Nigerian organisations must update their crisis plans, govern their own use of artificial intelligence and invest in their reputation before deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation strike, communication and marketing experts have said.

They spoke at a virtual webinar titled “Safeguarding Brand Reputation in Nigeria’s AI Era: Preparing Organisations for Deepfakes, Synthetic Media and AI-Driven Misinformation”, organised by MSc Media and Communication students of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University. The session, held on Microsoft Teams on Friday, 25 September 2026, drew 107 participants, including communication professionals, marketers, journalists, lecturers and students.

The webinar came days after the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) warned the public about a fake, AI-generated Facebook advert that used the images of President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele and Aliko Dangote to promote a fraudulent investment scheme.

Opening the session, the Head of the Careers Office at Pan-Atlantic University, Mrs Nkiru Ukachukwu, reminded participants of their personal responsibility. “We have a duty of care to ensure that whatever we spread is authentic,” she said, urging everyone to ask whether information is accurate and ethical before sharing it.

Delivering the keynote, Scaling Data and Tech Innovation Specialist Adenike Aloba said AI had transformed the environment in which brands operate, but not the principles of managing them. “AI has changed the conditions in which reputation is managed more than it has changed the fundamentals of reputation management,” she said.

Aloba urged organisations to think about AI through three lenses: what others do with AI against them, what their own use of AI could do to them, and how they can use AI without losing sight of strategy. On responding to fakes, she cautioned that “speed does not mean panic”, advising brands to first assess the reach, credibility and potential harm of a fake before deciding how to respond.

Citing the case of Air Canada, which was held responsible after its chatbot gave a customer wrong information about its bereavement fare policy, she said that communicators should be in the room at conception, not at crisis” whenever their organisations deploy AI. “You cannot outsource your brand strategy to AI,” she added.

Faculty member at Olabisi Onabanjo University and Chairman of the Training and Professional Development Committee of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Oludare Ogunyombo, said: “Nothing has changed, but a lot has been added.” He recounted how one of his academic papers received a 5% similarity score from his institution’s checker but was flagged as 90% AI-generated by a journal’s tool, warning that detection tools can be unreliable.

General Secretary of the NIPR Lagos Chapter, Samuel Adeyemi, described AI-generated content as “the new normal”, but admitted that “we are not adequately prepared for this new normal.” He said the institute had introduced AI-focused training for practitioners, and urged communicators to stop complaining about not being at the decision-making table and instead “take our seats and go into the boardroom where the decisions are being taken.”

Divisional Director at Marketing Edge, Anietie Udoh, warned that many professionals now use AI as a shortcut at the expense of creativity. “Here is the tool, but how well do you want to use that?” he asked.

Group Head, Marketing and Communications at CapitalSage Holdings, Ilabeshi Gabriel, explained that his organisation had set up an AI committee and a standard operating procedure, with legal and information security teams reviewing AI platforms before they are adopted. “We will not say we won’t use it, but we need to know the limitations and guide against it,” he said.

A highlight of the session was “The Deepfake Drill”, a live simulation in which the panel managed a fictional crisis at Harmattan Bank after a fake video of its Managing Director announcing a ₦20,000 daily withdrawal limit gained 1,200 reposts in 20 minutes. Aloba called for a rapid assessment, a credible spokesperson on air across every channel, legal action against the source and personal outreach to key stakeholders. Adeyemi warned that legal action must be handled carefully so that the bank is not seen as bullying the public, while Gabriel recommended debunking the fake and then reassuring customers over 30 to 90 days, because “trust is not a feeling, it’s a process.”

Pioneer Head of Public Relations at MTN Nigeria and CEO of Xlr8 Limited, Calixthus Okoruwa, described AI as one more source of risk that organisations must manage within a sound crisis framework. “AI makes that framework even more necessary, even more pertinent,” he said, adding that a strong reputation remains a brand’s best protection because the public is less likely to believe a fake that contradicts its track record.

Moderating the session, communications, public and media relations professional Bemigho Awala said safeguarding reputation in the AI era requires technology, governance, leadership and ethical judgement, not communications alone. “The question is no longer whether organizations will encounter synthetic media,” he said, but how prepared they will be.

The organisers have distilled the discussion into a five-stage framework for Nigerian organisations facing AI-generated misinformation: detection, verification, decision, response and recovery.

Giving the vote of thanks on behalf of the organising team, Ololade Adeniji said: “We cannot stop people from faking things, but we can always be ready.”

This is an initiative of the Pan-Atlantic University’s Project Based Internship (PBI) Programme conducted by MSc Media and Communication students for the 2025-2026 Academic Session.