Veteran Nigerian actress, director and businesswoman Joke Silva is urging creatives to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for enhancing their work rather than viewing the technology as a replacement for human creativity.

Silva made the call on Tuesday at the QED Creative Powerhouse Summit 2.0, themed “Creativity, Culture and Nigeria’s Next Chapter,” where industry stakeholders examined the changing dynamics of Nigeria’s creative economy and the growing influence of technology on creative production.

Speaking on how Nigerian creatives can adapt to the rapid development of AI while preserving originality, Silva says creatives should focus on using the technology to expand their ideas, improve their output and strengthen their creative processes.

“I think one of the ways to do that, a very simple answer without doing a deep dive, is as long as Nigerian creatives see AI as a tool, as a tool, not as something that is there to replace them,” she says.

“We want creatives to learn how to run businesses, how to sign contracts, how to raise funds, and how to run their business in a way that it will stand whatever challenges people have to face,” Iyanda says.

Nigeria needs stronger creative infrastructure

Fosudo is also calling for stronger infrastructure to support Nigeria’s creative talent, arguing that the country has significant creative potential but lacks sufficient pathways for talent development.

“One thing I would like to see is maybe significantly better infrastructure for creativity, for creatives as well,” he says.

He argues that Nigeria needs systems capable of helping talented people develop their skills and transition into sustainable careers.

“We have so much talent, and our talent is very good,” Fosudo says. “How can we get it to be that we’re not just churning out this talent? There’s actually a pathway for talent to develop their craft, have that talent, and then go into something that is very profitable or very viable.”

The infrastructure gap therefore extends beyond physical facilities. It includes access to technology, training, professional networks, funding and market opportunities that can help transform creative skills into sustainable businesses.

As AI lowers some barriers to content production, the ability to access reliable digital infrastructure and acquire relevant technology skills could become even more important for Nigerian creatives seeking to compete locally and globally.

Creative industry needs stronger business structures

Olumide Iyanda, Founder and CEO of Mighty Media Plus Network and publisher of QED-NG, says the development of Nigeria’s creative industry also requires creatives to approach their work as businesses.

Iyanda says the QED Creative Powerhouse Summit was created to bring participants from different parts of the creative ecosystem together to discuss growth, solutions and collaboration.

According to him, one of the industry’s persistent challenges is that many creatives do not treat their work as a business.

He says creatives need to understand how to sign contracts, raise funds and build businesses capable of surviving the challenges associated with the industry.

“We want creatives to learn how to run businesses, how to sign contracts, how to raise funds, and how to run their business in a way that it will stand whatever challenges people have to face,” Iyanda says.

His comments broaden the AI debate beyond technology itself, highlighting the need for creatives to build commercial structures around their skills and intellectual property.

Nigeria’s creative economy faces a new technology test

The discussions at the summit are pointing to a Nigerian creative industry entering a new phase in which AI is increasingly becoming part of the production process.

For Silva, the priority is ensuring that AI strengthens rather than replaces the human element of creativity.

For Fosudo, the opportunity is in learning how to use the technology effectively to save time, improve workflows and enhance creative output.

For Iyanda, technology adoption needs to be accompanied by stronger business capabilities that can help creatives convert talent into sustainable careers and enterprises.

Taken together, the perspectives are suggesting that Nigeria’s next phase of creative growth will depend not simply on access to AI, but on how effectively creatives combine technology with original ideas, human skills, cultural context and viable business models.

The emerging challenge for Nigeria’s creative economy is therefore not whether AI will become part of creative production. Rather, it is how creatives, businesses and policymakers can ensure that the technology expands opportunities while preserving originality, protecting intellectual property and creating sustainable livelihoods for the people behind the work.