By Mahdi Waziri Isa
Postgraduate researchers have been urged to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a research-support tool while maintaining academic integrity, critical thinking and human responsibility.
The call was highlighted in a lead paper presented by Professor Fatima Batul Mukhtar, the Vice-Chancellor of Azman University, Kano at the 3rd Biennial Postgraduate Conference 2026 of Ahmadu Bello University’s Postgraduate College, Zaria, on Tuesday, October 13.
In the paper, “titled Transforming Postgraduate Scholarship for Societal Impact and Sustainable Development in an AI-Driven Knowledge Economy,” Prof. Mukhtar outlined how AI can support literature discovery, information organisation, data analysis, coding, modelling, translation, language editing and research communication.
She explained that the technology offers opportunities to improve research productivity, expand access to knowledge and strengthen researchers’ analytical capabilities.
However, the she cautioned that AI cannot replace human judgement, originality, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, interpretation, methodological decisions, accountability and contextual understanding.
Prof. Mukhtar identified fabricated information and references, bias, plagiarism, privacy risks, intellectual-property concerns, overdependence on AI, unequal access and the possible weakening of critical thinking as major risks associated with its use in academic research.
Her paper stressed the importance of academic integrity, transparency, human oversight and ethical use of AI, noting that researchers must remain responsible for the accuracy and quality of their work.
It also highlighted the need for universities to establish clear AI policies, strengthen research ethics and improve digital infrastructure to support responsible adoption of emerging technologies.
The presentation called for postgraduate curricula to incorporate AI literacy and encouraged supervisors to guide students on research design, data management, research integrity, interdisciplinary collaboration and the ethical implications of AI-assisted scholarship.
It further argued that the value of AI should be determined by how responsibly it contributes to meaningful research rather than by its availability alone.
Beyond the use of AI, the paper called for a broader transformation of postgraduate scholarship, urging researchers to focus on solving societal problems and ensuring that their findings inform policy, encourage innovation and contribute to sustainable development.
For African researchers, it identified opportunities in documenting indigenous knowledge, evaluating traditional practices, preserving cultural heritage and connecting local knowledge with contemporary science.
The presentation also identified infrastructure, digital inequality, inadequate research funding, limited data availability and gaps in AI literacy and regulatory capacity as challenges that could constrain the effective use of AI in African research institutions.
The conference is themed “Innovative Postgraduate Research and Sustainable Development in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.”
The presentation highlighted the need to balance technological advancement with ethical responsibility and human judgement to ensure that AI contributes meaningfully to the future of postgraduate research.