Chimamanda Ngozi // Photo Courtesy
Acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has issued a stark warning about the rise of artificial intelligence, arguing that society’s growing dependence on it could lead to intellectual decline.
In an interview with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Chimamanda said that the ability to summarise requires a certain level of imagination, creativity and intelligence.
“The ability to summarise requires a certain level of creativity, imagination and intelligence,” she said
For the Nigerian author, whose work has long explored themes of identity, feminism, and the human condition, creativity is sacred. She believes AI threatens this, not only in literature but in everyday thinking. Even something as simple as letting AI summarise emails, she argues, erodes the brain’s ability to process information.
While her stance on AI is strong, Adichie is no stranger to personal struggles that have tested her creativity. The celebrated author of Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah revealed that she suffered a terrifying writer’s block after becoming pregnant with her first child in 2016.
“Writing is what gives me meaning,” she admitted, revealing that something changed, and she just couldn’t get back into that magical place where she could write fiction
Now a mother of three, including twin boys born last year, Adichie described the mental fog she experienced during pregnancy as deeply unsettling.
“I’m a person for whom thinking clearly is so important, and to be in that kind of place emotionally was very frightening,” she said.
Despite the struggle, she eventually rediscovered her creative rhythm. Her upcoming novel, Dream Count, is her first in over a decade. It follows four women whose lives take unexpected turns, a theme that, in hindsight, mirrors Adichie’s own journey through motherhood and loss.
Since her last novel, she has endured profound personal grief, losing both of her parents. Her mother’s sudden death in 2021, on what would have been her father’s birthday, left a lasting impact.
“Grief recedes in waves, but then it comes back. Your heart feels so heavy, as though your body is no longer able to carry its weight.” She said
Unconsciously, her grief found its way into Dream Count. It wasn’t until she finished the manuscript that she realised how deeply it was shaped by her relationship with her mother.
“I felt like my mother had opened the door for me to return to that magical place of writing,” she said.
Beyond writing, Adichie is deeply invested in parenting—particularly in how she raises her sons. She believes boys today lack positive role models, growing up in a world where toxic ideas of masculinity dominate.
“I want to raise good men who are in touch with their emotions, who aren’t afraid of fear and who understand strength in a healthy way,” Chimamanda explained.
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