Ethical Considerations and Applications of AI-Generated Content in Communication and Media Studies in Nigeria

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automated technologies have made great inroads into tertiary education across the globe including Nigeria. Communication and Media Studies is one of the areas where the impact is already being felt as students rely on automated technologies to generate content for their class assignments and projects. With the unbundling of Mass Communication into several departments across university and polytechnic systems in Nigeria, raising ethically minded individuals and professionals across the different dimensions of communication and media studies has been placed in the front burner. AI use has become increasingly compounded by the non-availability of a regulatory framework in Nigeria's educational system. Employing qualitative literature review, this study leans on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its theoretical framework to expose the use of AI tools and the ethical implications of their use in media studies in Nigeria. The study recommends a paradigm shift in media literacy to include developing technical skills and technologically innovative tools for the detection of AI-generated content.