If you ask any Nigerian university lecturer today, they’ll likely say the same thing: students use AI for everything—assignments, class discussions, even job applications. But maybe, just maybe, AI isn’t the enemy. At least, that’s what some students at Covenant University (CU) think.
To find out how AI and tech tools are shaping academic life and future careers, I asked students and alumni of the Nigerian private university how they’re using AI and how they think it could help them later in their careers. Ironically, and maybe predictably, some used AI to respond to my questions.
Here’s what they had to say.
“If not for ChatGPT, where would I be?”
Toyosi, a Mass Communication graduate from Covenant University (class of 2020) who’s now studying for an MBA elsewhere in Nigeria, didn’t mince words. “If not for ChatGPT, where would I be?” she wrote via WhatsApp.
“AI has helped me to understand schoolwork. It doesn’t mean I don’t do the work; it just makes the process faster since there’s barely time to read, analyse, and come up with solutions.”
For many students like Toyosi, the appeal of AI isn’t laziness; it’s efficiency.
Error Code
Sam, a postgraduate Economics student at CU, has a similar story—though with a caveat.
“Recently, I wanted to draw a chart. I had my data compiled and ran it through ChatGPT. It gave me an error code: it couldn’t process it further,” he said. “AI and the tech ecosystem don’t always give perfect answers to all questions dumped in the chat box.”
Funmi, another postgraduate student, said the solution is to balance technology with actual reading and critical thinking.
Using AI to talk about AI?
Covenant University doesn’t take AI use lightly. Assignments and dissertations are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin and other AI detection tools.
Despite this, students continue to lean into AI, even using it to respond when I asked about their AI use. One response I got read like it had been plucked straight out of a chatbot:
“Technology and AI will play a key role in chemical engineering by optimizing complex processes, limiting costs, and enhancing sustainability. AI can analyze vast experimental data, predict results, detect faults, and guide real-time decision-making.”
It’s not a surprise that AI detection tools often flag students’ writing. Dami, a postgraduate Microbiology student, ran her original essay through an AI detector and was told it was 30% AI-generated. “But I wrote it myself!” she said.
Last year, there was an uproar on the Nigerian Twitter space when a British-American influencer accused a Nigerian of using AI to write an email because he used the word “delve”. Dami’s use of similar words might be the reason the AI detector flagged her work. This is one of the reasons very few students like Dami shy away from using AI.
The future of work
Tomiwa, a 400-level Biotechnology student, believes AI will be a powerful tool for scientists. She says it can help generate alternative methodologies to biotechnological processes, lighten research workload, and even reduce the mental fatigue that comes with lab work.
Still, too much reliance on AI could make human input seem less valuable.
On the other side of the world, Bolu, a CU alumna now working as a psychologist in the US, says AI is already making a difference in therapy delivery. She explains that in the near future, some clients would rely more on AI for therapy when they can’t afford a session or struggle with social interaction. Bolu uses AI tools for note-taking and tracking her clients’ progress, and shares concerns about AI replacing jobs like hers.
In a recent interview, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said AI would soon replace many professionals. Like Bolu and Gates, Dami believes AI could lead to lower pay and fewer jobs in the long term.
Who gets the credit?
Here is where the trouble lies: If AI can take the credit for your cold email and your school assignment, why can’t it take credit for your job? Maybe when this dawns on students, they would have a new approach to AI. Then, sadly, only few students might be able to relate to Toyosi’s “If not for ChatGPT, where would I be?” question in the future. They need to start learning new ways to get the credit, and they need to learn it fast.
Maybe the real problem isn’t that students are using AI, but that we’re not talking enough about how they should be using it.
The students who learn to use AI wisely now could be the ones who stay relevant tomorrow in their careers, just like Gates predicted in his interview.
