By Ifeoma Ben, LLM, MBA
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the global media landscape, and Nigeria is no exception. Tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and other generative AI platforms are being adopted across journalism, advertising, and entertainment industries for content creation, automation, and personalisation. From automated news summaries to AI-generated jingles and synthetic actors in skits, the influence of AI in shaping how Nigerians consume and create content is expanding rapidly. While these innovations present undeniable opportunities, they also raise critical ethical and legal questions that the media and legal industries must urgently address.
AI in Nigerian Journalism
In journalism, AI tools are increasingly being used to draft reports, write headlines, and analyse large data sets for investigative stories. This can improve productivity and speed, especially for understaffed newsrooms. However, questions around accuracy, bias, and accountability remain. Who is responsible when AI-generated news content is false or misleading? Moreover, given Nigeria’s complex political and ethnic landscape, even small errors in automated reporting can lead to serious misinformation and public unrest. The Nigerian Code of Ethics for Journalists, developed well before the rise of AI, provides limited guidance on these emerging concerns.
Advertising and AI Creativity
In advertising, AI is being used to personalise campaigns, generate video content, and even simulate human voices and faces. Nigerian brands are beginning to experiment with these tools to cut costs and create rapid-turnaround campaigns. However, this raises concerns about authenticity, intellectual property, and consumer trust. If an AI tool generates a concept similar to an existing work, can it be considered copyright infringement? And if a virtual influencer endorses a product, is there a duty to disclose that it’s AI-generated? These are critical questions that Nigerian advertising regulators and legal practitioners must engage with.
Entertainment and Synthetic Media
Nigeria’s entertainment industry—particularly Nollywood—is beginning to feel the ripple effects of AI. Synthetic actors, AI voice-overs, and scriptwriting tools are making production cheaper and more efficient. While this can democratise content creation and empower small creators, it also threatens traditional roles and opens up deepfake risks. The potential misuse of AI to replicate voices and faces of Nigerian celebrities without consent calls for urgent legal protection. As of now, Nigeria lacks clear legislation addressing personality rights or the unauthorized use of likenesses in digital media.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
The ethical challenges of AI-generated content cut across several legal domains in Nigeria: data privacy, copyright law, personality rights, and media regulation. The Nigerian Data Protection Act, 2023, offers some foundational principles, but it does not directly regulate generative AI content. Meanwhile, copyright laws are being tested as AI-generated works blur the lines of authorship. Is the developer of the AI the rightful owner, or the person who prompted it? Courts and regulators will need to evolve quickly to interpret existing laws in this new context—or better still, legislate to cover these gaps.
Opportunities for Nigeria
Despite the ethical concerns, Nigeria has a unique opportunity to lead in setting responsible AI standards in Africa. By involving stakeholders—tech innovators, media professionals, lawyers, and regulators—the country can develop frameworks that encourage innovation while safeguarding rights. Educational institutions and legal associations can also begin offering training on the ethical use of AI in media to build awareness and capacity.
In conclusion, the use of AI-generated media content in Nigeria brings both remarkable possibilities and serious ethical dilemmas. The challenge lies in finding a balance between embracing technological advancement and upholding accountability, creativity, and human dignity. For media professionals, legal practitioners, and policymakers, the time to act is now—before the technology outpaces the regulation.
Ifeoma Ben is a Partner at The Law Suite and the Editor-in-Chief of Lawhauz Magazine and can be reached on 08033754299
