers, and scientists who work in the field of AI, include scientific curiosity, technical challenges, commercial opportunities, social impact, national security, and ethical considerations.
They are thus playing a significant role in shaping the future of humanity by advancing AI technology and developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) systems that have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of daily life for people.
The AI intelligentsia is taking humanity to a new epoch – to an age of intelligent-based systems who will co-exist with humans at home, at work places and at social environments, or who can eventually rule over humans.
It is a new dawn, a brave new world that is about to be revealed, as we redefine the origins and nature of sapiens, taking us to a new stage of human evolution, in which humans will evolve into cybernetically and genetically engineered “Homo-Deus”, as proposed or mentioned by thinkers such as Yuval Noah Harari, Dan Brown, Michio Kaku and Ray Kurzweil.
Ray Kurzweil believes that AGI will surpass human intelligence in a wide range of tasks and could be used to solve problems like curing diseases, terraforming other planets, and overcoming death. Kurzweil’s expected new book, “Singularity is Nearer”, will expand on his previous ideas and predictions of AI.
He has previously stated that he believes computers will be able to pass the Turing test, which measures a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour comparable to or indistinguishable from that of a human, by 2029.
He also predicts that by 2045, AGI will be achieved and will be able to improve itself at an exponential rate, leading to a rapid acceleration of technological progress, and perhaps to the AGI turning into an ASI (Artificial Super Intelligent) system.
Also, Yuval Noah Harari suggests in his book “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” that advanced brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) could be a step towards the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). He claims that by directly connecting human brains to computers and other machines, we can improve our cognitive abilities and eventually create AGI systems that match or even exceed human intelligence.
It is critical to remember that AGI is a speculative topic, and the notion that BCIs would be a step toward its development is purely theoretical. There are many different approaches to creating AGI, and the relationship between BCI and AGI is not yet well understood. However, the idea that BCIs could significantly improve human cognitive abilities is intriguing and warrants further investigation.
On the contrary, Martin Ford argues in his book “The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future” that the development of AGI could have an impact on the job market because machines could potentially take over many tasks currently performed by humans.
In particular, he asserts that low-skilled and repetitive jobs will suffer significantly from widespread automation and the rise of AGI. He also suggests that AGI could lead to greater inequality as the people who own and control these technologies will become increasingly wealthy and powerful while a growing number of people may become unemployed and left behind.
He believes society should start preparing for these changes now by investing in education and training programs and enacting new policies to help people adjust to a rapidly changing job market. It is worth noting that this is a speculative topic and that there are many different opinions about the potential impacts of AGI on the job market and the economy as a whole.
Some experts believe that AGI has the potential to create new job opportunities and boost economic growth, while others believe it will lead to job displacement and widen the gap between the rich and the poor.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to systems that have achieved singularity with humans and as such can comprehend or learn any complex tasks that humans can. AGI systems would be able to carry out a variety of tasks like problem-solving, making decisions, and learning even without being explicitly programmed. Most AI systems in use today fall into the category of weak or limited AI due to their focus on narrow task domains.
The federal government, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is building a digital registrar that will identify farmers, their farmlands, type of soil and the crops they grow for targeted services.
The information and the National Identification Number (NIN) will be integrated into a multipurpose identity card that farmers can use to access financial services, inputs and other forms of government assistance.
The digitisation is expected to harmonise farmers’ data across all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at the national launch of the Policy Dialogue Initiative on the National Digital Farmers Registry (NDFR) recently in Abuja, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), said the new system would address the issue of portfolio farmers, whom he described as “farmers who have no farm.”
“We are going to register farmers and their farms. Not only that, farmers and the type of crop they grow, farmers and the locality they are, the type of soil they have on their farms. There is no farm that will not have a farmer. But there are many farmers who do not have farms. This is an encompassing package.
“When we register these farmers, we are going to provide a physical and digital card for them. With the card, many things can be done by the farmers. It can be used as a means of identification, an asset to some gateway – just anything. It is going to have a handshake with the database of the country, such that with that particular card, the farmer can enter any place and get things done. He or she can redeem inputs and even get a loan, depending on the financial entity,” Ogunbiyi explained.
He said that to accomplish this, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has taken decisive steps to transform their approach to farmer data management, adding, “Chief among these is our strategic partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to implement a far-reaching farmer registration and database project. At the heart of this initiative is the integration of the NIN, which ensures that every Nigerian farmer is uniquely identified and seamlessly integrated into a national agricultural system.”
Mrs Dede Ahoefa Ekoue, country director/representative of the IFAD in Nigeria, said the United Nations (UN) organisation was proud to be part of the initiative on the National Digital Farmer Registry in Nigeria.
“Our role is to convene all the partners, development partners from the public sector, private sector and the international community to put our resources together to support the effort of the government in establishing and enabling a digital farmer registry for the country,” she said.
Mrs Ekoue said that although there were previous efforts to have a national database of farmers, it had the issues of fragmentation and sustainability.
“The government is now providing us with a sense of direction and matching orders to all the actors to work together. This is what we are doing today with several partners, including the African Development Bank, FAO, the World Bank, the EU, the Islamic Development Bank and UK. Also, what is very key is farmers’ organisations because it is about them, it is for them, it must be with them,” she added.
The country director said the IFAD was happy to bring together the private sector and different ministries, departments and agencies, adding, “It will be a game changer for having a strong, updated and sustainable national digital farmer registry.”
Dr Lekan Tobe, the country director of Heifer International in Nigeria, in his remarks at the official launch of the Policy Dialogue Initiative on the National Digital Farmer Registry, emphasised the critical role of partnership and data in transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
He said that this initiative, born from recommendations of previous policy dialogues organised in collaboration with the federal government, aimed to scale up innovative digital technology to enhance food systems across the country.
Dyna.Ai, a global leader in AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), has launched its operations in Nigeria with an exclusive closed-door ‘Nigeria Dyna Day’ event in Lagos, which saw the introduction and orientation of its suite of AI-powered products and solutions to Nigeria’s emerging financial ecosystem.
The event, tagged ‘Nigeria Dyna Day’ and themed “AI Unleashed: Revolutionising Nigeria’s Financial Future,” brought together leading voices from the country’s AI, financial, fintech, telecom, and other key sectors, including representatives from government agencies and major enterprises.
In his opening remarks, Tomas Skoumal, chairman and co-president of Dyna.Ai, emphasized the strategic importance of Nigeria and the broader African market, stating, “For us, it makes sense to start in Nigeria.
There is no bigger country in Africa—this is where the momentum is.” He noted that Africa is no longer just “the future,” but is actively transforming today, driven by rapid digitalization and fintech innovation.
“This is the perfect time to be here,” he added, highlighting that Dyna.Ai sees technology as a vital bridge to financial inclusion and long-term growth across the region.
Skoumal introduced Dyna.Ai’s advanced Agentic AI solutions, including its proprietary Agent Studio and industry-specific language models, designed to power intelligent automation across customer service, marketing, collections, HR and more.
He also underscored the company’s long-term ambition to invest in local talent, stating, “We’re not just here to sell a product—we’re here to build infrastructure, create local jobs, and scale innovation from Nigeria to the rest of Africa.”
Dyna.Ai also showcased its advanced AI technologies at the event, including AvatarGPT, an AI digital human delivering interactive experiences; VoiceGPT, a voice agent featuring authentic local accents for seamless communication in Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo; along with live demonstrations showing how these innovations empower customer engagement and employee experience.
Delivering the keynote address at the event, Tokoni Peter Igoin, Special Assistant to the President on ICT Development and Digital Innovation, underscored the Federal Government’s vision for a secure and forward-thinking digital ecosystem.
“The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is fully committed to responsible innovation. Our approach to AI and financial technology is rooted in a positive framework. It encourages creativity while ensuring transparency, data protection, and digital security”, he said
Also in his remarks, Olatunbosun Alake, Lagos State Commissioner of Innovation, Science and Technology, gave insights from the government/regulatory perspective.
He announced that the Lagos State government is also taking steps towards the wide adoption and regulation of artificial intelligence in the state with the planned release of the first AI guidelines for the deployment and management of AI in the coming weeks.
A new global survey from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) reveals that 52% of marketing leaders believe generic top-level domains (gTLDs – the three characters or more that come after the dot in a URL) have strong potential for enhancing brand presence online; however, a knowledge gap is preventing many brands from taking advantage of the opportunities that a gTLD can bring.
The research surveyed over 2,000 marketing leaders across eight countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, U.K., and U.S.) with the purpose of creating a picture of the evolving digital marketing landscape and understanding the levels of awareness around gTLDs.
It comes as ICANN prepares to open the next application window for new gTLDs in April 2026 the New gTLD Program: Next Round – the first opportunity in more than a decade for organizations to apply to operate their own gTLD.
Top-level domains are the letters found at the end of an Internet address (with gTLDs including .charity, .menu, .paris and .ceo). Brands can apply to run their own gTLD as a way to indicate the purpose of their organization or to clearly mark a website as being related to their brand.
The research shows that increasing brand awareness and visibility is the top priority for marketing leaders (54%) and that over half believe that gTLDs have strong potential for enhancing brand presence online.
However, the research also shows that almost a third (32%) of marketing leaders surveyed are unfamiliar with gTLDs, which suggests that operating a new gTLD may be a strategic opportunity that many organizations are currently overlooking.
Key findings from the research include:
- After defining a gTLD, 92% of marketing leaders responded that they could see the potential benefits to gTLDs, with enhanced brand differentiation (46%), improved customer trust (45%), better control over online presence (44%), and improved SEO (44%) topping the list.
- 19% of marketing leaders work for organizations that have previously applied for a gTLD.
- Cost concerns (31%), knowledge gaps (27%), and insufficient resources (24%) were identified as the main barriers to application.
- The research revealed notable regional variations, with Nigerian (74%) and Indian (61%) marketing leaders showing the strongest belief in gTLDs’ potential for branding and online presence. In contrast, marketers in China expressed more mixed views, with 50% seeing strong potential but 49% considering gTLDs an unnecessary investment with unclear Return On Investment.
The findings come at a time when marketing leaders are facing significant challenges in standing out from competitors (53%), attracting and engaging the right audience (52%), and keeping pace with digital trends (47%).
A new gTLD can be an innovative tool for commerce and communication. They allow businesses in specific countries, sectors, or niche markets to create an exclusive, descriptive, and memorable label on the Internet.
An entity operating a gTLD can provide its users and customers with an extra measure of confidence in its security and legitimacy online. This can be valuable in today’s environment, where users often don’t know whether they can trust the source on the Internet.
Theresa Swinehart, SVP, Global Domains & Strategy said: “The New gTLD Program: Next Round presents an opportunity for businesses, communities, governments, and others to apply to operate their own secure space online, tailored to fit their organization, community, culture, language, and customer interests.
Now is also the moment for brands to consider applying for a gTLD, and this research tells us there is still a lack of awareness. ICANN can help provide information and raise awareness of the Next Round and the opportunity it presents for global communities, organizations, and businesses, including brands.”
To help address the knowledge gap, ICANN is developing resources to help organizations understand the application process and potential opportunities for gTLDs ahead of the 2026 application window. ICANN also offers the Applicant Support Program (ASP), which provides financial and non-financial assistance to eligible applicants.
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