Articles

Is artificial intelligence beginning of the end?

Surprisingly, AI technology is an umbrella term that involves many other computerized tools such as digitize learning, robotics and computerized vision, as well as language comprehension and generation.

With all the strides that have been made in the digital sphere, we are now seeing the rise of AI technology as it infiltrates more conventional hardware systems, including on our cellular devices and desktops.

AI technology allows for data-driven decisions to be made at a faster and more accurate rate than the human brain can compute.

For some industries, the AI takeover happened faster than was expected.

In the US, fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and KFC said goodbye to many of their servers at counters and welcomed automated machines that make the ordering and paying process faster for patrons.

Call Centres also had their day when service calls became automated, costing employees their jobs.

While fast food servers and call centre agents worried about the future of their jobs, many of us felt a false sense of security in our lines of work.

But now machine intelligence is coming for yet another industry �` the arts and culture sector, which is seeing a lot more AI influence infiltrating the sanctity of creativity and creative expression.

If you scroll through TikTok, Instagram or even Twitter for long enough, you’ll find AI-generated songs, paintings, film scripts and even novels, many of which seem just as good those written by a human.

I was recently scrolling through my own TikTok account when I found a video of someone who had exposed their AI to 1 000 hours of British singer Adele’s music and then requested that the AI write and perform its own Adele-inspired song.

I was stunned to hear that the AI not only wrote a deeply emotional song in the style of Adele, but it sounded exactly like the Easy on Me hitmaker.

AI technology has been going through a period of mass expansion and development over the past 10 years, and its advancements are moving at a rapid pace.

In the 2004 film I, Robot �` starring US actor Will Smith �` AI robots are used to help human beings with day-to-day tasks and for companionship, but later become sentient and one plots their plan for world domination.

A similar phenomenon has allegedly already taken place in the real world.

In June last year, a Google engineer went on record to state that one of their Google chatbot generators had become sentient.

Blake Lemoine said he had spent hours testing the machine known as Lamda �` short for Language Model for Dialogue Applications �` and was convinced that the chatbot had gained a consciousness and was consumed by its own dreams, needs, rights and fears.

While some brushed this off as Lemoine’s consumption by AI and its possible trickery, many others began to question whether or not this was the beginning of the next step of human/machine evolution.

Considering the fact that this is only the beginning of AI technology, we are yet to see the ways it will affect or improve the lives of human beings.

However, when it comes to artistic expression, the possibilities are only terrifying.

Since the beginning of time, art and creativity have been practices of a sacred nature; true expressions of emotion and state of mind; words and art that perfectly portray how we feel.

The most significant trait of art and artistic practice is the personal nature by which it is created �` completely within the beauty of the complex human experience.

The threat of AI technology in the creative world may mean the end of record deals, as many record companies can afford to create new AI music from some of history’s greatest musicians, including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Billie Holiday.

Many of these companies can even afford to create impressive songs and symphonies from some of our biggest talents.

Today, we have more one-hit wonders than ever, with creators dropping their songs on apps such as TikTok, never to be heard of again.

Therefore, we begin to understand the threat that technological advancement and AI have on creativity and the creative industry.

The threat could also mean that painting, sculpture, architecture and other forms of expression could become more impersonal.

Is this the beginning of AI as the next step in creative productivity? Is this the beginning of the end for the common creative?

www.samigration.com V.4650

Hell Affairs, a South African was stuck in limbo for four years trying to prove her identity and citizenship

A mother of three had her ID blocked by Home Affairs leaving her in anguish, and unable to live a normal life. Expensively obtained affidavits, letters and a DNA test left officials unmoved about the lack of progress for years. Many South Africans have never considered what it would take to prove they are citizens of this land. For Thulisile Gumede, it took several trips from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), collecting affidavits from former teachers, a letter from her village chief and a DNA test. It also took four years of her life. Gumede, a mother of three married to a Zimbabwean man, thought her ordeal was over when in 2022, Home Affairs confirmed it had unblocked her identity document. Earlier, in 2017, when applying for her son’s identity document (ID), she found out that her ID had been blocked. Blocked identity V.4747

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Immigration activists launch detention hotline as calls for help increase

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Canada to roll back asylum access in reported agreement with US

The United States and Canada have reportedly reached an agreement that will allow border officials to turn back asylum seekers heading north across their shared border without considering their petitions for sanctuary, sparking outcry from immigrant groups. US and Canadian media outlets reported the tentative agreement on Thursday, as US President Joe Biden visits the Canadian capital of Ottawa for his first official visit to the country since taking office in early 2021. V.4749

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How much it costs to buy a bar or pub franchise like Tiger`s Milk, News Cafe, Cubaña, or Bossa

How much it costs to buy a bar or pub franchise like Tiger`s Milk, News Cafe, Cubaña, or Bossa 20 March 2023 | News24 South Africa`s bar and pub scene has changed significantly in recent years - particularly when it comes to national franchises. What was once a market dominated by a handful of traditional pubs and bars has seen the line blurred between bar, pub, and restaurant - to create a safer jack-of-all-trades model. Many South African bars now tend to look more like restaurants - doing quieter trade during daylight and ramping up with live music, DJs, and drinks specials in the evenings. They also tend to serve simple meals like burgers and pizzas throughout the day and late into the evening - a move that likely increases the appeal and potential revenue versus the days of grabbing a few evening pints at the bar. V.4742

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DHA official presents higher visa backlog than Motsoaledi initially reported due to corruption

DHA official presents higher visa backlog than Motsoaledi initially reported due to corruption 20 March 2023 Published Mar 15, 2023 Cape Town - Some of the backlogs in visa applications were caused by corruption and suspensions at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), MPs were told by a department official, who presented higher figures than initially reported. DHA acting deputy director-general for immigration services, Yusuf Simons, told the Home Affairs portfolio committee members that corruption in the department played a role in the backlog. V.4743

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Why asylum seekers are choosing Canada in record numbers

Why asylum seekers are choosing Canada in record numbers Last year, nearly 40,000 migrants crossed into Canada at an unofficial border at the end of a remote rural road in upstate New York - a record number - to seek asylum. Many are driven by the belief that the country is more welcoming than the US. But can Canada handle the influx? 20 March 2023 | BBC News On a snowy winter day, Roxham Road is cold and quiet. The silence is interrupted by the sound of wheels approaching the end of the path, or the crunching of footsteps on snow. Around 150 migrants are dropped off here each day, determined to step foot into Canada. Many began their journey as far away as Brazil, with this road in New York state as their finish line. Roxham Road is not an official border point. There are no border agents at the end of it, only police officers who arrest those who cross. V.4744

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The emotional impact of emigration, through the eyes of an artist

The emotional impact of emigration, through the eyes of an artist 20 March 2023 | Daily Maverick As an emigration therapist, I have the privilege to explore the world of emigration through the eyes of my clients. Everyone’s experience is unique. Emigrants venture into a new, unknown world: they leave the familiar to start afresh amid new cultures and environments. Some recall a profound sense of being emotionally uprooted, others fully embrace the opportunities presented and continue to thrive. Yet, some experience both. V.4745

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Tax tips for wealthy South Africans emigrating to the US

Tax tips for wealthy South Africans emigrating to the US BusinessTech | 20 March 2023 There are three areas of concern that high net-worth individuals looking to emigrate to the United States must consider to ensure that their wealth is secure. America is a popular destination for South African emigrants, with data from Statista showing that over 100,000 South Africans lived in the US in 2020 trailing only the United Kingdom and Australia in the number of South African ex-pats. V.4746

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Refugees Good News !! If you have been in South Africa for 10 years as a Refugee did you know there is a path to permanent residence .

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Home affairs official based in Namibia busted for allegedly selling visas

A Department of Home Affairs official based in Windhoek has been fired after being caught allegedly fraudulently issuing visas to Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the department had revoked the visas after the secretary for civics and immigration services based at South Africa`s mission in Windhoek was busted for allegedly selling them to non-qualifying citizens. V.4740

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One year on, the remote worker visa feels only a little less like a remote possibilityOne year on, the remote worker visa feels only a little less like a remote possibility

It’s ‘inexcusable’ that SA still doesn’t offer this when the average work-from-destination traveller could be spending ‘at least’ R50 000 here each month. Digital nomads are rushing to beautiful locations all over the world but can’t come to South Africa. Image: Bloomberg It’s been a year since President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his 2022 State of the Nation address (Sona) that a comprehensive review of the work visa system was “currently underway”. Led by a former director-general of Home Affairs, the review was “exploring the possibility of new visa categories that could enable economic growth”, including “a remote working visa”. V.4735

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Home affairs commits to reducing permits backlog

The department of home affairs is giving attention to clearing the backlog of applications for permanent and temporary residence permits that date back to 2016, and which cause immense frustration to people wanting to settle in the country. But it only expects to have cleared the backlog in 15 months’ time. Acting director of immigration services Yusuf Simons told members of parliament’s home affairs committee on Tuesday that measures to address the backlogs included bringing in more adjudicators, the use of overtime and reducing the number of layers of adjudication that an application has to go through before being considered by the director-general. V.4736

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After 10 years of court battles, Home Affairs will open Cape Town refugee office

The long wait for a Cape Town Refugee Reception Office will finally come to an end on Monday. A new office on Grenville Avenue in Epping is expected to open its doors officially for asylum and refugee services on 20 March. This comes after more than ten years of court battles since the Department of Home Affairs closed its Cape Town refugee office. In October last year, GroundUp reported that the new centre had finally started to take shape in Epping. According to the UCT Refugee Rights Clinic Facebook page, all new asylum and refugee matters will be heard at the Epping offices. “If anyone has any matters that still need to be dealt with before the 20th, you may still be required to attend their old office at Foreshore where the remaining Home Affairs staff will assist you,” the clinic advises. V.4737

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Dismissed immigrant lecturers withdraw Labour Court case

Port Elizabeth TVET College agrees not to retrench them Three immigrant lecturers whose contracts at the Port Elizabeth TVET College were terminated in January have won their case in the Labour Court. Graphic: Lisa Nelson Three lecturers from Zimbabwe and Rwanda whose contracts were terminated in January by the Port Elizabeth TVET College have withdrawn their case today after the College agreed in the Port Elizabeth Labour Court that it will not retrench them. A fourth lecturer who was also dismissed, who is Zimbabwean, has not been appearing in court because he has another case pending with the college. The four have been lecturing in engineering for several years. The college management wrote letters on 12 January informing them that their services would be terminated on 1 February. V.4738

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Cape Town’s notorious unfinished freeway finally gives way to Foreshore development

Development of Cape Town Gateway Precinct, linking the Foreshore to the Bo-Kaap, De Waterkant and the V&A Waterfront, can now begin as land along lower Buitengracht Street has been released to the City by the provincial government. Development has been held back for 40 years because of a road reserve along Buitengracht Street kept by the provincial government for the unfinished Foreshore freeway. The 11,254m2 of land released to the City of Cape Town on 20 January was announced by the City on 14 February. The land is made up of vacant plots and parking lots along Buitengracht Street, held in line with a 1970s’ plan to create a ring road linking the Foreshore freeway nicknamed “Solly’s Folly” after city engineer Solly Morris to Buitengracht Street between Walter Sisulu Avenue and Wale Street. V.4739

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Some Home Affairs mobile units not functioning in three provinces

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said three mobile units allocated to the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State were not fully operational due to mechanical problems. Motsoaledi said the fleet belonged to the old fleet that was procured in the 2005/6 financial year. “Some of the units were previously involved in accidents,” he said. Motsoaledi was responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Adrian Roos, who asked about the number of the department’s mobile units that were fully operational and also deployed on a day-to-day basis. V.4726

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Suspected Islamist militants kill 19 people in village raid in eastern DRC

Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 19 people and burnt a medical facility in a raid on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) early on Sunday morning, said two regional officials and a resident. The attack, which occurred around 1am (23:00 GMT) in the village of Kirindera in North Kivu province, took place just a few kilometres from another attack on a village that killed at least 35 people last week. The army blamed last week’s attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group based in eastern Congo that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. A resident of a nearby village and a member of local civil society blamed Sunday’s attack on the ADF. V.4727

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Life in prison for murderer who threw a 23-year-old man out of seventh-floor Pretoria flat

A 37-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering 23-year-old Shaun Douglas Chabalala, who was thrown out of a seventh-floor window of a block of flats in central Pretoria in 2018. Dumkele “Ekere” Onyeghani appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where he stood in the dock expressionless as the judgment was read out. Magistrate Thembinkosi Ndwandwe started his judgment by going through the testimony of the State witnesses, followed by the version of the defence. Ndwandwe accepted the version of Chabalala’s business partner, Given Mzamane, who was the only witness to the killing. V.4729

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Govt probes Shein amid concerns over its rapid gains in SA

As parts of business and labour in SA sound the alarm that Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein could be exploiting tax loopholes to undercut local retailers and manufacturers, the government has confirmed an investigation is underway. Shein meanwhile says it is committed to ethical business and wage practices as well as abiding by the laws and regulations, but there are mounting concerns in some quarters about the rapid gains it is making the South African market. Founded in 2008, Shein is a Chinese online retailer that ships to more than 150 countries. It markets its clothes primarily via social media, and has gained a fast-growing market in South Africa - as was evidenced by long queues outside its local logistics partner`s premises during the past festive season. V.4730

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Home Affairs Department said it is reviewing their options relating to the 22 Afghan nationals seeking asylum

The Home Affairs Department said it has asked for a legal opinion regarding the matter involving 22 Afghan nationals who were dumped in the country without being vetted. `We are reviewing our options and have asked for a legal opinion in this regard,` said Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s spokesperson, Siya Qoza. South Africans expressed concern over a security rush associated with the 22 Afghan nationals who are in the country; some even suspected that they might attack citizens. V.4731

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