By Nathaniel Olawoyin
FOR two days, October 6 ad 7, members of the CORA Youth Creative Club, CYCC, and some members of the public converge in GRA Ikeja for an immersive training cum workshop to explore how Artificial Intelligence interfaces with the process of creating and distributing an artistic or cultural product.
Organised by the CORA Library & Resource Centre, the two-day intense session tagged “AI Initiative Forum”, was conceived as a prelude to the 2026 edition of the annual Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF, which since 1999 holds every November in Lagos and globally – as its events have virtual contributions and participations from around the world.
With the theme curated as “AI & the Creative Industry,” the training, held at Duo Hub, 53, Oladipo Bateye, Ikeja GRA, brought together more than 30 participants both virtual and physical from different creative fields, including acting, writing, dance, fashion, content creation, music and media.
The Workshop facilitator was an eminent resource person, Pastor (Dr.) Adeoye Abodunrin, a renowned Digital Intelligence expert, described as “Futurist, Foresight Architect, Master Strategist of Economic Power”, and author of Fintech Black Box: The Silent Code Replacing Global Power, who has worked across technology, finance, governance, security, leadership and innovation.
Before the training commenced officially, Mercy Kelani, co-coordinator of the workshop, introduced the guest mentor, as a globally renown expert on AI and the new digital trope, who has to fly in from this base in the United Kingdom just to conduct the workshop on invitation of the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, Nigeria’s preeminent Culture advocacy NGO, with deep interest in literacy capacitation of the youths.
The session began with participants sharing their experiences and knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and how they have leveraged various AI tools in their creative work. The conversation also raised concerns about the possibility of AI replacing human labour and taking away jobs, with some participants expressing fears about the technology eventually taking over significant aspects of their professions and the possibilities of it making people lazy.
Cultural curator, activist and communicator, Jahman Anikulapo, who is Prog. Chairman, and member of the CORA Trustees, in flagging of the opening session, expained why CORA came up with this training program, jokingly saying he is also concerned that AI would not take his place as a culture consultant. He expressed the fact that AI has, indeed, come to stay as part of modern living culture, and urged participants to set aside what they may know of AI for now, and open their minds and brains to learn new tricks on how AI can assist in making their work better. He praised the facilitator for taking time off his hectic schedules in the UK to mentor the participants. He reiterated that CORA is grossly committed to the objective of deepening intellectual development and capacity building of the young ones through its various programmes targeted at spreading literacy.
Addressing the concerns raised by the participants in the pre-workshop interactions, Dr. Abodunrin thanked CORA for creating such platform to help people know what they don’t know already and train them on how to go about it. He encouraged participants both on-site and virtual to see AI as an assistant that can be strategically fashioned to support their creativity rather than something to fear. He explained that creatives must first identify their creative gifts and understand what they want to create before adapting tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Meta AI to their individual fields.
Emphasising that “creatives create,” the mentor highlighted productivity and audience as essential elements of the creative process. He challenged participants to ask: What are you creating? Who is buying it? How many have bought it? He further encouraged them to research how AI can be effectively applied within their respective creative fields.
The highly interactive training lasted approximately four to five hours each day, with participants actively engaging the mentor through questions and contributions. The session brought together actors, writers, dancers, fashion designers, content creators, event planners and other creatives, many of whom described the training as enlightening, educational and eye-opening.
At the end of the session, Mercy Kelani appreciated Dr. Abodunrin for the engaging and insightful training, while the participants joined in with a standing ovation and a round of applause in appreciation of the mentor. The first day ended with participants looking forward to the concluding session of the two-day programme.
Building on the foundation laid on the first day, the second day of the CORA Youth Creative Club AI Initiative Forum took the conversation further, shifting from understanding AI and its possibilities within the creative industry to exploring creative intelligence, personal strengths, skill development and enterprise. Participants moved from asking how AI could serve their creativity to examining how they could develop their gifts into valuable, sustainable and impactful creative practices.
The second day began with Mercy Kelani reintroducing the guest facilitator, Pastor (Dr.) Adeoye Abodunrin, and encouraging participants to remain open-minded and intentional about gaining more from the session than they did on the previous day.
The session opened with a review of the results from an online Creative Intelligence and Archetype Assessment developed by Dr. Abodunrin. Participants discussed their individual results and explored the different creative archetypes, including Explorers, Craftsmen, Curators, Builders and Architects, gaining insight into their traits, abilities and the kinds of professionals they are becoming.
From there, the training moved into a more practical and interactive session, with Dr. Abodunrin asking participants personal and thought-provoking questions designed to help them better understand their creative strengths and how to develop them. He emphasised the importance of having a focused skill, an evidence-based development plan, a useful offer tested with real people, and a costed pilot supported by a delivery system and a 90 day scorecard.
The facilitator also challenged participants to think beyond talent towards enterprise and sustainability. He stressed the importance of having contracts, building an enterprise and putting the right expertise in charge of it, while noting that creatives must learn to distinguish kindness from enabling irresponsibility.
A key part of the session was the development pathway, which Dr. Abodunrin presented as moving from Gift, demonstrated through useful behaviour, to Expertise, defined by repeatable quality on a specific task; Distinctive Contribution, where a recognisable method solves a real problem; Enterprise, where customers pay for reliable outcomes; and ultimately Legacy, where others can use, teach and continue the work.
Participants were also challenged to consider how much they were willing to invest in their talents and gifts over the coming year. While some mentioned financial investments, others identified time as an equally important resource. The discussion reinforced the need for creatives to invest deliberately in their skills through learning, exposure and continuous development.
Under Creative Intelligence in Practice, participants explored generating multiple approaches, judging ideas against useful standards, improving ideas through evidence and feedback, and understanding processes and mental syntax. The session also examined internal experiences through thoughts, feelings, emotions and imagination.
The second day was notably more interactive, with participants contributing more personal responses, asking questions and reflecting on their individual creative journeys. The session ended with participants providing feedback on what they had gained from the training.
Speaking at the close, Kunle Fadairo, the lead-coorditnaor of the workshop, expressed gratitude to the facilitator and CORA for creating a platform where volunteers could learn and develop skills that could contribute to their personal and professional growth. He also appreciated Dr. Abodunrin for his time and energy, noting that the training would continue during LABAF, providing an opportunity for those who were unavailable for the current sessions to participate.
