Nigeria's Public Service Reforms Embrace AI for Strategic Communication

Dr. Ibrahim Arabi, Director‑General of Nigeria's Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), opened a week‑long workshop in Kano’s Dangote Business School, Bayero University, urging public‑sector communication officers to adopt artificial‑intelligence tools for strategic messaging. The training, co‑hosted with Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), emphasized data‑driven outreach, audience targeting and rapid response to misinformation, positioning AI as essential for building citizen trust in reform programmes.

Across the wider public‑relations field, a recent Muck Rack report shows 76 % of practitioners now use generative AI, citing speed, scale and the ability to distill complex ideas. Experts warn that AI must remain an assistant, not a substitute for human judgment, highlighting risks of hallucinated facts, bias and ethical lapses. Calls for oversight stress the need for training, data‑privacy safeguards and human review to preserve credibility while leveraging AI‑driven insights for media monitoring, content optimisation and strategic planning.