By Esther Onyegbula

Helmbridge Study Centre has warned against over-reliance on Artificial Intelligence, AI, saying users without strong foundational knowledge may be unable to detect inaccurate information generated by the technology.

Director of the Centre, Wilfred Dieke, gave the warning during the inaugural ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Helmbridge Study Centre, attended by alumni, parents and other stakeholders.

Dieke said AI should complement learning and not replace the mastery of basic knowledge, stressing that students must first understand the fundamentals before using technology to accelerate their learning.

He likened excessive dependence on AI to giving a calculator to a child who had not mastered basic arithmetic.

“You have to learn how to use it. Just like the way a child is introduced to a calculator, you don’t give a primary school child that hasn’t understood the basic of arithmetic the calculator to start off.

“You also want him to get mastery over his basic arithmetic and quantitative reasoning before he uses those tools to fast-track all the information that he or she needs,” he said.

Dieke further warned that students who lacked sufficient knowledge of a subject could find it difficult to recognise errors or what he described as AI “hallucinations” in information supplied by the technology.

“If you don’t have a bit of idea of where you’re going to, it gets murky. It’s able to hallucinate. You can’t detect when there’s hallucination in the information you’re being given,” he said.

He said students needed to be deliberately taught where and how to deploy AI, particularly as young people were already increasingly exposed to the technology.

According to him, the ability to use AI effectively depends on the user’s understanding of the subject, adding that technology should enhance knowledge rather than substitute the learning process.

The event, which marked five decades of the Centre’s activities, attracted notable alumni, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of Pan-Atlantic University and Professor of Marketing at the Lagos Business School, Uchenna Uzo, and Judge of Lagos High Court, Justice Matthias Oluwole Dawodu.

Speaking on the Centre’s broader philosophy, Dieke said charity and service to others remained an integral part of Helmbridge’s operations.

He described Helmbridge as a charity that runs projects with direct impact on people and communities, adding that the culture of giving was deliberately incorporated into the formation of its students.

According to him, the boys were encouraged to make personal donations and save from the little they received to support the Centre’s monthly charity outings.

“So it’s a way of life as such. So not to say, okay, we’re going to do something like that now. It’s actually ingrained in the day-to-day running of Helmbridge,” he said.

Also speaking, a lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (UNILAG) and consultant interventional cardiologist at Lagos University General Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Oyewole Kushimo, credited Helmbridge with shaping his academic discipline, character and professional drive.

Kushimo, who attended the Centre from Primary Four/Five through Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3), said its guided study programme helped him develop the habit of independent study, planning and pursuit of excellence.

“I learnt how to study with the guidance of tutors and learnt to form that habit of studying on my own and planning ahead,” he said.

He said the Centre’s emphasis on hard work, decency, charity and caring for others provided students with holistic academic, moral and character development.

Kushimo also said the Centre’s cultural programmes nurtured his passion for history and literature.

He urged Helmbridge to continue innovating and adapting its methods to changing societal needs, while making its programmes better known without abandoning its core principles.

Justice Dawodu, in his remarks, said the Centre had played a significant role in developing students beyond academics.

Dawodu said Helmbridge trained students “emotionally, mentally, physically, psychologically, in all aspects,” recalling its former programme for day students.

He noted that the Centre had evolved from its earlier focus on science subjects to include arts and commercial studies, describing the development as a more balanced approach to education.

He also urged the institution to expand its visibility and facilities as it builds on its 50-year legacy.