Allow students to use AI, but teach them to think critically – Professor Stephen Adei

Professor Stephen Adei, former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has voiced his support for students in Ghana using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a learning tool, emphasising that the responsibility lies with educators to design assessments that encourage critical thinking beyond AI’s capabilities.

Speaking as a panel member at the Graphic National Development Series (GNDS) held today at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Prof. Adei argued that banning AI would only hinder progress.

“About the AI – listen, I would like the young people to use AI. We can't go back,” he stated, adding that teachers should shift their approach by crafting questions that demand analysis and reflection, areas where AI falls short. 

"The trouble is...often times the students are smarter than the teachers. That’s where the real challenge is. Let them use AI, but ask a question in such a way."

Prof. Adei highlighted the role of AI as a tool that students can leverage for information gathering and efficiency, while educators must lead students to think independently. He recounted his own experience of testing AI’s limitations by asking a question, only for it to respond, “I’m only a machine.” 

This, he said, underscores that AI, despite its vast data processing abilities, lacks true understanding.

The Professor called on schools to integrate AI responsibly rather than restrict its use, drawing from examples at institutions like Ashesi University, where engineering students use AI-driven technologies to build practical solutions, such as robots for garden maintenance. He urged schools to follow suit by adopting technologies like Chromebooks to prepare students for the future. 

“We would want to teach you to responsibly use it, rather than to keep you off,” he noted, advocating for a curriculum that combines AI with hands-on problem-solving.

Comparing resistance to AI to the historical Luddite movement against technology, Prof Adei warned that an anti-AI stance would be a step backwards. 

“The problem is not with AI. It’s we catching up so that the students can use AI for the AI things and move forward to do more practical things,” he stated.