Features … Hustle culture: how craftsmen use AI to stay in front

However, marketing and consultant strategists, Theophilus Alawonde, raised concerns over the effectiveness of AI by small -scale craftsmen and businesses, especially their effectiveness in branding and marketing content.

Alawonde argues that there is a flood of content produced by AI in a developing country, so much that “you cannot distinguish the empire arike from Ashake Empire because the branding assets are the same.”

He stressed that the tools only created similar graphics and content in the style and structure rather than brand identity because many users do not have fast engineering skills and patience to get the best from AI for effective applications in their business.

“People have different fast engineering skills, people have different levels of understanding about branding, and people also have different access to these tools, whether they are paid or free. So, these three things will unite to influence the input, and also continue to influence the output they get.

“Actually, I will also say that the patience of the user will also affect because how many turns you are willing to go with AI tools? Are you willing to go back and forth? Do you just want to do just rubbish, trash out?

“So we see cases where people only say, ‘this is what I do, I need a type of logo from you, and then the AI ​​tool gives something. Yes, it might give something shiny, and it will be good enough in the eyes of someone who has limited experience.

He expressed concern over the saturation of brand assets produced by AI (logos, leaflets, brand colors, posts, etc.), which are not informed by deeper brand identity elements. “So we don’t know what a brand agreement is. We don’t know what the brand differentiation value is.”

Experts suggest hearts, recording gaps in digital skills

Alawonde warns that while established brands can use AI, craftsmen who appear at risk of losing their unique identity if they rely too much on AI or not strategic in their use.

“I will say it’s easier for artificial brands, it’s easier for brands with their names that are already known, to use AI tools than for brands that have just appeared, which do not have a name. But if your brand is not yet known and you are too dependent on AI for your creative output, it is difficult to distinguish the brand from every other brand out there.

This is difficult because everyone is starting to sound the same, everyone’s creative output starts to look the same because you ask chatgpt, ‘I run such a business, suggesting content ideas or making content plans for me’, it is the same thing that is returned for everyone, there is only a reduced time.

Meanwhile, many Nigerian craftsmen are left behind in AI adoption, mostly due to limited digital skills and inadequate internet access. Data from the Nigerian Communication Commission shows that internet penetration in Nigeria was established at 48.81% in May 2025. This placed the country behind at least 20 other African countries, according to A Ranking by statista.

Also, the World Bank reported It is about half of the Nigerian population that has no digital skills.

This gap also informs Alawonde’s skepticism about the effectiveness of AI for new business and informal economy; He called for national policies to improve digital skills and encourage AI adoption.

This report is produced with the support of the Center for Innovation and Development of Journalism (Mosques) and Luminate