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Every year, Nollywood produces thousands of films that speak to the daily realities of Nigerians. From cinemas and streaming platforms to YouTube, the film industry guarantees yearly production, which shows how it continues to thrive despite structural challenges. According to popular claims, Nollywood is the second-largest movie industry in the world by production. However, despite the volume, the industry has found itself grappling with several dynamics of production because the materials for these productions are not homemade. So the evolution of the industry is somewhat dictated by external factors.
Years ago, when international streaming platforms like Netflix launched services in Nigeria, the goal of almost every filmmaker switched from the cinemas to having the next Netflix blockbuster. Everyone began making original films for streaming platforms. But when the streaming platforms cut down services in Nigeria, and across Africa, the distribution problem, which appeared to have been solved, resurfaced. Everyone returned to the cinema and YouTube.
Meanwhile, many filmmakers have raised concerns over cinema time alterations because, as it appears, Nigerians demand to watch a film based on the filmmaker, so the cinemas, demand-inspired, give more showing time to what the public demands. Or so the claims say. Also, YouTube, while it has remained a global public platform, could also cut down services in Nigeria. Nigerian creators on the platform have already raised concerns about how creators in Nigeria receive revenues way lower compared to other countries. When YouTube packs up to leave, where do the thousands of Nollywood films on the platform go?
My point is that despite how big Nollywood has grown, it is always challenged by external factors. The latest external factor now is AI.
Like every industry, AI has seeped into Nollywood. The industry has produced a film about AI, and Nigerian filmmakers have started adopting it in their visuals and, perhaps, scriptwriting. One of the things that Nollywood continues to bank on is that there are always stories to tell because Nigeria is a multi-ethnic country, with people living diverse experiences. But despite the existing diverse stories, the industry has been criticised for low-quality or poor execution of the stories. AI, as it was intended, was meant to elevate an already solid creativity. But for an industry already criticised for low-quality stories, it is pertinent to ask whether it is ready to adopt AI or not.
Should Nollywood adopt AI?
A personal response to that is no. While the intention behind the creation of AI is the enhancement of creativity, it also tends to limit people’s abilities to generate original ideas, as several studies have examined. Nollywood has never been opposed to technology. For years, filmmakers have used visual effects (VFX), computer-generated imagery and other digital tools to create scenes that would otherwise be impossible or too expensive to produce. These technologies have helped filmmakers expand their imagination. The difference with AI, however, is that it does not merely help execute an idea; it can increasingly participate in generating the idea itself.
Moreso, most of the AI tools now available were not built specifically around African realities. Their training data, cultural references and visual understanding are largely shaped by information produced elsewhere. Ask AI to imagine a generic wedding, a city, a family or even a traditional African setting, and it can produce something that looks convincing at first glance. But look closely and the cultural inaccuracies begin to reveal themselves. The clothes may be wrong. The architecture may be unfamiliar. The mannerisms may feel artificial. The environment may resemble an imagined Africa rather than the Africa that Nigerians recognise.
The problem is not necessarily the use of AI itself but the absence of creativity behind its use. Technology should enhance an existing creative vision, not become a substitute for having one. And I believe this is why Nigerians are increasingly sensitive to the excessive use of AI in films. Nigerians have consumed Nollywood for decades, watched Hollywood and Bollywood, followed animation and grown alongside the industry. They understand what convincing visual effects look like, and they can recognise when something feels poorly executed or off. When audiences complain that a film relies too heavily on AI or that its visuals feel artificial, they are not talking about what they do not know. They are responding to a lack of creative authenticity.
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