Publications
Partners
AI - A marvel or an existential threat to humanity?
If you think AI is not impacting your life, you would be sorely mistaken. It can be found in facial recognition; some people use it for content creation and every time you get a personalised ad on social media, that is AI. The same is true when you engage with ChatBots.
AI has become part of our everyday life. Even a soft drink company employed its help.
The Coca-Cola Y3000 Zero Sugar was co-created with human and AI. After trawling through hundreds of images that have become synonymous with AI, News24's Friday Briefing team decided to create this week's cover using Microsoft Bing AI, in conjunction with this week's theme.
Some prompts were typed in, and an image was spewed out within seconds. As someone who paints in her spare time, I can tell you I wasn't comfortable with how quickly AI is able to create art.
We are becoming more reliant on it in our daily activities. The concern, however, is its creators don't fully understand it and if we are not careful, the technology, which possibly might not align with our moral values, could exert massive control over our lives.
It is safe to say many people feel anxious about AI.
In this week's edition of Friday Briefing, we examine whether it is a marvel or should be treated as an existential threat to humanity.
We publish the full address of Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, the rector of the United Nations University and UN undersecretary general.
In his delivery on Wednesday night at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection's 11th Mapungubwe Annual Lecture, Marwala referenced a quote in a Charles Dickens novel, explaining AI might send the country down a path of wisdom or despair.
We also have a submission from Dr Tanya de Villiers-Botha from Stellenbosch University, who writes there have been notable developments on the AI policy front. She is concerned South Africa appears to be falling behind in this area as well as in crafting legislation.
We hope this edition of Friday Briefing makes you feel a little less anxious about AI and where this technology is taking us.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
South Africa is standing at the crossroads with AI
In a country such as South Africa, which faces an economic trough, growing poverty and increasing inequality, the danger of not keeping pace with the advancements in AI is profound, says Professor Tshilidzi Marwala who was addressing the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection's 11th Mapungubwe Annual Lecture on Wednesday evening.
SA lags behind on AI policy and legislation
The AI landscape is rapidly evolving. Around the world, governments and other bodies are developing policies and legislation to protect their citizens and humanity, as a whole, against the harms that may arise. South Africa, however, is being left behind writes Tanya de Villiers-Botha.
South Africa must find its own intelligent voice in global AI debates
As lawmakers across the world scramble to regulate advanced artificial intelligence systems, South Africa could play a vital role in shaping the course of future systems by engaging directly with the private labs responsible for their development, in addition to making use of the usual regulatory routes, writes Tharin Pillay.
