The Catholic University of Ghana (CUG) has held its second inaugural lecture, with a call on students’ researchers to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the nation’s food security and improving disease and fire management systems.
Professor Adebayo Felix Adekoya, the Head of the Department of Computing, Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences, noted that AI hand enormous prospects in tackling critical and emerging human needs.
However, cautioned students and research to be guided by high ethical standards, data privacy and human dignity in the use of AI technology.
The lecture held at the main campus of the University at Fiapre, near Sunyani, was on the theme “artificial intelligence: A measure of divinity’s kindness to humanity” and was attended by students and faculty members.
Prof Adekoya noted that the productive use of AI could save lives through early disease detection like cancer imaging and diabetic retinopathy, as well as precision medicine and drug discovery.
He said AI technology could also be used to enhance national food security through precision agriculture yield optimization, disease detection and control as livestock monitoring.
Prof Adekoya indicated that with AI decision making could be well empowered through decision support systems of disaster management, resource allocation and autonomous systems for safety and efficiency
He asked the students and researchers to also contribute towards tackling growing misinformation and disinformation in the AI space.
Prof Daniels Obeng-Ofori, the Vice Chancellor of the CUG said: “AI is an all-inclusive technology from agriculture to zoology”, describing the technology as “divine because we know that the source of wisdom and knowledge is God”.
“That is why it’s important that we all embrace, accept and use AI technology”, he stated urging experts to do more to address and minimize AI’s shortcomings, concerns and biases.
Prof Obeng-Ofori added that: “AI is an emerging technology that can help us to think and reason well to improve job productivity”.