A PhD holder in Public Health from Maastricht University, Dr John Kingsley Krugu, has cautioned Ghanaian students against excessive reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for academic work, warning that the technology could undermine their ability to think and learn independently.
Dr Krugu, a former NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Zebila, and now New Patriotic Party (NPP) Environment and Natural Resources Spokesperson, says AI is a powerful learning tool but must not replace the intellectual effort required to acquire knowledge and expertise.
According to him, the growing use of AI among Ghanaian students for assignments, essays, presentations, calculations and other academic tasks raises concerns about what he describes as “never-skilling”, a situation where individuals fail to develop a skill because technology performs the difficult tasks for them from the beginning.
He argues on his social media page that academic growth comes from struggling with problems, making mistakes, receiving feedback, reading and practising.
Dr Krugu says the consequences of excessive dependence could be particularly serious in professions such as medicine, engineering, law, journalism and accounting, where professionals must be able to exercise independent judgement.
He used the example of a medical student who relies heavily on AI during training and later becomes a doctor, questioning whether such a professional would be able to identify and correct an AI-generated error when the technology is unavailable or wrong.
Reflecting on his own academic journey, he said the challenges he encountered while pursuing his PhD before the widespread advent of AI were part of the process that developed his analytical abilities.
He has therefore urged young Ghanaians to “first build the brain, then use the machine.”
Dr Krugu encouraged students to master fundamentals, read, write, solve problems independently and develop the ability to analyse evidence and defend their conclusions before using AI to improve productivity.
He likened AI to an aircraft autopilot, stressing that while the technology can assist with navigation, users must first learn how to fly.
He says the future will favour people who can effectively use AI, but even more so those who can think independently, recognise when AI is wrong and know when not to trust it.
Source: Bolgafmonline.com| 102.7 MHz| Accra
