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News Investigators/ A professor of Linguistics at the University of Ibadan, Francis Egbokhare, has cautioned against over-reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI), insisting that the world’s deepest challenges are “humanistic, not technological.”
Mr Egbokhare stated this on Wednesday in Benin, while delivering the keynote lecture at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Arts, University of Benin (UNIBEN).
The lecturer argued that while technology has its place, it cannot replace the role of human values, philosophy, and cultural wisdom in shaping society.
“The modern human crises are not scientific problems. They are humanistic problems.
“They will not be solved by technological inventions but only through ideological restructuring,” he said.
The renowned linguist stressed that ignoring the humanities in the age of AI was a grave mistake.
“We cannot talk about technology without talking about human beings who consume it.
“To forget the humans themselves, and go ahead, is evidence that human civilization is collapsing,” he warned.
Egbokhare questioned the popular claim that AI will eventually surpass human capacity.
“Anything that is created is artificial. You are also somebody’s AI – maybe God’s AI.
“So let us draw the distinction between organic intelligence and inorganic intelligence. Machines cannot replace human consciousness, values, or empathy,” he maintained.
The guest lecturer further cautioned that society risked losing its ability to think critically if it outsourced too much to machines.
“There is a fear that we are sourcing our creativity and will create a dependency state.
“The world needs new eyes and new thinking, not only new gadgets. And those new eyes are humanistic eyes,” he added.
The world, he concluded, needed humanists to frame the debate on technology, values, and the future.
Without humanities, he said, “science itself loses its soul.”
Earlier in his opening remark, Prof. Edobo Omoregie, Vice Chancellor of the university hailed the Faculty of Arts as the “intellectual and cultural heartbeat” of the institution.
“Today is not just the marking of 50 years of existence.
“It is a celebration of legacies, of scholarship, of cultural heritage, of leadership and of unbroken commitment to the ideals of the University of Benin and the nation,” Omoregie said.
The vice-chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Victor Igbineweka, commended generations of alumni and faculty members for sustaining UNIBEN’s reputation locally and globally.
He, however, urged current scholars to aspire to greater heights in research, innovation, and community service.
Declaring the celebration open, he noted that the milestone should not only remind the faculty and the university of the past trials but also “propel is to better heights in teaching, research, and cultural renewal.”
The golden jubilee celebration, which featured cultural performances, book launch, and alumni homecoming, also highlighted the enduring contributions of the faculty to scholarship and society.
In his address of welcome, Prof. Osadolor Benin, Dean, Faculty of Arts of the University, said the faculty in the past years had continued to lead scholarship, preserve cultural identity and shape society with vision and creativity.
The anniversary featured performances, an alumni homecoming, awards.and a luncheon among others.
