Artificial Intelligence (AI) is swiftly changing industries across the globe, and Nigeria is not an exception.
Although certain technology professionals experience job instability as a result of automation, creative individuals, such as writers, designers, and content creators, are utilising AI to boost productivity and foster innovation.
This transition highlights the challenges and opportunities that AI presents to Nigeria’s evolving digital economy.
While AI is causing the displacement of specific jobs within the tech sector, it is also fostering a new wave of innovation among content creators, designers, and digital entrepreneurs throughout the nation.
Over the past few years, the Nigerian tech industry has undergone a significant shift in hiring trends.
Numerous software engineers, frontend developers, and even some data analysts have reported layoffs, contract terminations, or diminished job prospects due to the increasing use of AI-driven tools and automation systems.
Businesses in major cities, including Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, which were once heavily dependent on local developers, are progressively adopting AI platforms like GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, and ChatGPT-4.5 to streamline coding, documentation, and even bug resolution.
Tasks that previously required a team of developers can now, in some instances, be managed by a single AI-savvy operator supported by generative code assistants.
A 2024 report by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) acknowledged that while AI offers long-term economic benefits, short-term job displacements in coding, testing, and customer support roles are inevitable.
Creatives Ride the AI Wave
In sharp contrast to the challenges faced by numerous tech professionals, Nigerian creatives—particularly content creators, digital marketers, musicians, and graphic designers—are enthusiastically adopting AI tools with a sense of entrepreneurial spirit.
Social media influencers and YouTubers are now utilising platforms such as Canva AI, Adobe Firefly, and Runway ML to quickly produce visual assets, short-form videos, and brand-ready designs within minutes.
AI voice-cloning technologies are helping podcasters reduce studio expenses, while AI video editing software, such as Descript and Pictory AI, enables editors to automate laborious post-production processes.
For music producers, services like Soundful and Boomy are facilitating the swift creation of beats and soundtracks. Visual artists and animators in Nigeria are exploring tools such as Midjourney, Leonardo AI, and DALL·E 3 to develop detailed concept art and design prototypes.
‘AI Is Meant To Assist Us’
In an exclusive interview with Naija News correspondent, an Ilorin-based Brand Designer and CEO Ovit Technologies, Imran Adeniran, acknowledged that some group of persons are losing their jobs following the emergence of AI.
However, he believes that only those unwilling to utilise AI tools to enhance their creativity are being relieved of their jobs.
Adeniran noted that AI tools are meant to assist creatives with their work, not to take over their jobs.
He said, “Yes, AI is sacking people from their jobs. However, in my experience, those being sacked are typically those who are unwilling to utilise AI tools in their work or processes. AI is meant to assist us. To think with us and make the process faster. Whether we choose to accept it or not, it’s here to stay, so we have to embrace it. Those who choose not to are the ones being “sacked” from their work and replaced.”
On the future of AI, Adeniran said: “Like I mentioned above, it’s here to stay. Ten years ago, no one imagined that a tool like ChatGPT, for example, would be here to do all we’re seeing from it now. And it’s just the beginning. We’ve seen an increase in models being deployed over the last few months, and they’re serving as upgrades for the first generation of AI tools. In 10 years? Everyone will be amazed by what these tools can do.”
“AI has helped and is helping me fast-track my design process. I prompt it like an expert and request specific details to improve my design deliverables further, and so far, it’s been wonderful,” he added.
Digital Divide and Learning Gaps
It is worth noting that the shift with AI is not without its challenges. A stark digital divide remains, with rural and underfunded areas lacking the necessary internet infrastructure and technical literacy to fully benefit from the AI revolution.
Moreover, the fast-paced nature of AI advancement has left many traditional tech professionals struggling to keep up with the new skills in demand, such as prompt engineering, AI ethics, and machine learning deployment.
“AI is a tool. And like every tool, its value depends on how—and by whom—it is used. What we’re seeing today is a major shift: AI has significantly reduced the rigour and intensity of daily tasks, making once-overwhelming work more manageable. But this ease has come with consequences, especially for the tech industry,” a Lagos-based Product Marketing Manager, Omotosho Temitayo Jesulayomi, said in an exclusive chat with Naija News correspondent.
Commenting on the job losses following the emergence of AI, Jesulayomi said: “Let’s be honest—yes, AI is displacing some roles. In the tech industry, where automation and precision reign, AI tools have become highly efficient replacements for specific job functions. Tasks that once required days or weeks can now be executed in minutes using a few well-crafted prompts.
“Developers, interface designers, and even product managers are now contending with tools that can generate working code, functional UI, and complex workflows with minimal human input.
“For instance, I can open Lovable—an AI assistant for code building and UI—and simply type:
“Create a clone of the Nike website for my photography service. …and in minutes, I have a solid layout, interface, and even user flow to work with.
“That’s powerful. But it’s also a wake-up call.”
‘AI Doesn’t Lead, It Follows’
Speaking further on how creatives are exploring AI tools, he said: “AI hasn’t made the same kind of leap in the creative industry. In fact, it’s amplifying the creative process, not replacing it. Creatives are still the ones driving AI tools, refining outputs, and setting goals that only trained eyes and imaginative minds can bring to life. AI here doesn’t lead—it follows.”
Jesulayomi added: “Take this prompt, for example, used to generate a photo or artwork:
“Cinematic overhead shot of me standing hands in my pockets on a brick city sidewalk, wearing a royal blue formal blazer. A motion-blurred crowd rushes past around me. Moody lighting, 35mm film look, shallow depth of field, sharp focus on me. Portrait ratio 4:3. No changing face.
“That’s not just a prompt. That’s vision. It takes creative skill to imagine and articulate that scene—and even more to refine it into something meaningful. This is where creatives still have the upper hand: AI for them is a co-creator, not a competitor.”
“So, is AI sacking people? In some areas, yes, particularly in tech roles where tasks are easily defined and repeatable. But in creativity, AI still requires human imagination, emotional depth, and intentionality. That’s not something you can replace with a few lines of text.
“Looking ahead, the next 10 years in tech will be radically different. AI tools will become the default, not the optional. More startups will run leaner teams. CEOs will design their own websites. Founders will ship MVPs without hiring entire dev squads. The tech workforce will shift toward hybrid roles—professionals who combine technical know-how with creativity, strategy, and AI fluency.
“But in all this, the creatives who can guide, imagine, and humanise AI will remain indispensable.
“Because in tech, AI can replace execution. In creativity, it still needs direction.”
Winners In This Era Will Be Those Who Learn To Use AI
Sharing his insight into the happenings in the tech industry and how AI is shaping the lives of creatives, a Motion Designer, Oreoluwa Odetola, believed that those who will thrive in this era would be those learning and applying AI in their creative works.
“The truth is AI is displacing jobs, it’s a new era, and it brings a new dawn to things changing how things used to be and revamping it to a better and new perspective.
“But the flip side of the coin is that as it is displacing jobs, it is creating more jobs as well. People just need to know and understand it to see the possibility it has for them.
“It is vital to mention that the winners in this new era will be those who learn to collaborate with AI rather than compete against it.
“AI is here already, nobody should fight it, embrace it early and learn what the solution it’s providing,” the Ilorin-based Techie said.
Speaking on the future of the tech industry with AI, Odetola said: “I know I am sure a lot will change in the next 20 years, I think 20 years is even far cause a lot is changing at the moment and in a few years to come, things will change.
“A lot of AI tools will come out and a whole lot of software are out, coming out, and some are still cooking. Talking of Agentic AI, Generative AI, Robotics AI, Automations, I mean a lot is buzzing now and will continue to.
“In my company, where I work, Loubby AI and DivVerse Lab, our goal is to lead and build the next gen of AI agents for businesses, where we get to know what your repetitive tasks and activities are, and we build an AI agent that does that for you anytime you need it.
“Moreover, I worked with a guy who is currently in Sweden for his Master’s and the inventions he is talking about are mind-blowing, meaning there is a lot ahead.”
Speaking further, he told Naija News correspondent: “Being a motion designer before I get to think alone but with AI I can sit with it and draft out a script, explain storyboard, use AI to voice the script, there are some tools that can build some videos tho they are not yet in a fine state. But it has helped a lot.
“A new era in motion design is the infusion of AI with motion design for immersive spaces where you can interact with your UI for your car dashboard without touching any physical thing, such that the experience lives in your world, you can feel it sort of companies like Audi and co are already producing vehicles like that.
“So there is a lot that is going on right now.”
Government and Industry Response
Naija News reports that while the Nigerian government has acknowledged the transformative power of AI through policy drafts like the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, implementation is still in its infancy.
Stakeholders are urging immediate investment in AI upskilling programs and innovation hubs to prevent mass job displacement and digital poverty.
Big tech firms operating in Nigeria, including Microsoft, Google, and Meta, have launched various AI bootcamps and learning grants targeted at developers and creatives alike; however, the impact remains limited to urban centres.
Looking Ahead
AI is here to stay, and its dual effect on Nigeria’s economy is unmistakable. For some, it’s a threat to job security; for others, it’s a gateway to creative liberation and global relevance. The difference lies in adaptation.
As AI continues to reshape the nature of work, Nigeria’s tech professionals and creatives face a critical choice: evolve with the tide or risk being left behind.
In summary, “You either learn how to use AI, or you’ll be replaced by someone who can.”
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