Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Human Capital Development among staff of University of Abuja, Nigeria.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming industries worldwide, with education being one of the most prominent sectors undergoing rapid evolution. In Nigeria, higher education institutions have increasingly adopted AI technologies to enhance the quality of education and address the growing demand for a skilled workforce. This study investigates the impact of AI on human capital development among staff of University of Abuja, Nigeria.  It critically examines both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI integration, with a particular focus on its role in improving educational outcomes, facilitating skill development, and promoting innovation. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and case studies, this study emphasizes the transformative potential of AI in higher education while underscoring the importance of strategic policy interventions to ensure its successful and equitable integration into Nigeria’s educational framework. The researcher employed a descriptive design to examine the opinion of respondents on the effects of AI on Human Capital Development in Tertiary Education in Nigeria.  The population comprised 2500 Staff members of University of Abuja. Purposeful sampling technique was adopted to select 600 respondents consisting of 300 male and female members of the staff respectively, strategically selected to represent the entire population. A self-developed questionnaire, titled "The Effects of AI on Human Capital Development in Tertiary Education in Nigeria Questionnaire (EAIHCDTEN)," was used as the data collection instrument. The instrument underwent face validation by an expert to ensure validity, and reliability testing was conducted using Cronbach's alpha, yielding a coefficient of 0.94, indicating high internal consistency. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer research questions, while an independent t-test was employed to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance using SPSS Version 26.0. The study found out that AI play significant role in acquisition of teaching skill which enhances students’ engagement and learning; although infrastructure and technological gaps as well as ethical and regulatory concerns were identified as some of the challenges. However, the study concludes by recommending Investment in infrastructures, public-private partnership and professional development as strategies for improving human capital development.