Digital literacy no longer enough to curb deepfake threats ahead of 2027 polls — Expert

A Senior Backend Engineer and Software Architect, Frederick Abodunrin, has warned that traditional digital literacy is no longer sufficient to protect Nigerians from the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes and online disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abodunrin gave the warning on Friday while appearing as a guest on Tech Talk on Splash 106.7 FM, Abeokuta, where he discussed the increasing spread of synthetic audio, videos and images across platforms including WhatsApp, X and Facebook.
He warned Nigerians against assuming that AI-generated content can easily be detected by sight or sound, noting that deepfakes often exploit emotions such as fear, outrage and political bias.
“Misinformation spreads faster than any truth because it targets our emotions,” Abodunrin said.
He urged Nigerians to adopt a three-step digital hygiene approach: stop before reacting emotionally, think about the motives behind suspicious messages and artificial urgency, and independently check facts across reliable sources.
The software architect also advised people who receive distress calls or voice notes supposedly from loved ones to independently verify the situation by contacting the person directly, amid growing concerns over AI-powered voice cloning and targeted scams.