Generative AI and Nigeria’s Emerging Media Economy: Examining Socioeconomic Opportunities and Structural Constraints
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Abstract
Nigerian newsrooms are quietly experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Midjourney to draft headlines, summarize press releases, and generate images. Yet there is limited empirical data on how widespread this is, and what structural issues slow down adoption in Africa’s largest media market. This study examines the socioeconomic opportunities and constraints of Generative AI adoption among media professionals in Nigeria. A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among 75 journalists, broadcasters, and digital content creators across Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. Google Forms was used for data collection. Purposive sampling was applied due to the absence of a national register of media practitioners. The questionnaire measured 4 constructs: awareness of GenAI, frequency of use, perceived impact on productivity and jobs, and structural barriers such as skills, cost, and infrastructure. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation were computed. Reliability was confirmed with Cronbach’s Alpha 0.824. Findings show high awareness: 86.7% of respondents rated their knowledge of GenAI as high or very high. Usage is moderate, concentrated on first drafts, headline generation, and social media content. Respondents strongly agree that GenAI reduces time spent on routine tasks and improves output speed. However, views on employment are divided, with 58% expressing concern about job displacement for entry-level roles. Key barriers include unstable internet, lack of formal training, high subscription costs, and ethical concerns about accuracy and misinformation. The study concludes that GenAI adoption in Nigeria’s media industry is at a transitional stage. While practitioners recognize its usefulness, sustainable integration will depend on targeted training, better digital infrastructure, and clear ethical guidelines from regulators like the NBC.
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Ogunyemi, O., & Fadeyi Oluwadamilola Dorcas. (2026). Generative AI and Nigeria’s Emerging Media Economy: Examining Socioeconomic Opportunities and Structural Constraints. SIASAT, 11(3), 221-237. Retrieved from https://siasatjournal.id/index.php/siasat/article/view/272
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awareness, adoption and structural challenges. African Journalism Studies, 46(1), 78–95.
Bender, E. M., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Shmitchell, S. (2021). On the dangers of stochastic parrots: Can language models be too big? In Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (pp. 610–623). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3442188.3445922
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Feuerriegel, S., Hartmann, J., Janiesch, C., & Zschech, P. (2024). Generative AI. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 66(1), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00834-7
Fletcher, R., & Nielsen, R. K. (2024). Generative AI and news report 2024. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford.
Frau-Meigs, D. (2024). User empowerment through Media and Information Literacy to the evolution of generative Artificial Intelligence. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/user-empowerment-through-media-and-information-literacy-evolution-generative-artificial
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Guanah, J. S., & Obi, I. (2020). Artificial intelligence and journalism practice relations in Nigeria: Perception of journalists in Benin City. KIU Journal of Social Sciences, 6(2), 147–156.
Guzman, A. L., & Lewis, S. C. (2024). What generative AI means for the media industries, and why it matters to study the collective consequences for advertising, journalism, and public. Digital Journalism, 12(8), 1123–1141. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2024.2337474
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Nishal, S., & Diakopoulos, N. (2023). Envisioning the applications and implications of generative AI for news media. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(CSCW2), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1145/3610194
Noy, S., & Zhang, W. (2023). Experimental evidence on the productivity effects of generative artificial intelligence. Science, 381(6654), 187–192. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh2586
Nwodo, A. U. (2023). Creative industries in Nigeria: Challenges and solutions. Journal of Culture, Society and Development, 12, 34–45.
Ogbonna, U. S. (2023). Nigeria’s creative industries and software subsector development. Creative Industries Journal, 16(2), 112–129.Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). OECD digital economy outlook 2023. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/b0c2a7a5-en
Oyedeji, O., & Uthman, S. (2025). Opportunities and challenges of adopting AI in journalism in Nigeria. African Journal of Communication Studies, 12(1), 45–63.
Park, C. S., & Akintade, T. (2026). Artificial intelligence in Nigerian newsrooms: Navigating jurisdictional hybridization, retreat, and maintenance. Digital Journalism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2025.XXXXX
Pedersen, I. (2025). Generative AI adoption in postsecondary education, AI hype, and ChatGPT’s launch. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.01003Statista. (2024). Mobile internet penetration in Nigeria. https://www.statista.com/topics/6231/mobile-internet-in-nigeria/
Umeora, C. C. (2025). Artificial intelligence and journalistic practices in Nigeria: Navigating
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2022). Creative economy outlook: Trends in creative industries. UNCTAD.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2023a). Guidance for generative AI in education and research. UNESCO Publishing. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386137United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2023b). Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. UNESCO Publishing. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381137
Van Dis, E. A. M., et al. (2023). ChatGPT: Five priorities for research. Nature, 614, 224–226. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00288-7
Vranken, I., & Schreurs, J. (2025). The future of AI-generated news: How AI-generated articles shape reader perceptions across different audiences and news topics. Journalism Studies, 26(3), 301–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.XXXXX
World Bank. (2023). Nigeria digital economy diagnostic report. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports