Cosmopolitan varsity honours winners of first AI competition for secondary students

The management of Cosmopolitan University has honoured some students of secondary school who excelled in its first artificial intelligence (AI) competition.
Speaking during the presentation of awards to the winners in Abuja, the
Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Carl Adams, said that the institution had been at the forefront of promoting and using AI for educational purposes.
Adams said the ‘create with AI competition’ tested students in secondary school in areas such as creativity, evaluation, and referencing.
The vice-chancellor said that the university had been collaborating with institutions within and outside Nigeria to promote the use of AI, noting that the competition was an extension of that effort.
“It is the future of education, nursing, business, and many organisations. We are collaborating with other universities within and outside Nigeria.
“This AI competition is an extension of that. AI is embedded in many activities of many organisations and we will continue to grow. This competition is one of many to come in the future,” he said.
Also, Dr Ibrahim Mani, registrar of the university, said the institution needed to take the driver’s seat in promoting AI among secondary school students using the competition.
“We aim to make this grow in the coming years. Hopefully, we want to make it a national event, and gradually, it will become an international event.
“This is the trajectory that we are going down. Why are we pushing for AI? AI will determine almost everything that will happen tomorrow. AI will crisscross and transverse every human endeavour.
“If you look at it, we are seeing an incremental presence of AI in our everyday lives. We don’t want you to be left behind, and that informed the need for this competition,” he said.
On her part, the Coordinator of the Create with AI competition team, Dr Juliet Okpo, said the university sought to promote responsible AI practices among the students because AI is sweeping across all spheres of life.
Okpo said that students at the university were exposed to AI technology through teaching and learning to adequately prepare them to face life after school.
She added that the institution intended to reach as many students as possible and came up with the competition.
Students from Roberto Secondary School, Bristol Academy, and Starville Secondary School who took part in the competition were presented with awards.
Khalid Alao of Roberto won gold in the creativity and referencing categories, while Ifeoluwa Bankole-Ladipo of Starville School won gold in the evaluation category.
Others are Okoye Chineme from Bristol Academy, won silver in creativity; Semilore Adesipe of Starville, won bronze; Godreigns Amedari of Starville School, won silver in the evaluation category; and Onwuneme Jessica of Bristol Academy, won bronze, among others. (NAN)