By Tade Oshaloto, Rosemary Abiodun
Professor K.I.T. Eniola fNSM, FRA, Vice Chancellor of Kogi State University, Kabba, has emphasized the need for increased investment in Artificial Intelligence infrastructure and capacity building in research institutions. He made this call while delivering the 3rd Annual Lecture of the School of Life Sciences at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
The Professor of Environmental and Public Health Microbiology stressed that universities must develop policies for AI-driven research to address societal problems and facilitate knowledge generation, transfer, and application. He highlighted the importance of transdisciplinary research between AI experts and life scientists.
The Vice Chancellor noted that AI has transformed research methodologies, enabling faster literature reviews, internet-based information sourcing, and easy deployment of AI tools. He identified machine learning, deep learning, bioinformatics, and data analytics as subfields of AI that are relevant to the field of life sciences.
He emphasized the need for stakeholders to acknowledge the reality of AI in education while ensuring regulation of its use.
In her address, FUTA’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, Professor Taiwo Amos, emphasized the timeliness and relevance of the lecture’s theme. She noted that life sciences, integrated with AI, can unlock innovative solutions for poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and national progress.
The Dean, School of Life Sciences, Professor Michael Ashamo, highlighted the importance of annual lectures in provoking discussions, growth, and nation-building. He emphasized the need for Nigeria to leverage the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by AI, IoT, and other technologies.
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