By Ronke Kehinde | Special Interview
Artificial intelligence has become the world’s fastest answer machine. Ask almost anything, and an AI chatbot will respond in seconds.
But Professor Adedeji B. Badiru believes that may also be the biggest problem.
“Getting an answer,” he says quietly, “is not the same as learning.”
That conviction has culminated in AskProf , a free AI-powered learning platform designed not to replace education but to revive it.
Unlike general-purpose AI assistants built primarily to deliver answers on demand, AskProf is designed to make the answer part of the learning process, helping students understand concepts, test what they have learned and retain knowledge long after the conversation ends.
It is an audacious idea at a time when universities across the world are struggling with the disruptive influence of generative AI .
Professor Badiru, an internationally respected educator with more than four decades of teaching experience, insists that technology should strengthen education, not weaken it.
“My philosophy has always been to connect people with the tools they need and show them how to use those tools effectively,” he says.
That philosophy predates today’s AI revolution.
Three decades ago, he developed the widely acclaimed Badiru’s Equation of Student Success, followed by educational publications and software that influenced generations of students and researchers.
AskProf , he says, is simply the latest chapter in that lifelong mission.
Building AI Around Learning
Most AI platforms were created as general-purpose assistants before being adapted for education.
AskProf took the opposite route.
“It was built from the classroom outward,” Badiru explains.
Students preparing for examinations such as JAMB, WAEC, NECO, SAT, and AP can study within their specific syllabus instead of translating generic AI responses into exam-ready knowledge.
Learning does not end when the conversation ends.
Students can instantly transform lessons into quizzes, flashcards, and summary notes, allowing them to reinforce concepts through active recall, one of the most effective methods of long-term learning.
The platform also identifies weak areas, tracks academic progress, and helps students focus their study time where it matters most.
For teachers, AskProf offers classroom codes that allow lecturers to monitor where entire classes are struggling without grading hundreds of scripts.
“No general-purpose chatbot does that,” Badiru says. “Because none of them was built specifically for students sitting examinations or teachers running classrooms.”
An Idea Two Decades in the Making
Long before ChatGPT transformed artificial intelligence into a household name, Badiru had already secured the internet domain AskProf.com.
His original idea was remarkably simple.
Students would email difficult questions to him, and he would respond personally.
The concept never materialised because the anticipated volume quickly became impractical.
Artificial intelligence changed everything.
“When ChatGPT emerged,” he recalls, “I realised the technology had finally caught up with the vision.”
Working with AI developer Damilola Adelaja, the long-dormant idea finally became reality.
Education Without Barriers
Perhaps the most unusual feature of AskProf is its price.
It is free.
That decision, Badiru insists, was never a business calculation.
“My learning philosophy is that everyone learns better when everyone has equal access. Equal access is only possible if access is free.”
While many educational platforms hide premium features behind subscription paywalls, AskProf seeks to democratise quality learning regardless of geography or income.
Although the platform supports Nigerian curricula, it is designed for global learners.
Interestingly, Badiru says many of its early users are already based in the United States.
Teachers Are Embracing It Too
One fear surrounding AI is that educators see it as an enemy.
AskProf hopes to reverse that narrative.
Teachers can prepare lesson materials, explain difficult concepts, and monitor class performance through the platform.
Early feedback has surprised even its creator.
University lecturers have begun recommending AskProf to their students without any formal partnership.
Parents have described using the platform alongside their children at home.
Students have praised its clarity and reliability.
“What encourages me most,” Badiru says, “is not the compliments but who they’re coming from: educators, parents, and students. Those are the people whose trust matters.”
The African Education Challenge
Badiru believes Africa’s greatest educational challenge is not intelligence.
It is access.
In overcrowded classrooms where one teacher may be responsible for dozens of students, personalised attention becomes almost impossible.
AskProf can not replace teachers, he acknowledges. But it can become a tutor available every hour of the day.
“It gives a student studying alone at 10 o’clock at night, with just a mobile phone and limited data, someone who can explain the step they didn’t understand.”
That, he believes, could gradually narrow one of education’s most persistent inequalities.
Looking Ahead
Native mobile applications for Android and iOS are already being developed, alongside partnerships with schools, universities, and educational institutions.
Badiru hopes AskProf will eventually become more than another AI platform.
He wants it to redefine how students learn.
“We want to prove that a tutor built with the right values, one that teaches first instead of merely answering questions, can reach students a single professor never could.”
His vision extends beyond examination.
“If every Nigerian student had access to AskProf ,” he says, “we wouldn’t simply improve academic performance. We’d help unlock human potential.”
One Final Pitch
Asked to persuade sceptics to try the platform, Badiru smiles.
“Think about the last time you were stuck on a difficult question late at night with no teacher available. AskProf exists for that moment. It doesn’t just hand you an answer. It teaches you until the concept clicks. That’s the difference between finishing homework and truly understanding your subject.”
In an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, Professor Badiru is making a different argument.
The future of AI , he believes, should not be measured by how quickly it answers questions. It should be measured by how well it helps people think. And that may be the most important lesson of all.
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