Latest from Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
From code to cooperation: How the G20 and Unesco can shape ethical AI
Bright future: Unesco's Gabriela Ramos focuses on social inclusion and an antidiscriminatory agenda and ethics of artificial intelligence. (Photo supplied) Imagine a world where technology helps cure diseases, close learning gaps and expand access to public services. Now imagine one where digital tools deepen inequality, automate discrimination and erode democratic values. Both futures are possible. Which one prevails depends on the choices we make today. Advancing at remarkable speed, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a technical debate, it's a societal one. Generative AI reached millions in days, with ChatGPT adopted faster than any previous technology. Meanwhile, neurotechnology, quantum computing and synthetic biology are accelerating, often powered by AI that decodes neural data or drives biological simulations. Open-source models and falling costs have democratised access, with actors such as DeepSeek proving foundational AI is no longer exclusive to Big Tech. Yet many breakthroughs outpace our understanding, raising profound ethical issues. The real question is not what AI can do, but whether governments, youth and businesses are ready to guide it. The answer lies in our decisions. Responsible AI demands inclusive governance, strong safeguards and development centred on human and environmental well-being. That's why I am proud to have led Unesco's work in developing and deploying the The drafting process was led by Professor Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem of South Africa, which was among the Insights from this work are now informing the G20 agenda under the South African presidency, which prioritises inclusive outcomes. This is promising, because the G20 remains the leading forum for international economic cooperation. As a former G20 Sherpa, I am convinced of its potential to shape public policy that improves people's well-being and supports Unesco's core pillars: education, culture, science and communication. South Africa's strategic engagement is reflected in its leadership across several Unesco initiatives, including Minister Blade Nzimande's chairmanship of the Amid conflict, climate breakdown and digital disruption, Unesco, with strong support of members such as South Africa, must remain the ethical compass of a renewed multilateral system. My candidacy for director-general is rooted in this conviction, and built on three guiding pillars: impact, inclusion, and innovation.
Mail & Guardian
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Mail & Guardian
Chinese technology punts AI Agents and 5G-advanced networks for the future
Technology experts punted AI Agents — a software programme that uses artificial intelligence to perform tasks and make decisions independently, with minimal human interaction or oversight — at the Mobile World Congress conference in Shanghai, China last week. (John McCann/M&G) Chinese technology developers are mapping out the future with Technology experts punted AI Agents — a software programme that uses artificial intelligence to perform tasks and make decisions independently, with minimal human interaction or oversight — at the Mobile World Congress conference in Shanghai, China last week. 'To build an AI agent for an individual, you need numerous touch points, so something that spreads across many devices, essentially,' Dominic Wallace, a senior global public relations manager at 'You need to create a personal memory model, something that knows and learns about what the user does, and keeps aggregating the knowledge to improve the service.' User-based experiences can also be used for business optimisation and infrastructure. 'It's about taking the data and analysing it and creating an ecosystem that fits each personal user based on their condition and their taste, and then the infrastructure is about synergy and cloud network [as well as] edge device synergy,' Wallace said. While the AI Agents are still conceptual, 5G-A is already available in more than 300 cities in China, and carriers now offer 5G-A mobile plans in more than 30 Chinese provinces while the country has about 10 million 5G-A users. The conference itself showcased automated vehicles that can transform into open vans — for a city that operates purely on electric vehicles and scooters — 3D and transparent laptop screens and futuristic robots in a human figure — equipped with technology to hand-deliver goods. According to industry experts, many mobile network carriers are becoming providers of personalised AI agents that people can constantly access. For example, in smart homes, they are improving services by helping devices work together for a better user experience. In cars, they are combining AI with new technologies to offer smarter, more connected spaces and in businesses, carriers are boosting computing and network services to support production and operations more effectively. 'The rapid adoption of mobile AI is bringing new vitality to the mobile industry in three brand-new ways,' said David Wang, executive director of the board at Huawei. The first is that mobile devices will host AI Agents, not just applications, 'that will improve every aspect of our life and work', while AI's convergence with the Internet of Things (IoT) — a network of physical appliances or devices and vehicles embedded with sensors that exchanges data over the internet to support smarter decision-making — will diversify AI capabilities. The system bases its personal memory on the users' real life habits, experiences and needs, Wallace said. 'A travel AI agent or travel assistant would be able to take minutes of all the key points of a phone call or a meeting, and when you're in transit, on a train for example, it's already working out what time you arrive and will book a taxi,' he said. 'If you have expenses on your business trip, it will be smart enough to know which are personal expenses, which are company expenses, and be able to file those with the finance department or something like that.' Food delivery drones, which are already in use, will also be personalised through AI Agents. '[Drones] can be used for things like food delivery, also medical items that maybe need to get somewhere quickly. With low velocity, they fly low and get there quickly,' Wallace said. 'It can't deliver the food directly to your door, because perhaps you live in a flat right in the building, but the drone can deliver it to, for example, outside the building …The concept is, eventually, the robot can then take it from that drop off point and then deliver it directly to your door.' He said some AI Agents would also be able to detect when a user needs to increase their water or food intake, when they need to stock up on specific groceries, and when they need to exercise. Some AI systems can also tailor an exercise routine for a user and demonstrate the actions on the screen, while monitoring their actions. 'It's about memory. It's about knowing the user and being able to do things they need,' he added. Other devices also enabled healthcare checks for cancer cells, education programmes and assistants and industry-specific mechanisms. Robots will play an integral role in people's lives, but will need better connectivity networks, said the chief executive of Leju Robot, Chang Lin. 'As robots become integral to production and daily life, their connectivity will have to go beyond mere stable to intelligent — where latency is just a foundational capability and collaborative decision-making will be the true game-changer,' he said. 5G-A networks and AI-assisted route planning can collectively boost efficiency and cut costs in the supply chain industry, and commercially, it can enhance experiences for low-latency and high-bandwidth applications, including like cloud gaming and multi-view immersive sports streaming, and can enable more user-friendly payment patterns. 5G-A 'will spur innovative new business models, and help carriers expand beyond traffic to begin monetising the experience itself,' Huawei's corporate senior vice president Li Peng said. Carriers can use AI agents to drive AI adoption while delivering targeted experiences for individuals, homes, businesses, and industries. Commercial 5G-A adoption is expected to accelerate in a number of regions in 2025, including China, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Huawei said in a statement. The journalist's trip to Shanghai to attend the conference was sponsored by Huawei Technologies
Mail & Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
The privatisation agenda will not save South Africa
For the many who rightly feel abandoned by the government, and are sick of the state's failures, the private sector stepping in to solve problems with energy, water and logistics might appear rational and necessary. (John McCann/MG) The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan to South Africa. The Does this new loan not contradict and undermine the government's stated efforts to practice fiscal responsibility and restrained government spending? For the past several years, the treasury has nourished Since 2010, the government has taken on As irrational as treasury's loan agreements with the World Bank might seem to the public, it operates within a logic that justifies the broader agenda being pursued by the government of national unity (GNU). Behind the curtain of political theatre surrounding debates on education, land reform and black economic empowerment (BEE), the GNU is united by an unwavering commitment to a series of structural reforms that will extend an exploitative, undemocratic and costly dependence on private investment for public infrastructure development and operation. For the many who rightly feel abandoned by the government, and are sick of the state's failures, the private sector stepping in to solve problems with energy, water and logistics might appear rational and necessary. The idea that private sector firms, and the capitalists who run them, are inherently more efficient, less corrupt and unburdened by political ideology is so pervasive an assumption that it barely receives any interrogation. Perhaps the most potent illusion this unexamined assumption instills is that what is best for big business is best for people. In reality, maintaining profitability, cutting operational costs, minimising risk to investors, maximising shareholder value, ensuring returns on investment, remaining competitive and being exposed to the fluctuation of markets means that private sector firms — as an unavoidable imperative of surviving in a capitalist economy — will always put their prosperity over the welfare of the public. This is evidenced by international experiences in both developed and developing countries. In the The adoption of the Rather than capacitating municipalities to deliver services on the basis of human need, national budget transfers to municipalities were reduced, non-core functions were outsourced to expensive private contractors and municipalities were compelled to pursue A central component of placing public utilities and services into the hands of private operators is fiscal consolidation, that is, austerity. Austerity then shrinks the role of the state, weakening its ability to service the public and enforces reliance on private firms, clearing space for market competition. Austerity measures in nations such as Private companies also need to reduce the cost of labour, requiring workers who are easy to hire and easy to fire, unprotected by collective bargaining and often compelled to work without the lifeline of a minimum wage. Around the world, creating The set of reforms being proposed, and gradually implemented, by the GNU are not novel inventions but belong to a tradition of economic practice that has dominated macroeconomic policymaking in South Africa and around the world since the 1980s. This economic practice has come to be known as neoliberalism. Although a term often casually tossed around, a concrete definition of neoliberalism recognises that it is both an economic The theory proposes that 'human well-being can be best advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedom and skills within a framework characterised by strong property rights, free markets and free trade'. As a political project, neoliberalism aims to 're-establish the conditions for capital accumulation and to restore the power of economic elites'. To achieve the aims of neoliberalism, the role of the state is to create and preserve the institutional framework appropriate to the practice of capital accumulation. The coalition government is advancing a surrender of public infrastructure development, basic service provision and equitable economic growth to the profit-maximising interests of domestic private companies, multinational corporations and international financial institutions. As an example, the World Bank's use of the term 'modernisation' is merely a euphemism for the continued liberalisation of the energy and logistics sector, further commercialising state-owned enterprises and eventually leading to their privatisation. Liberalisation — which is the removal of government regulations, the breaking down of monopolies and facilitation of competition — precedes or coincides with commercialisation, setting the scene for private participation and market competition. Through commercialisation, public utilities and services that should have a mandate to serve the public good are turned into enterprises that prioritise revenue and profitability. Their services are brought into a competitive market consisting of private firms with a mandate to make profits. Privatisation, the process of transferring ownership and control of public assets and services to private entities to be run on a commercial basis, is often preceded by the liberalisation of public sector utilities and the commercialisation of public services. The logic behind the GNU's agenda is for the government, using its authority to create legislation and enforce policy, to forge the most hospitable conditions for capital accumulation by cultivating a business friendly environment that will attract private investment in infrastructure, increase the efficiency of key economic sectors and grow our economy, producing jobs and reducing poverty. Weaving sermons in the editorial rooms of the corporate-sponsored media and evangelising in the offices of the treasury, the priests of this trickle-down gospel portray private investment as South Africa's sole salvation. The policy plans of government are not a rhetorical wishlist, but are clearly laid out in The unbundling of Eskom and creation of a competitive electricity market to introduce private sector participation in generation, distribution and private The Continued fiscal consolidation — that is, austerity measures (budget cuts or limits on social welfare, public employment stimulation, tight monetary policy and regressive taxation to achieve a budget-surplus); Mobilising up to R1 trillion in financing from the private sector for infrastructure development through Increased reliance on The gradual imposing of labour-market flexibility, that is, deregulating the labour market to decrease the cost of labour for employers (weaken collective bargaining, lower minimum wage requirements and reduce employment benefits). What we are witnessing is the exploitation of crises — specifically the crises of unemployment, economic stagnation and state incapacity — to justify the enforcement of policies that have failed to deliver desired outcomes in both developed and developing countries across the world for the past 50 years. The most important element of the GNU's structural reform agenda is the drive for private financing of public infrastructure development through public-private partnerships. Global institutional investors — be it the World Bank or multinational investment banks — are using the burden of sovereign debt (which limits fiscal space for domestic resource mobilisation and state-driven investment), alongside the justification of meeting In the past several years this has largely occurred through Because infrastructure projects, especially for natural monopolies such as electricity or water provision, require immense capital investment and come with a series of risks (design defects, project delays, foreign exchange volatility, land acquisition, labour protections and so forth), governments have to ensure infrastructure development is This is done to make infrastructure projects investable and profitable. The state takes on risk through providing private investors credit guarantees, enforcing cost-reflective tariffs, providing subsidies or tax breaks. Through these de-risking mechanisms, risk is transferred onto the government's balance sheet, coming at the cost of public investment, which a country like South Africa needs to eradicate unemployment, poverty and inequality. In countries such as Spain, Mexico, India, Peru, Nepal, Scotland and Liberia the commercialisation or partial privatisation of public utility and services through public-private partnerships Moreover, democratic accountability and the need for transparency in the provision of public goods has been undermined when crucial infrastructure is handed over to private hands. In developing countries such as South Africa, the growing reliance on private companies to deliver public services and build public infrastructure The government has retained a commitment to neoliberalism for decades, whether through the Growth, Employment and Redistribution, the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiatives for South Africa, the National Development Plan or the Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. We keep trying the same things while expecting different results. About 12.7 million are unemployed and half the population of the country lives in poverty. Such conditions are unsustainable and explosive. New, politically imaginative and effective policy solutions are needed. Andile Zulu is with the Alternative Information and Development Centre in Cape Town.
Mail & Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Diplomacy is not dead, the world has just forgotten how to use it
A satellite image shows the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran in this handout image dated June 14, 2025 (MAXAR TECHNOLOGY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS) Last week, the United States launched a large-scale aerial attack on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, dropping 30 000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs on enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The Strait of Hormuz has been . The question now is not whether diplomacy is dead in the Middle East, but whether anyone remembers what it looks like. And if they don't, we in South Africa should remind them. Just over three decades ago, our country faced what many believed was an irreversible path to civil war. Between 1990 and 1994, nearly 15 000 South Africans were killed in And yet, the leaders of this country – President FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, men from utterly different histories – chose dialogue over destruction. Together, they chose peace. They didn't just sign a document, they built the architecture of peace from scratch. They negotiated an What is happening now in Iran and Israel has its own unique causes. Since the collapse of the The US Israel, seeing this as an existential threat, launched pre-emptive strikes on The UN Charter, under If this sounds familiar, it's because history has shown us again and again what happens when diplomacy is abandoned and self-defence becomes synonymous with brutal force. But force is not policy. Bombs do not build stability. We know this because we have lived it. South Africa's transition succeeded not because we had the perfect Constitution waiting in a drawer or because our society had magically healed. It succeeded because both sides accepted that dialogue was less costly than bloodshed. They knew that without talks, there would be nothing left to govern. The But again and again, our leaders returned to the table. They understood that the process – imperfect, fragile, maddening – was more powerful than any one grievance. And this is the same lesson that must be applied in the Middle East. We must believe that there is nothing inevitable about war between Israel and Iran. Just as the Yes, Oslo ultimately failed. But its failure was not a repudiation of diplomacy; it was a failure of political courage to sustain it. The same can be said of the JCPOA. It was an imperfect but effective mechanism to prevent nuclear escalation. Iran complied . The international community verified . But it was unilaterally abandoned in 2018. The current crisis is the direct result. We know that diplomacy is not a naïve ideal. It is the first principle of international law. The Under And we have, over the years, seen other nations learn this. These were not miracles. They were choices. What would it take for the Middle East to choose peace? First, open channels unconditionally. Mandela Quiet diplomacy – through back-channels, third-party intermediaries, or regional platforms – is not weakness. It is how war is prevented. Second, include all parties. In South Africa, the ANC, the National Party, the IFP and even fringe groups were eventually brought into dialogue. In the Middle East, that means involving not just the US, Iran and Israel, but also the Gulf States, Turkey and actors like Hezbollah that hold sway over real conditions on the ground. Exclusion breeds sabotage. Inclusion creates accountability. Third, restore or renegotiate the nuclear deal. The JCPOA's technical architecture can still serve as a basis for limiting enrichment, lifting sanctions and guaranteeing regional security. The cost of inaction (or even indifference) is far greater than the political difficulty of re-engagement. Fourth, create guarantees. Whether through the UN or a new regional mechanism, a peace framework must include verification, economic support and political cover for leaders taking risks . Finally, appeal to people, not just governments. Leaders must prepare their populations for compromise. In South Africa, that meant referendums, unity talks and mass civic engagement (like the United Democratic Front). It was not easy. But it worked. The FW de Klerk Foundation believes in constitutionalism, dialogue and international law. We do not pretend that every context is the same, or that South Africa's path is easily copied. But we do know that peace is possible, even when it seems impossible. That truth is not negotiable. And it is not too late. Let the world remember that the best outcomes are built not from domination, but from diplomacy. Let the Middle East remember that peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of dialogue. And let the leaders of today remember that if Mandela and de Klerk could forge a new country from the ashes of division, then surely, even in the rubble of conflict, nations can find a path back to peace. Ismail Joosub is Manager of Constitutional Advancement at the FW de Klerk Foundation.
Mail & Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
G20 youth confront challenges of multilateral cooperation, national sovereignty
National sovereignty has been a key undercurrent from delegates representing the Global South. A recent youth summit tied to this year's G20 programme under South Africa's presidency revealed a divergence between the ambitions of the Global South and the priorities of the Global North on issues such as on net-zero commitments on climate change, gender matters, debt, finance and intellectual property. Youth delegates gathered at the Y20 pre-summit in Pretoria on 18 and 19 June, to discuss demands to be put to G20 leaders ahead of this year's heads of state summit to be held in South Africa in November. The Y20 platform's draft recommendations were on topics ranging from climate change to digital governance, inclusive growth and meaningful youth engagement. While there was broad consensus on climate justice, sustainability, AI literacy and youth participation, delegates at the Y20 summit disagreed on net-zero commitments, gender related issues, debt, finance and intellectual property. US President Donald Trump, whose country will take over the G20 presidency from South Africa later this year, has Earlier this year, US secretary of state Marco Rubio In its preamble, the Y20 draft highlights 'the sovereign right of each country to implement the recommendations of the Y20 summit communique or other proposals in the present agreement, consistent with national laws and development priorities'. Y20 chairperson Raymond Matlala told the Mail and Guardian that national sovereignty has been a critical theme throughout the discussions. 'We do believe that the ambitions of the Global South can align with those of the Global North. Across all five policy tracks, there is a strong degree of alignment on overarching priorities. The main challenge lies in negotiating the language to reflect a consensus that respects both perspectives, rather than a fundamental difference in goals,' he said. He added that negotiations were still in the early stages, with both pushback and contention encountered on technical and sensitive issues. In the climate justice and environmental sustainability track, the draft urges G20 countries to expand equitable climate finance, prioritising adaptation for least-developed countries and small island developing states. It recommends debt-for-climate swops, blue and green bonds and nature-based solutions, while reaffirming the principle of Although debt-for-climate swaps — where countries redirect debt payments to The US and EU, among others, pushed for legally binding net-zero commitments while China opposed obligations, stressing nationally set targets. Similarly, while the US and UK advocated for fossil fuel phase-outs, Russia remained silent, hinting at continued dependence on hydrocarbons. Proposals for deep-sea mining moratoriums, championed by Canada, also lacked consensus. National sovereignty has been a key undercurrent from delegates representing the Global South, Y20 public relations and media officer Irfaan Mangera told the M&G , saying while 'international cooperation is vital, it cannot come at the cost of domestic developmental priorities, policy autonomy or historical redress'. 'For Global South nations, sovereignty is not just a political concept; it's a lived struggle against legacies of colonialism, debt dependency and global policy prescriptions that often ignore context,' Mangera added. 'Alignment between the Global South and North is possible, but only through genuine partnership, not paternalism … Y20 is a space where we are challenging the old binary. 'The goal is not uniformity, but mutual accountability, where Global North countries recognise their historical responsibilities and Global South countries are empowered to drive locally-rooted solutions with global support.' The inclusive economic growth and employment track proposes creating a global sustainable livelihoods index to monitor just transitions. G20 youth called for milestone-based loans, youth-responsive financial systems and investment in AI-aligned skills training to reduce the NEET [not in employment, education or training] labour force rate. Disputes have also arisen around land redistribution, with countries diverging on whether it should be included in youth-focused economic justice proposals. Meanwhile, reform of the UN Security Council, particularly curbing veto powers, was supported by Mexico, Turkey and South Africa, but lacked broader endorsement. Y20 sherpa Levi Singh told the M&G that the inclusion of sovereignty in the draft communique is an established norm within the multilateral space that reaffirms that consensus is limited to the national legislative policy and framework environment of a member state. In the G20, 'We do realise the importance, and affirm the importance of, national sovereignty in the implementation of whatever agreement is reached through consensus. I think it's worth noting that we've also invited member states to include reservations on specific paragraphs where needed on issues of contention as we seek to build consensus,' Singh said. Delegates supported ethical digital governance under the AI, digital innovation and skills track. Proposals include embedding AI literacy in education, ensuring access to AI infrastructure and regulating AI systems through rights-based and youth co-created platforms. However, calls for technology transfer and open access from developing nations were met with resistance from the latter, who favoured private sector-led innovation without interference with intellectual property rights. The tension extended to AI ethics, where there was no clear agreement on regulatory harmonisation versus national discretion. For the Global South, sovereignty is a shield against unbalanced partnerships to safeguard domestic policy in the face of global pressure, said Amina Willims, a member of the Al, digital innovation and skills track. 'I think alignment is the gift we can claim once we've reiterated against one-size-fits-all-solutions that have widened the increasing gaps between the Global South and North,' Williams said. 'We have an opportunity to reshape the global digital agenda into one that is shared, just and inclusive and that starts with acknowledging each nation's right to declare its own developmental path while contributing to a collective vision.' The inclusive social development track placed emphasis on ending gender-based violence, achieving bodily autonomy, supporting mental health and ensuring rights for climate migrants. It also highlighted the need for inclusive education, particularly for those in conflict-affected regions. However, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, while supported in some quarters, did not receive universal support. The use of intersectionality was supported by some countries, including Germany and Canada, but faced opposition from Saudi Arabia. The inclusion of LGBTQIA+ rights and gender-based violence issues is deeply rooted in cultural contexts and political realities, Matlala said, adding that Y20 was committed to advocating for universal inclusion. 'Any compromises considered will be carefully negotiated to ensure that the final communique upholds the integrity of inclusive principles without alienating key constituencies,' he said. For the sake of compromise, 'LGBTQIA+ issues may be framed under anti-discrimination, access to healthcare or gender equity, rather than culturally contentious identity labels', Mangera weighed in. 'So, instead of framing LGBTQIA+ rights, mental health or land justice in ways that risk cultural rejection, Y20 leaders are increasingly grounding these issues in broader human rights frameworks that resonate across political lines,' Mangera said. Singh said the UN's sustainable development goals, as well as its Pact of the Future, Declaration on Future Generations and Global Digital Compact form a key part of South Africa's G20 negotiations. In the youth engagement and multilateral reform track, the youth delegates agreed on the creation of a Youth Negotiations Corps to push for reforms at the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organisation South Africa also proposed the establishment of a permanent Y20 council which would address gaps in continuity, institutional memory and accountability in youth engagement, Matlala said. The final Y20 communique is expected ahead of this year's G20 summit, where world leaders will decide whether South Africa's declaration will build on Brazil's push for multilateralism and reform or mark a turning point toward a more unipolar world order.
