The growing tendency to blame artificial intelligence for every scandal is deeply troubling, particularly in Nigeria. It has reached a point where, tomorrow, someone could commit an offence in broad daylight and simply claim it was “AI-generated”.
The recent viral clip involving Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North, and a South African social media personality has been hastily dismissed by his media handlers as an AI fabrication. This explanation, however, appears to be an attempt to evade public accountability rather than a genuine technological clarification.
The disturbing trend now is the deliberate misuse of the concept of artificial intelligence as a convenient shield to deflect responsibility, silence public scrutiny and undermine legitimate concerns. In doing so, Nigeria is inadvertently portraying AI as a tool for deception rather than innovation, thereby turning a transformative technology into an excuse for reputational crisis management.
From what is publicly available, there is no credible basis upon which the circulating images and videos can reasonably be classified as AI generated. More importantly, the materials were posted by the individual who was physically present with the senator at the time. The context surrounding the posts strongly suggests that they were uploaded intentionally, not mistakenly or through manipulation.
In my view, it would be wise for the senator to address the matter directly and resolve whatever personal dispute may exist with the young woman involved, before further content is released into the public domain. A public figure of such seniority and political standing should not be entangled in situations capable of eroding public confidence and moral authority.
Edo North, and indeed Edo State, deserve clarity, responsibility and restraint from their elected representatives. Attempts to dismiss public concerns with a vague reference to artificial intelligence only insult the intelligence and sensibilities of Nigerians.
Deacon Amb. Darlington Okpebholo Ray writes from London, England.
