Embrace AI, Monetise Creativity, Ishiekwene Urges Journalists, Writers

The Senior Vice Chairman/ Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP Group Limited, Mr Azubuike Ishiekwene, has urged journalists and writers to be creative, embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and monetise their creativity.

Ishiekwene said journalists, writers, and students who must establish themselves and hone their writing skills and styles could only find their voices when they embrace AI.

He said they should not depend on it but move further to learn how to monetise their writings using available resources.

Ishiekwene, a reputable journalist and columnist of 35 years, stated this at the Book Reading event held at the Tayo Aderinokun Hall, University of Lagos.

He emphasised that journalists and content producers can earn money and live well through their craft and careers as writers.

The event brought together the crème de la crème of the Nigerian media industry.

Notably, academics converged on the University of Lagos for the Book Reading of Writing for Media and Monetising It, which Ishiekwene authored.

As expected, it was a whole house, an opportunity for the professionals to discuss salient issues in the industry and chart a way forward.

Dignitaries present at the book reading included former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina; Editorial Board chairman of The Nation, Sam Omatseye; former managing director of PUNCH, Ademola Osinubi; current managing director of PUNCH, Adeyeye Joseph; former chairman of Nigerian Guild of Editors, Gbenga Adefaye; Editorial Board member of This Day,  Eniola Bello (Eni-B); Dr  Adeniyi Adeosun, Prof Patrick Oloko, Life Coach and author, Niyi Adesanya, Deputy Editor (Politics) of The Nation, Dr. Emmanuel Oladesu, among others.

He began by explaining his book’s composition: it comprises fifteen chapters, each opening with an epigram and a concise quote capturing its essence.

He pointed out that as a writer, “The only way to find your voice is to use it’,  even as he set the tone of his book by reading from Chapter 1’s epigram, as captured by frontline journalist Jane Muller.

He recounted his 35-year journey from scribbling love letters in school to writing an Op-ed for The Guardian under his mentor and lecturer, Prof (Dr.) Olatunji Dare.

According to him, “You cannot find your voice without trying.  Persistence is key while expanding your reading lists. Find a sparring partner or a mentor who tells you the bitter truths.”

In Chapter 9 of his book, the seasoned and award-winning columnist harped on the rise of artificial intelligence.

Hegrappled with the rise of AI, opening with Prof. Oren Etzioni’s quote, “AI is a tool. The choice about how it gets deployed is ours.”

Ishiekwene warned that “AI lacks human emotion. Your voice must remain predominant.”

However, he gave tips on effective and sustained writing skills, such as revising ruthlessly and using AI to draft, but never letting it dull your originality.

“AI can’t capture the mood in this room or a shaking head. It cuts drudgery, transcription, and distribution, so we focus on the story. Humans aren’t made for AI; AI is made for humans,” he stated.

The author buttressed that content is king, echoing Chapter 13 of his book, anchored by Bill Gates’ epigram, while exploring making money as a content creator.

He called for specialised writing, being an expert or a brand in an aspect of writing endeavour like the “Financial Times for investors,” and consistency. He added that gold is not found on the surface, hence the need for people to dig persistently.

The convener summarised the Monetisation Chapter by distilling success into three tenets, explaining that the Power of 1,000 cultivates a loyal niche, which includes specialising in what only one can do, consistently growing it, and earning the trust of one’s clients to know you will show up.

The author, a native of Delta State, spoke on how he got his idea of writing. He reminisced about starting to write and getting his work published in The Guardian, even as a University of Lagos (UNILAG) undergraduate.

“I got my idea of writing, the way you speak, from an encounter with my lecturer, Prof Olatunji Dare, who wrote for The Guardian. I remember writing a term paper once, and I am sure those who know me are tired of hearing this story. I wrote a term paper for Professor Dare and stayed on campus while other students were on holiday. I wanted to kill the man and impress him, I wanted to finish him.

“So then I wrote, and I submitted it to him. He looked at me and my term paper. Who wrote this? And I said, very proudly, I am! He asked me what I have been reading. I told him I read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. He shook his head and said, This is a classic example of a disco journal! (General laughter).

“Then he said, Just go, take this thing away and go back and write how to talk. I took the whole script back with a heavy heart.  But when I sent it back to him. I got an A!  That left a big lesson in my heart, and it’s something that has stayed with me.

“This is something easier to write that way. I also have an obvious aspect of reading back what I wrote to myself, and I try to read it that way,” says Ishiekwene.

Addressing educators, the moderator, Prof Oyeniyi Adeosun, lamented the act of students submitting AI-generated work, imploring students to exhibit critical thinking.

“Don’t subsume creativity under algorithms. Use AI to scaffold your work, but let your voice, style, and emotions lead,” she urged.