We’re finished if we only teach knowledge – Sam Jonah warns universities as AI takes over answers

The University of Cape Coast's Chancellor, Sam Jonah, issued a stern warning to universities during the installation of Professor John Aheto as the new Vice-Chancellor. He argued that artificial intelligence has fundamentally altered higher education, rendering the traditional purpose of transmitting knowledge obsolete. Jonah cautioned that institutions failing to redefine their mission risk becoming obsolete.

Referring to the theme "We Hold the Pen: The University in the Age of Answers," he questioned the future of universities when machines can provide knowledge instantly, more efficiently, and inexpensively. Jonah urged universities to focus on nurturing human qualities that machines cannot replicate, emphasizing the importance of graduates' ability to do rather than merely know.

He criticized an education system that prioritizes memorization over practical skills, warning that a nation of knowledgeable but incapable individuals remains impoverished. Jonah clarified that AI would enhance the value of jobs requiring physical work and human care, but would replace those relying solely on knowledge. He stressed that no technology can substitute human empathy, judgment, or manual skills.

Jonah encouraged African universities to build institutions tailored to the continent's unique needs instead of merely adapting foreign models. He challenged the new Vice-Chancellor and the university community to embrace change, suggesting that resistance would render institutions irrelevant.