NITDA to use AI for youth policy while warning against data risks

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is implementing new strategies regarding the use of artificial intelligence in Nigeria. At the maiden National Youth Conference in Abuja, Director-General Kashifu Inuwa announced that the agency will deploy AI to capture and analyze ideas from young Nigerians. This technology is intended to help the government filter through social media noise to identify genuine policy aspirations regarding the economy, job creation, and technology, ultimately translating these insights into formal policy proposals.

Simultaneously, NITDA has issued a security advisory warning organizations and employees against inputting sensitive, classified, or personal data into public AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot. The agency cautioned that information entered into these Large Language Models may be retained or used by providers to train future models, potentially leading to data breaches, violations of protection laws, and risks to national security. NITDA recommends that staff use only organization-approved tools and anonymize any personally identifiable information before using AI platforms.