Africa-Press – Namibia.
Is the usuage and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) counter productive and robbing people off their right to be creative? Or is AI the next best thing since the invention of sliced bread?
Commonly, AI is understood as computer systems that perform functions requiring human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, decision-making, and recognising speech and images.
And not far from this understanding, these systems learn from existing information and data and behavioural patterns. It first emerged in the 1900s.
It understands language and operates autonomously in complex situations and is used in processing industries, for data analytics, production and other complex day-to-day activities. It helps complete difficult, time-consuming tasks in less time.
Nevertheless, currently, Open AI, the creator company of AI, is working towards a different phase; artificial general intelligence (AGI). These are “highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work.”
AI alone is designed for specific tasks within defined parameters and excels at narrow applications, but AGI would be able to reason, solve problems, and adapt like a human across any domain, even surpassing them.
OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that AGI, “benefits all of humanity.” This is written in its charter.
But the use of AI has always drawn mixed responses and opinions. To many, it’s an effective tool that helps improve completed tasks.
Others feel AI robs people of one of the basic personality trait that set humans apart from other mammals; logical thinking and its application.
Research associate at the Institute for Public Policy Research, Frederico Links, told New Era that in knowledge industries, for academics, students and researchers, like him, finding references and citing sources has become effortless. It breaks down complex reports and simplifies books, “a whole new highway to information access,” he noted.
AI’s insurgence felt across fields of information and communication technology (ICT), finance, business, health, engineering, education, and policies, among others.
However, experts also warn, AI may also pose certain risks across these industries. With current debates, AI may be more of a concern than a benefit tool is in the journalism industry.
Generally, the most used AI Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) regurgitates information readily available on the internet.
Links added users risk plagiarising if they do not attribute sources. He added that there’s clearly a lack of ethical consideration around this issue. Whether its ignorance or ego that contributes to plagiarism, as writers fail to attribute AI, there is no shame in making such an indication, he supported. “And that goes for reporters, opinion writers, and academics,” he added.
Another point is that both users and audiences’ risk being misinformed. “They just trust what AI is giving them,” he asserted. It remains a problem, as it contributes to the already dwindling public trust in the media, he noted. Links believes, new writers may face credibility challenges, unlike old writers, whose writing styles and patterns are well known by readers. “If you’re just jumping out of the woodwork and writing perfect English and you’ve never produced anything of this nature before, of course people are going to be suspicious,”
Links underlined.
In his view, a reader’s trust increases when AI is rightly attributed. Media Ombudsman Sadraga Shihomeka, during an interview, said that the media industry has also been shaken by AI’s impacts. Shihomeka said AI helps media outlets in reducing staff complement.
“… And reducing staff complement, AI is helping them out to produce quality productions,” he said.
AI is also being used for training purposes, “self-training for that matter.” He added. However, Shihomeka state that it becomes a problem when creators use AI and are not acknowledging its use.
He discourages journalists and writers from using AI to write an entire story or opinion article.
“Use AI as a tool to assist you to come up with a proper article, an opinion article. But do not use it now to completely replace you from the whole process,” he noted.
Marketing
One of the industries benefiting most from AI’s revolution is the marketing industry. Founder of Tulip Media Consultancy Albertina Kashuupulwa said that the marketing field continues to evolve on a regular basis.
She said AI tools has made marketing smarter by helping businesses understand what customers want and when they want it. “It creates advertisements (Ads), suggest products to customers, and talks to customers through chatbots,” she added. Kashuupulwa also explained that customers are always looking for efficiency, and these tools saves their time and makes marketing more personal and effective.
But on the contrary, AI has been associated with harvesting customer personal data without clear consent.
Cybersecurity expert Iyaloo Waiganjo during this year’s Namibia Marketing Renaissance Conference shed light on its ethical dilemmas. AI uses algorithms to personalised ads. “It shows luxury goods to only one demographic [leaving out others]. And while [social media] accounts may have thousands of followers, there are zero human cells on the other side,” she mentioned.
Tertiary education
In higher learning institutions, students use AI Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT for assignments and other projects. A research study conducted at the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, in Romania, published on 11 March 2025 revealed significant results. It found that AI benefits students by personalising learning, improving academic outcomes, and enhancing student engagement. The drawbacks, however, include diminished critical thinking skills, data privacy risks, and academic dishonesty.
In the same vein, the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) recently told New Era that its academic stakeholders continue to be overreliant on emerging technologies.
Like most higher learning institutions in the country, plagiarism and AI detection tools
are being used, but these tools have become deficient, the university indicated.
“Some universities, globally, have begun shifting away from AI detectors, citing several shortcomings ranging from accuracy concerns, equity issues for non-native English speakers, and practicality,” NUST wrote to New Era in August 2025. This includes the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Vanderbilt University in the United States, and other institutions in the countries, including in the United Kingdom.
Nust asserted, as AI models are constantly evolving, ethical and legal concerns around data privacy, student consent, and institutional liability are evolving too.
To encourage originality and guide academic work, the university stated that it has now developed a policy on AI use.
It further stated, “We take note that fellow universities are reviewing or phasing out AI detection tools. However, from a policy perspective we are still weighing this option.”
Entertainment
Interestingly, the entertainment industry has also been impacted. Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) chairperson Joseph ‘Jossy Joss’ Ailonga stated that the impact is minimal, but expected to rise once more people learn what AI can do for them when it comes to song writing and production. AI tools can benefit artists as they can now have a songwriter and demos for their music.
“They can then re-record those same demos in their own voice and add their flavours to that,” he explained. Meanwhile, Nascam is still pushing for the Copyright and Related Rights protection bill to be passed so they produce their own AI policy that will govern music production.
“These policies must be based on the national laws,” the chairperson maintained.
Nascam is a member of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), which has a system that monitors the use of AI, and they are implementing a new system by 2026 which Nascam use to monitor any infringements by AI producers.
At the moment, in the country, there’s no music award competition that is open to having AI songs submitted, although it could be something that award committees are looking into. When award committees remove the restrictions, “perhaps it will be worth while to have a separate category for AI, in award competitions,” he noted.
Policy
The Namibian government is seeking to fully adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various sectors, while also planning to regulate its use. ICT minister Emma Theofelus recently announced the ministry is in the process of developing an Artificial Intelligence Act. The ministry has already developed the draft bill.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Unesco AI readiness assessment methodology revealed that Namibia is not far from ready in fully integrating the tool.
Although efforts are still needed in policy development, capacity building and infrastructure improvement.
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