AI Has Changed Conditions, Not Fundamentals of Reputation Management, Say Experts

Communication experts have urged Nigerian organisations to prepare for deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation before a crisis occurs, by updating their crisis plans, setting rules for their own use of AI and building strong, credible reputations.

They spoke at a 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. 

Held on Microsoft Teams on Friday, September 25, 2026, the session drew 107 participants.

In her keynote, Scaling Data and Tech Innovation Specialist, Adenike Aloba, said: “AI has changed the conditions in which reputation is managed more than it has changed the fundamentals of reputation management.” 

She urged communicators to be involved whenever their organisations deploy AI, saying they “should be in the room at conception, not at crisis”, and warned: “You cannot outsource your brand strategy to AI.”

The panel featured CEO of Xlr8 Limited and pioneer Head of Public Relations at MTN Nigeria, Calixthus Okoruwa; General Secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos Chapter, Samuel Adeyemi; Divisional Director at Marketing Edge, Anietie Udoh; Group Head, Marketing and Communications at CapitalSage Holdings, Ilabeshi Gabriel; and Dr Oludare Ogunyombo of the Department of Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University. The session was moderated by Bemigho Awala.

Dr Ogunyombo summed up the challenge: “Nothing has changed, but a lot has been added.” Okoruwa said AI makes a crisis management framework “even more necessary, even more pertinent,” while Gabriel described how his organisation governs its AI use: “We will not say we won’t use it, but we need to know the limitations and guide against it.”

In a live crisis simulation, ‘The Deepfake Drill,’ the panel managed a fictional fake video of a bank’s managing director announcing withdrawal limits. 

Their key recommendations were that Nigerian organisations should add deepfake scenarios to their crisis plans and rehearse them regularly, and form a cross-functional response team before any crisis occurs.

When a fake appears, they advised organisations to assess its reach and harm before responding, because “speed does not mean panic”. 

They should then debunk it quickly and keep reassuring stakeholders for weeks afterwards, because “trust is not a feeling, it is a process”. 

The panel also urged organisations to set clear policies on how staff use AI tools and handle sensitive data.

Speaking on behalf of the organising team, Ololade Adeniji said: “We can’t stop people from faking things, but we can always be ready.”