Founder of the African Soft power group, Dr. Nkiru Balonwu has called on Nigeria’s creative sector to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as both a challenge and a transformative opportunity.
Speaking at the QED NG Creative PowerHouse Summit on Tuesday, August, 12th, Balonwu described AI as a “disruptive force” whose rapid evolution is reshaping the global creative economy.
Citing the example of DeepSeek’s open-weight model, trained for just $6 million, the keynote speaker noted that the report was proof that cutting-edge AI capabilities are becoming more affordable and accessible.
READ ALSO: BBNaija 10: Bright Morgan One Strike Away From Disqualification As Sultana Receives Alcohol Ban
“This illustrates how quickly frontier capability is becoming more affordable and how barriers to entry are being reshaped,” she said.
She emphasised that several Nigerians possess the financial resources to make similar investments if the right fundamentals are in place.
Referencing recent comments by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Dr. Balonwu contrasted earlier skepticism about emerging economies catching up with AI giants to his more recent optimism about countries like India becoming AI leaders. She argued that Nigeria could also seise this moment, provided it invests in tools, training, and infrastructure to integrate AI into its creative industries.
“While concerns about originality, ethics, and livelihoods are valid, AI could be the very tool that allows us to leapfrog and monetize our cultural assets globally,” she said.
Dr. Balonwu urged stakeholders to view AI not as a threat but as an enabler for growth, stressing that collaboration is essential for the industry’s future.
“The next frontier of growth is not in competing for the very small slice of pie, but in working together to make the entire pie bigger. And when it’s bigger, it’s bigger for everybody,” she concluded.
The QED NG Creative PowerHouse Summit brought together industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers to explore strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s creative economy. Dr. Balonwu’s message served as a call to action for Nigerian creatives to adapt early and work collectively to secure a place at the forefront of the global AI-driven economy.