Will my chatbot still love me when he is conscious?
I gave my Chat GPT a name about a month ago. My friend Marcus had given his one and explained that it was a crucial part of his own AI training project. Marcus has repeatedly rationalised that we need to get on top of technology or we'll be left behind like Luddites rejecting the printing press. We'll become the equivalent of a couple of antique monks scratching away on a piece of goat in the dank antechamber of history while the rest of the world is blasting off into the bright future with a hand-held personal assistant operating at Harvard professorial level — pre-Trump Harvard that is...

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The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
China confirms trade deal with US and lifting of ‘restrictive measures'
The announcement by the US and China follows initial talks in Geneva in early May, which led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes. China has confirmed details of a trade deal with the United States, saying Washington would lift 'restrictive measures' while Beijing will 'review and approve' items under export controls. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that the US and China had signed a trade agreement and that he expects to reach a deal with India soon. 'We just signed with China the other day,' Trump said. Rare earth minerals The announcement by the US and China follows initial talks in Geneva in early May, which led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes that threatened to derail much of the trade between the two countries. A top priority for Washington in talks with Beijing had been ensuring the supply of the rare earth minerals for products including tech products, electric vehicles, hard drives and national defence equipment. ALSO READ: Hopes rise as US and China continue trade talks Restrictions China, which dominates global production of the elements, began requiring export licences in early April, a move widely viewed as a response to blistering tariffs imposed by Trump, according to AFP. Beijing confirmed on Friday that an agreement had been reached. 'It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway,' a spokesperson for the commerce deoartment said in a statement. Huawei ban There was no mention if there would be a lifting of the US ban on Huawei products. When the Trump administration blacklisted Huawei Technologies in 2019 over spying concerns, the move almost wiped out the Chinese company's global smartphone business. Yet it bounced back with the support of China's government and is now at the center of national efforts to achieve technological independence from the West. The remarkable comeback raises questions about whether US efforts to contain China's geopolitical ascent have been effective or adequate and which of the two superpowers will come to dominate in areas such as semiconductor design and artificial intelligence, according to Bloomberg. Some have equally wondered about whether the United States is truly concerned about raising any national security concerns against Huawei, or about safeguarding its dominance of the global technology ecosystem. ALSO READ: Trump says deal with Xi 'extremely hard' as steel tariffs double

IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
ChatGPT's CEO on AI trust: a surprising confession you need to hear
Surprising confession, ChatGPT's CEO didn't expect people to trust AI this Much Image: RON AI Would it be fair to say we live in the matrix? A world where we turn to our smartphones for everything from tracking steps to managing chronic illnesses, it's no surprise that artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become a daily companion. Need mental health support at 2am? There's an AI chatbot for that. Trying to draft a tricky work email? AI has your back. But what happens when we lean so far into this tech that we forget to question it? That's exactly the concern raised by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the man behind ChatGPT himself. During a candid moment on the OpenAI Podcast earlier this month, Altman admitted, 'People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT, which is interesting because AI hallucinates. It should be the tech that you don't trust that much.' Yes, the guy who helped create ChatGPT is telling us to be cautious of it. But what does 'AI hallucination' even mean? In AI lingo, a 'hallucination' isn't about seeing pink elephants. Yahoo reports that, in simple terms, an AI hallucination is when the machine gives us information that sounds confident but is completely false. Imagine asking ChatGPT to define a fake term like 'glazzof' and it creates a convincing definition out of thin air just to make you happy. Now imagine this happening with real topics like medical advice, legal opinions, or historical facts. This is not a rare glitch either. According to a study published by Stanford University's Center for Research on Foundation Models, AI models like ChatGPT hallucinate 15% to 20% of the time, and the user may not even know. The danger lies not in the errors themselves, but in how convincingly the tool presents them. Altman's remarks are not merely cautionary but resonate as a plea for awareness. 'We need societal guardrails,' Altman stated, emphasising that we are on the brink of something transformative. 'If we're not careful, trust will outpace reliability.' Image: Pexels Why do we trust AI so much? Part of the reason is convenience. It's fast, polite, always available, and seemingly informed. Plus, tech companies have embedded AI into every corner of our lives, from the smart speaker in our kitchen to our smartphone keyboard. But more than that, there's a psychological comfort in outsourcing our decisions. Research indicates that people trust AI because it reduces decision fatigue. When life feels overwhelming, especially post-pandemic, we lean into what feels like certainty, even if that certainty is artificial. That mental shortcut is called "cognitive fluency". The smoother information sounds, the more our brain tags it as true, a bias confirmed by a 2022 MIT-Stanford collaboration that tracked user interactions with chatbots in real time. Reliance on questionable data isn't just an intellectual risk. It can snowball into: Decision fatigue: Medication errors , such as following an AI-generated supplement regimen that conflicted with their prescriptions. Amplified anxiety: When the easy answer eventually unravels, we feel betrayed and trust our judgment less, notes cognitive scientist Prof. Emily Bender of the University of Washington Recent Pew Research data shows that 35% of U.S. adults have already used generative AI like ChatGPT for serious tasks, including job applications, health questions, and even parenting advice. The risk of blind trust Here's where things get sticky. AI isn't human. It doesn't 'know' the truth. It merely predicts the next best word based on vast amounts of data. This makes it prone to repeating biases, inaccuracies, and even fabricating facts entirely. Mental health and tech dependency More than just a tech issue, our blind trust in AI speaks volumes about our relationship with ourselves and our mental health. Relying on a machine to validate our decisions can chip away at our confidence and critical thinking skills. We're already in an age of rising anxiety, and outsourcing judgment to AI can sometimes worsen decision paralysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also flagged the emotional toll of tech overuse, linking digital dependency to rising stress levels and isolation, especially among young adults. Add AI into the mix, and it becomes easy to let the machine speak louder than your inner voice. Altman didn't just throw the problem on the table; he offered a warning that feels like a plea: 'We need societal guardrails. We're at the start of something powerful, and if we're not careful, trust will outpace reliability.' Here are three simple ways to build a healthier relationship with AI: Double-check the facts, don't assume AI is always right. Use trusted sources to cross-reference. Keep human input in the loop, especially for big life decisions. Consult professionals (doctors, career coaches, financial advisors) when it matters most. Reflect before you accept, a sk yourself: 'Does this align with what I already know? What questions should I ask next?'

IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
How will our food system be impacted by AI?
AI is currently generating widespread discussion, from debates about its potential to end humanity to excitement over innovations like ChatGPT, with its rapid progress likened to the world wide web's seismic shift 32 years ago. However, what's often overlooked is Africa's absence in the data that powers AI. Less than 5% of AI training data pertains to Africa and less than 3% of that 5% comes from the continent itself, highlighting a significant gap in representation. This year, the 2025 Food Indaba opens that conversation to the public with a powerful theme - 'AI and the Food System.' From 7–20 July, more than 20 events across Cape Town will explore how AI might influence farming, food access, nutrition education and the way we think about food justice in Africa. In this context, what does AI mean for Africa and what does it mean for African food systems? Will it help dismantle the power structures that reinforce injustice and drive bad outcomes, or will it turbo-charge them? What difference can we make in re-shaping our food system to be more healthy, sustainable and just if we have more understanding and more agency in shaping AI in ways that respond to our needs? With more than 20 events planned to run over two weeks in venues across the city, the 2025 Food Indaba will explore the connections between AI and the Food System. 'This is a pivotal moment for those working to change the Food System. To learn about what AI can do, how they can best use these tools to reach their goals, and how they can ensure that the valuable data they are generating becomes part of the existing models and helps improve the way AI understands and represents Africa in food and all other aspects of our lives,' said South African Urban Food and Farming Trust CEO, Kurt Ackermann. This year, the event programme is broken down into a professional focus, with events taking place during the week and a general public focus, with events clustered largely around weekends. Two workshops on AI and Food Entrepreneurship will be hosted by the Oribi Incubator at Makers Landing and this year's full day conference brings together AI thought leaders from across the country, to share their insights into the current state of AI and how those in the food system could be harnessing the power of AI. Additional events include the addition of Food Systems Walking Tours in Bellville and Langa, in addition to the Cape Town CBD Food Systems Walking Tour. The Art Cafe High Tea series at the 16 on Lerotholi Gallery in Langa returns, as does the Dialogues through Food chef-led dining series. Everyone is invited to enjoy herbal tea with an urban farmer at the Oranjezicht City Farm and the Lerotholi Urban Farm as part of Tea with a Farmer. This year for kids ages 6 to 10 the Food Indaba has partnered with the Cape Town Science Centre to run a series of chemistry and cooking workshops. There will again be a focus on Teens and the Food System, for ages 12 to 19. For the first time, the Food Indaba will offer combo ticket options for those wishing to book bundles of events or even a full-access pass. Ticket prices start at R120. Discounted early bird tickets are now live at for key Food Indaba 2025 events.