Breaking Down AI Barriers: Researcher Advocates ‘AI by Hand’ for Inclusive Education
As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly transforms our daily lives, a Nigerian US-Based Researcher, Cornelius Adejoro, has advocated for the use of ‘AI by Hand’ as essential tools to educate the next generation about the technology shaping their world.
Adejoro, in an interview with our Correspondent on Monday in Lokoja, said AI by Hand” offered a unique approach, using simple tools like pen, paper, and imagination to expose the logic behind machine learning.
According to him, this method helps young learners understand how decisions are made and empowers them to navigate the AI-driven world.
Speaking on its concept, Adejoro defined “AI by Hand” as an innovative approach that breaks down complex AI concepts into tangible, hands-on activities.
“By leveraging everyday tools, children can explore AI’s underlying logic and decision-making processes. This method fosters a deeper understanding of AI, encouraging kids to think creatively about its applications and implications.
“Imagine a classroom where children draw artificial neurons as circles connected by lines, simulate a dot product by multiplying numbers, or role-play as layers in a neural network, passing weighted inputs to each other like a relay race.
“These activities may seem playful, but they do serious work: they demystify the “black box” of AI and equip these kids with the foundational understanding of how data, decisions, and patterns interact.
“One may ask, why does this matter? In many classrooms today, students are encouraged to use AI tools, but very few understand how those tools function.
“This creates a generation of passive users who may grow up dependent on systems they can’t question let alone influence to align with their values or cultural norms.
“AI by hand counters that by fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and ethical awareness – key ingredients for real AI literacy,” Adejoro said.
The Researcher further stressed the importance of Al by Hand in aspect of its accessibility.
“Not every school can afford laptops, internet access, or robotics kits. But almost every child has access to pencils and paper.
“By making AI tangible and teachable without expensive technology, AI by hand makes inclusive, equitable education possible by bridging digital divides, even in low-resource environments.
“Educators and researchers have found that this approach not only builds understanding, but sparks excitement.
“Through this, children can begin to see that AI isn’t magic—it’s math, logic, and human decisions encoded in algorithms. They learn that they, too, can be builders and shapers of AI.
“In an age where artificial intelligence is often viewed as too complex or too advanced for children to grasp, AI by hand offers a powerful reminder: “a child that can draw it, you can understand it”.
And if children can understand it, they can shape the future of it with curiosity, confidence, and care,” Adejoro said.
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