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Showing posts with label knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knowledge. Show all posts

Thursday 4 May 2023

The new Cold War heats up


 Insightful views: Kishore giving his assessment on the US-China rivalry during his lecture in Kuala Lumpur. -

The new Cold War heats up

International relations expert Kishore Mahbubani has interesting views on US-China rivalry and the role Asean could play.

IT’S not every day that one gets to hear directly from Prof Kishore Mahbubani, one of the best thinkers on international relations.

In fact, it had taken the organiser, the Malaysian Institute of Management, over two years to invite the Singaporean diplomat, academician and best-selling author to Kuala Lumpur.

Those of us who turned up for his lecture on Tuesday evening wanted to hear his assessment of the United States-China rivalry, which is certain to get worse in the coming years.

Kishore is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asian Research Institute, National University of Singapore, and has had two notable careers – 33 years in diplomacy and 15 years in academia.

He was the founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and spent over 10 years as Singapore’s ambassador to the United Nations.

He has authored several books, including best-sellers such as Can Asians Think? and Has The West Lost It?.His insightful views on the US-China geopolitical rivalry have grabbed the attention of many.

Gloomy as it may be, it is certain and unavoidable – in Kishore’s own words – that the rivalry will worsen as the Chinese push to challenge the United States for dominance.

For us living in the Asean region, especially Malaysians, it is more troubling as the power play is taking place in our backyard, the South China Sea, while Taiwan is merely about four hours away by flight.

Kishore predicts the contest, if not already a feud, will accelerate in the next 10 years and he doesn’t see it quietening down.

The scenario is unprecedented as for the first time in human history, these two superpowers are colliding.

Driven by what he describes as structural forces, he sees China as the “No. 2 that is about to take over as No. 1 and the US will push down China” at all costs as the latter does not see itself losing its pole position.

“They should learn from the Malaysian monarchy (where the reigning King) steps down every five years,’’ he joked.

He said in his highly provocative titled book Has China Won? that it hasn’t helped that the many US policymakers who will drive this geopolitical contest are “possessed by a psychology that sees all competition among great powers as a zero-sum game”.

“Hence, if China steps up its naval deployments in the South China Sea, the US Navy will see it as a loss and step up its presence in the region,” he said.

There is much insecurity on the part of the United States as “it is far from certain that America will win the contest as China has as good a chance as America of emerging as the dominant influence in the world”.

“In fact, many thoughtful leaders and observers in strategically sensitive countries around the world have begun making preparations for a world where China may become number one,” said Kishore.

He said it was an error of perception for America to view the CCP as a Chinese Communist Party embedded in communist roots, when in the eyes of Asian observers, the CCP actually functions as the “Chinese Civilisation Party” with its soul rooted in Chinese civilisation.

But Kishore has some advice for China – never underestimate the United States.

It’s a giant that has woken up and it has won the narrative, with the support of a powerful international media, that it is a contest between a democracy and an authoritarian government.

“It has been a strategic mistake for American thinkers to take success for granted, it would be an equally colossal strategic mistake for China to assume the same,” he said.

Painting the Chinese as demonic has been an easy selling point to the American public, most of whom have never travelled out of their country, added Kishore, saying in his book that it will be easier “for Americans to persist in the belief that they would eventually triumph against China, no matter the odds”.

Both the Republicans and Democrats have adopted the same tone and strategy of containing China.

So, it doesn’t matter who the next US President is although it got worse under President Donald Trump. It has simply become a bipartisan policy.

The rest of the world, especially Asean, will be affected by this great power play. No one will be spared as pressure will be applied to countries to take sides.

Even a simple acquisition of technology, such as using Huawei’s applications, has turned complicated.

Kishore shared an anecdote of how a British top official had told him that it would use Huawei as security clearance, and with a stiff upper lip, said there was no reason for it to submit to US pressure.

But just months later, the United Kingdom “crumbled” to US pressure and abandoned Huawei.

He feared that Taiwan would be a more sensitive issue than the South China Sea as it benefits the United States and China to keep the international waterways safe for freedom of navigation.

But Taiwan is a more potential flash point. It is the red line that no one should cross, and most Asians know it and “they shut up”, he said, advising Asian countries to continue with this approach.

The Chinese see Taiwan as a renegade province that belongs to China and do not tolerate any moves to push for independence. Most countries adopt a One China policy and have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Kishore said for a long time, the United States stayed away from the Taiwan issue, but now it has been broached and “it is not rational, it’s dangerous and emotional”.

But he said Asean could play an influential role to speak up for moderate measures to initiate dialogues between the United States and China and to help reduce tensions that could contribute to possibilities of a war.

He acknowledged that Asean may be “weak and chaotic”, but paradoxically, no one sees the grouping as a threat and its meetings were all attended by the powerful nations.

“Everyone loves Asean. It has convening abilities,” he said, adding that both China and the United States had invested huge amounts there compared to other regions of the world.

China has been the largest market for Asean exports for the past 12 years and Malaysia’s number one trading partner for the past 15 consecutive years, while Asean countries collectively are the United States’ fourth largest trading partner.

Together, they represent a market with a gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$3 trillion (RM13.38 trillion). US goods and services traded with Asean totalled an estimated US$362.2bil (RM1.62 trillion) in 2020.

Kishore said while the US-China contest may be a gloomy topic, there is also a positive aspect as both sides will woo support and attention, adding that it was good to be courted but reaffirmed that Asean members must stay out of the feud.

“It is said that when elephants fight, the grass gets trampled, but let’s not forget that when elephants make love, it tramples too,’’ he said in jest.

Talk is better than war and for a start, the rhetoric can be lowered down. A deeper rationality is needed and surely, there is a need to accept that the world has changed.

A painful and unnecessary clash needs to be avoided. The journey for both sides to work together has to start soon.


Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.

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The new Cold War heats up

 

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Saturday 22 April 2023

Malaysian Scientist in Tsinghua leads space stem cell research at top varsity

 

Prof Dr Kee Keh Hooi from the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University in Beijing.

 Kehkooi Kee-School of Medicine, Tsinghua University 

https://www.med.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1352/1446.htm

Guest: Prof Dr Kee Keh Kooi (Scientist, Tsinghua University)

Kampung boy leads space stem cell research at top varsity 

KUALA LUMPUR: It may seem like a galaxy far, far away when human beings from earth can stay for a long period of time in a spacecraft or even on the moon or Mars, but Malaysian scientist Prof Dr Kee Keh Kooi is already doing research on its effects on human bodies.

The Tsinghua University lecturer is heading a team to study how gravity and even radiation affect the development of human embryonic stem cells in space.

In short, understanding how human reproduction will affect human beings who will spend a long time in space.

The research is also to find answers as to how the human embryonic stem can differentiate in space.

“It is already happening as Chinese astronauts could stay for a period of time in a station on the moon, astronauts could orbit around the earth, and even ordinary people could travel to space,’’ he said.

The Sitiawan-born renowned academician was interviewed online from Beijing by Star Media Group adviser Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai on his webcast programme @realchunwai on Thursday.

His accomplishment was highlighted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when he spoke at Tsinghua University during an official visit to China last month.

China recently announced its readiness to start its lunar base on the moon within five years, ahead of landing astronauts there in subsequent years.

Dr Kee has also conducted his research via China’s first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, which was launched in 2017.

Its main task was to deliver fuel and supplies to the orbiting Tiangong 2 space lab, but it also played host to ground-breaking scientific experiments conducted remotely by earth-based scientists in China.

Dr Kee specialises in stem cell research and how it can be cultured for medical technologies to help patients suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and even spinal cord injuries.

Besides devoting his time in laboratories, he also lectures undergraduate and post-graduate students at Tsinghua, which is regarded as China’s top university.

He spent decades in the United States, where he obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Iowa State University. This was followed by a PhD at Weill Cornell University.

Later, he worked at the University of California, San Francisco, before taking up a three-year stint as a research associate at Stanford University.

The opportunity for him to take a leading role as a principal researcher came when he applied for a post at Tsinghua University after seeing a vacancy advertised in an academic journal in 2009.

“There was an opening for stem cell research at the university, and it caught my interest immediately,’’ he said.

Asked about the differences in the manner in which research is conducted in China and the United States, Dr Kee said that in the United States, individual research was common, while in China, a team of between 50 and 100 people could be involved in a big project.

Despite having spent over 12 years in Beijing, Dr Kee, who grew up in Johor Baru, makes it a point to visit Malaysia annually, especially during Chinese New Year.

His parents, who moved to Johor Baru from Sitiawan to run a coffee shop, are still operating at the premises in Gelang Patah.

Dr Kee is a former student of Foon Yew High School, one of the elite independent schools in Johor.

“Balik kampung is always on my mind. The minute China reopened its border, I took my family home to Malaysia for three weeks,” he said.

Dr Kee, who was born in Kampung Remis, a small fishing village, described himself as a kampung boy. His family, he said, is “a simple Teochew family”.

Dr Kee said he would be happy to conduct talks on his work at Malaysian universities if there are opportunities.

His advice to Malaysians who wish to study at Tsinghua or Peking University is simply to study hard, get good grades and be focused.

However, he added that there are many other universities in China besides these top two.

He said Tsinghua also offers other disciplines, especially at the post-graduate level in economics, architecture, and law, which are conducted in English for international students.

To watch the full interview with Dr Kee, follow @realchuwai on Facebook and YouTube. 

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Tuesday 18 April 2023

Brain aneurysms can happen when there's too much pressure inside your brain

A sudden, severe headache could be a sign that the aneurysm has ruptured. — 123rf.com


The human brain is a unique and complex organ, with the cognitive capacity allowing us to invent the wheel, build pyramids and land on the moon.

The brain is seen as a crowning achievement of human evolution but when it comes to looking after our brains in the modern world, many individuals do not know where to start.

The interest in looking after our brain health can be triggered by a variety of different external factors: sometimes a simple headache will intrigue individuals to wonder why such head pains persist; other times, head injuries result in individuals wondering how to best help the brain recover with minimal side effects.

But sometimes, it takes a loss to the global community to make us take a step back and wonder if we are doing enough for our overall brain health.

When American actor Tom Sizemore was in critical condition after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm, the news quickly became a trending search topic, reaching its peak when it was announced that he had unfortunately passed away on 4th March 2023.

In light of his death, it is important for us to be aware of what brain aneurysms are, what signs and symptoms we should be monitoring and when we should worry about the condition. 

What is a brain aneurysm?

A brain aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a bulging spot in a weak area of the artery, in or around the brain.

As the body pumps blood around the body and to the brain, the pressure of the blood flow will flow into the aneurysm and stretch it even further.

One way to understand the dangers of a brain aneurysm is like this: Imagine a balloon that is being inflated. As it is blown up, it is stretched and becomes bigger, causing its walls to become thinner.

Once it exceeds its maximum capacity, the balloon will burst. Similarly, a brain aneurysm stretches as it is filled with blood, making it more likely to pop and rupture.

This rupture will then cause bleeding in the brain and may result in life-threatening conditions such as subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH).

While we don’t know why brain aneurysms occur and what the exact causes are, it is important to understand who are more prone to develop the condition and what risks aneurysms pose.

Having high blood pressure increases your chances of developing a brain aneurysm as the walls of the blood vessels tend to be weakened. — AFP 
Having high blood pressure increases your chances of developing a brain aneurysm as the walls of the blood vessels tend to be weakened. — AFP Are you at risk?

There are certain risk factors that can increase the likelihood of an individual developing a brain aneurysm. In no particular order, the most common risk factors are:

  • Age and gender: Brain aneurysms are more common in people over the age of 40 and in women.Smoking: 
  • As smoking damages the walls of blood vessels, smokers are more likely to develop an aneurysm.

  • High blood pressure: Those with high blood pressure are more prone to weakened blood vessel walls.

  • Drug use: Use of drugs such as cocaine or amphetamines.
     
  • Family history: If you have a close relative such as a parent or sibling who have had a brain aneurysm, the chances of you developing an aneurysm in the future is slightly higher.
     
  • Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions, such as polycystic kidney disease and arteriovenous malformations.
     
  • Head injury: A severe head injury can damage blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk of developing an aneurysm.

Looking out for signs

An individual who has an unruptured brain aneurysm may have these signs: headaches, eye pains, blurry vision and a dilated pupil.

However, there are some cases where a brain aneurysm that has yet to rupture may not cause any of the symptoms described above.

These unruptured aneurysms may be discovered when individuals go for their regular health check-ups where the doctor will then be able to periodically monitor the condition with additional imaging tests.

However, if a brain aneurysm has ruptured, these are the signs that individuals should look out for – it could be either for themselves or their loved ones:

  • Sudden severe headache: sometimes individuals describe these headaches as one of the worst they have ever had in their life 
  • Nausea and vomiting 
  • Stiff neck 
  • Sensitivity to light 
  • Blurred or double vision 
  • Loss of consciousness 
  • Seizures 
  • Confusion 
  • Weakness or numbness on one side of the face or body 
  • Difficulty speaking or understanding language.

If individuals feel they are experiencing one or more of these symptoms unexpectedly, it is advisable to immediately seek urgent medical attention.

Treatment options

There are different treatment options for a brain aneurysm that depend on the size, location and overall health of the patient.

If an individual has been diagnosed with a small, unruptured aneurysm, it can be monitored regularly with imaging tests such as CT (computerised tomography) scans or MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) to see whether they grow or change over time.

Larger or ruptured aneurysms may require surgical intervention, with various treatment options available.

Surgical clipping: In this procedure, a neurosurgeon places a metal clip around the base of the aneurysm to cut off the blood flow to it and prevent it from rupturing.

Endovascular coiling: In this minimally invasive procedure, a neurointerventional radiologist inserts a catheter into an artery in the groin and threads it up to the brain.

Using imaging guidance, the doctor then places tiny metal coils inside the aneurysm to block blood flow and prevent rupture.

Flow diverters: A flow diverter is a stent-like device that is placed across the neck of the aneurysm.

This device diverts blood flow away from the aneurysm and helps promote healing of the weakened blood vessel wall.

Supportive care: If a brain aneurysm has ruptured and caused bleeding in the brain, supportive care such as medication to control blood pressure, seizure medications and pain management may be necessary.

In severe cases, surgery may be required to remove the blood and repair the damaged blood vessels.

While some individuals with an aneurysm may be aware of having a headache that persists for weeks prior to the actual rupture, it can be difficult to differentiate whether the headache stems from other issues.

These are called “sentinel headaches’ which tend to be shorter in terms of duration and signifies an impending rupture of an aneurysm in the near future.  

Why should I care?

When it was announced that the late Sizemore had suffered a brain aneurysm and was in critical condition, his condition was reportedly so severe that his doctors determined his situation to be one of “no further hope”.

This led the doctors to recommend end-of-life decision, which is a term used to describe the support and medical care given during the time surrounding the imminent death of a patient.

While this may not apply to every single patient suffering from a brain aneurysm, it goes to show that overall brain health and monitoring is crucial even in everyday life.

It has been observed that death is seen in 10% of all SAH cases within the first week, and this figure can rise to nearly 50% within the first month because left untreated, an aneurysm can occur very soon after the initial first bleed.

It is one of the reasons why understanding your own health is important and for those who have a family history of brain aneurysms, monitoring signs and symptoms is especially crucial.

As much as we should be aware of what conditions are out there and what we as an individual may or may not develop, it should not hinder our abilities to live life to the fullest.

If you or a loved one is pre-disposed to developing a brain aneurysm, rest assured that while it can occur in the future, as long as you are looking after yourself and do your necessary health check-ups, you will still be able to live a long and healthy life.

- Dr Gerard Arvind Martin is a consultant neurosurgeon. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this article. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. 

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Saturday 15 April 2023

In desperation, US tries to drag EU into its camp

 

Clare Daly, a member of the European Parliament from Ireland, sat down with CGTN reporter Li Jingjing in Beijing on April 2 to discuss the current challenges Europe is facing and the importance of developing deeper and more stable ties with China. Daly believes most politicians in the EU understand the interconnectedness of relations with China and the necessity of it for the economy. Despite this, anti-China rhetoric is still on the rise as Europe finds itself under immense pressure from the United States.


China and Europe.

 

Editor's Note:

A flurry of trips by European leaders to China are taking place. It is in line with the interests of European citizens, and reflects a genuine and welcome effort on behalf of China to try and develop international relations, Clare Daly (Daly), an Irish politician and member of the European Parliament, told Global Times (GT) reporters Li Aixin and Wang Zixuan in an interview before wrapping up her China visit.

GT: During your China visit, there have been some European leaders coming to China or planning to visit China. What signal do you think it conveys?

Daly: We found it very interesting that everybody is coming to China. Brazilian President Lula is coming soon also. Everybody is beating at the door here. I think what it reflects is a very genuine and welcome effort on behalf of China to try and develop international relations.

To be honest, the relations between the EU and China have not been good. We have noticed, in the period of time since we have been in the European Parliament, hostility and anti-Chinese rhetoric creeping into the debates. That's not in the EU's interest. It doesn't make any sense.

We have tried to understand where it comes from. The only conclusion we can come to is that China is a "threat" to US economic interests, not security interests. In desperation, they [the US] are trying to drag the EU with them into their camp. But we don't think anybody should have camps.

China is a hugely important world economy. It's in the interests of the EU to have good relations with China. From what we've seen, [French] President Macron has improved his relations with China. The comments before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen came were rude, undiplomatic, arrogant and beyond what the EU should be doing. It was quite disgraceful diplomatically. But this is what we have come to expect from the EU. 

 

 
https://youtube.com/shorts/MyYl2ViLyLw?feature=share

EU President Ursula von der Leyen https://youtube.com/shorts/MyYl2ViLyLw?feature=share via @YouTube

 We have a very weak leadership that is behaving in a way that is not in the interests of EU citizens. They need to stay on side with China, but they are bending the knee to the US like they always do. We think they should develop an independent path and forge good relations with everybody.

GT: Do you think the visits by European leaders might show that the EU's political circle is turning toward a more rational and practical mentality toward China?

Daly: I would like to think that, but I've seen too much of the EU think that rationality is part of their plan. Unfortunately, we shot ourselves in our two feet in terms of our relations with Russia in response to the war, rather than championing peace, as we should have been doing. We have been ensuring that the conflict continues there.

Would they suddenly become intelligent and rational? Unfortunately, I don't think so. I think it's probably a result of Chinese diplomacy. Let's hope that the outcome is better relations. I think the visits will certainly help.

More important, in some ways, is the role that China is playing now on the world stage in terms of international affairs, arguing for peace in Ukraine. That is very welcome, because for too long, the world has been dominated by the US who has acted in their own interests, as all countries do. But unfortunately, that interest was to the detriment of people all over the world, and all of us are paying a price for that. We would like to see a real return to international law and multilateral arrangements, which is not really possible in a US-dominated world.

GT: When the US media discussed the European leaders' visits to China, they said French diplomacy was undermining US efforts to reign China in. What's your take in this?

Daly: This is the constant mantra from the US, this is what they do all of the time. Sadly, they generally bring the EU with them and the EU repeats this nonsense as well. It just reveals that China is an economic "threat" to the US in terms their dominant position.

The US has been working full time to drive a wedge between the EU and China and Russia and everybody else. They are trying to hang on to their global position, which they are losing and will lose and have lost in reality. They've lost the hearts and minds of most of the world's population, but they are desperately trying to keep the EU, maybe Australia and the UK, as the last group of people to bring with them.

Unfortunately, those countries have a disproportionate influence on international bodies, way beyond their numbers. But we're in a new dawn of world relations and the old one, represented by the US and sadly the EU, is in decline. The EU doesn't have to be, and the US doesn't either. The US should have good relations with China. Everybody should work with everybody to their own mutual benefit. Sadly, the military industrial complex that dominates the political agenda in the US wanted a different way, and they need to have enemies and bad guys to justify the expenditure.

Clare Daly. Photo: Courtesy of Daly

Clare Daly. Photo: Courtesy of Daly

GT: How would you describe US and EU's role in the world?

Daly: What I think is that the global rule of the US is facing a long and agonizing death. Their days are coming to an end, but that death agony is going to be protracted and take some time.

We're living in an incredibly dangerous period in world history where there is an attempt to redevelop Cold War politics. Most of it is coming from the US. Sadly, the EU, rather than being on the side of saying, "no, we're not interested in that," have sided with the US in that agenda and they're playing that game.

They have sided into the "bad guys, good guys" narrative. They call it democracy vs authoritarianism, which is absolutely ridiculous. We have a chance to vote every five years. Usually the people we vote for tell lies and then they come into power, there's nothing we can do about it. So what is democracy? It's a bit crazy.

Europe should be aligning with the countries that form the majority of the world's population, which is outside the Global North, and arguing for peace in an independent way and working with everybody. They are not doing that. Hopefully. That will change.

GT: What do you think of China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and in what ways can China and Europe work together to ease or maybe end the conflict?

Daly: We very much welcome it. We are for peace, we are against war. We thought it was really helpful that the Chinese did come up with a peace plan. It's not detailed, it's common sense. It's what we have been saying since the beginning in the parliament. We think that Russia made a very big mistake. A lot of people have suffered since then and still are. World relations are in a very difficult place. The only way out of that is through peace and dialogue.

I think the proposal was helpful, but people need to get behind it. The problem is that Europe is still continuing to provide arms for Ukraine. They're still increasing and escalating the rhetoric and the hostility, which is growing all the time. When these things happen, it can get to a place where it's very hard to claw back.

We believe that President Lula's visit to China is partly linked with trying to see a peace plan for Ukraine. How sad that the leadership of the EU, on the continent of Europe, where the war is on, doesn't seem to be bothered.

It shows how much in control of the agenda is the military industrial complex, particularly in the US but right across Europe. Now we see a securitized agenda, in which there are attempts to even drag China into that as well through escalating tensions in Taiwan and so on.

GT: As the victim of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, why is Europe not carrying out a joint investigation into the bombing?

Daly: Because they're afraid of the truth - the only explanation that would make sense. Early on, they tried to say it was Russia who did it. The idea that they might blow up their own pipelines when they could just turn it off was a bit crazy. I'm glad that they have abandoned that lunacy.

If it was the US, which is entirely possible, then that is an act of war by the US, our supposed like-minded partner and friend. Your friends don't go around doing things like that. The ramifications will be enormous.

So the only reason is they know the answer or they are afraid of the answer, and they don't want to go there. But can you imagine if there was any suspicion or suggestion that China might have been involved in doing it, or Iran, or somebody like that, you would have had massive calls in the international community for sanctions, for investigations, meetings, everything. But now, the silence. The silence tells its own story.

GT: In the European Parliament, have you sensed pressure because of your position toward China?

Daly: We wouldn't call it pressure, but there is a racism there. There is anti-China racism and stereotyping. I find it very strange to understand where that has come from.

My belief is that it has to be created. When I was in school and when China began to come onto the world stage and opened up, everybody wanted to learn Chinese. If you were intelligent and you were really in the top, you would learn Chinese. If anybody went to China, people will be, "wow, you've gone to China, that's the cutting edge."

That's about 30 years ago. Now if you say you're going to China, people go, "Why are you going to China? That's scary! They're kind of the enemy." So how did we get into that place?

The media in Ireland has demonized us, [me and] my colleague Mick Wallace, who is a kind of a celebrity in Chinese state media. They say we are the puppets of authoritarian regimes, because some of the comments that we make may have been covered on Chinese television, but the comments we make are covered in Irish television, on American television. It doesn't make us puppets of Europe or America.

It's ignorance, but it doesn't change anything. Our job is to use the chance we have in the parliament of Europe, which is very unrepresentative of the citizens of Europe. So don't worry, if crazy people in the European Parliament are voting on stupid motions that make no sense, our job is to use that platform to represent the interests of the citizens of Europe. The interest of the citizens of Europe is to have good relations with China.

And it's a bit crazy because all of the media and some of the politicians in the countries who complain - they all have diplomatic relations with China, they all have business relations with China.

Relations are bad. It's not China's fault, I think China is doing what it can do. But the door isn't open enough. So hopefully some of these visits now are the beginning of the door opening, the beginning of breaking that US domination and the idea that the EU must be in their camp and not China's camp.

The countries where most people in the world live, big economies, Brazil, South Africa, India, all those emerging economies, they're all going to follow China. And the Global North will be sitting in that little corner thinking they're the most important when the world has changed dramatically when they were asleep.

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Tuesday 28 March 2023

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND I; Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

In just a matter of months, people have started integrating generative chatbots and other AI tools into their work processes.

 



Loh says it’s neces­sary to provide a lot of con­text for chat­gpt to give a good out­put. — Loh chi FUNG
By adding chat­gpt to her work­flow, Gan has been able to open up a whole new world of cre­at­ive pos­sib­il­it­ies. — Joey Gan

 

 Venese uses both dall-e and chat­gpt to gen­er­ate ref­er­ence mater­i­als for the early stages of his work. — VENESE ren­gasamy.

 

IN case you tuned out of the news cycle the past few months, here’s a rundown on the tool that has reignited the artificial intelligence (AI) craze: CHATGPT.

CHATGPT, built by Openai with its Generative Pretrained Transformer 3.5 (GPT-3.5) language model, is essentially a chatbot that can produce startlingly human-like responses.

Trained on content from the Internet up to 2021, the chatbot is capable of composing everything from essays to poetry and even providing detailed instructions for just about anything.

However, it comes with the caveat of “hallucinating” from time to time – the term used when the chatbot loses grip on reality and makes incorrect assumptions or quotes sources that don’t exist.

Despite that, it’s been hyped up as a major disruptor in the way we work and how we obtain information from the Internet.

Betting on bots

As tech companies scramble to take the lead when it comes to AI, people are finding ways to harness its power too.

Sydney, an accounts executive with a marketing agency who wanted to stay anonymous, says the technology has seen mass adoption in her company, with CHATGPT being the primary tool.

“We’ve integrated it extensively into our work process, and our editorial team uses it for their first drafts and researching projects.

“At the end of the day, it still has to go through a human for fact-checking and verification before it’s finalised.

“Whenever we receive a new client and need to familiarise ourselves with their company and industry background, CHATGPT breaks it down and takes care of the heavy lifting.

“This in turn makes the information more digestible and allows us to focus more on our role as consultants,” says Sydney, adding that before CHATGPT she would spend three to four hours drafting each document, which now only takes half the time because of the chatbot.

Sydney describes CHATGPT as a more useful version of Google search, saying that it’s great at providing concise information on unfamiliar topics, which has streamlined her work.

She has also used the chatbot to translate text from English to Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, and believes it does a better job than existing options on the market.

Others have also made use of this technology to handle tasks outside of their primary roles, which is the case for system administrator Seth Lee.

“It hasn’t really had that much of an impact on my main day-to-day work, but when it comes to communicating with clients, it’s been very helpful.

“Since the nature of our work can get quite technical, this saves me the headache of having to simplify my explanations manually, which can be tough since some terms are especially technical.

“My primary role isn’t client-facing, so ideally I want to minimise time spent on writing emails so I can focus on my actual job,” he says.

As a copywriter, Benjamin Steve Richard makes use of CHATGPT as a productivity tool for his advertising campaigns, particularly during the early brainstorming stages.

“Usually, once the client brief is given, I’ll think of ideas or concepts that will fit their needs.

“I’ll include other parameters like tone and manner in my request to CHATGPT so that it gives me variations in the directions I’m after.

“Then I repeat this a few more times on different concepts before pitching them to the client,” he adds.

Like Sydney, Benjamin Steve stresses that there’s more to it than just copying and pasting, with the output still requiring a human to vet.

Meanwhile, Malaysian market lead for Precious Communications, Joey Gan, has been using the chatbot on a daily basis, saying, “Incorporating CHATGPT into my writing, planning and brainstorming has been a game changer for me, as it has significantly reduced the time required for these tasks.

“However, what’s even more exciting is that as I’ve grown more comfortable using CHATGPT, I’ve discovered that my ideas are expanding and taking on a life of their own.

“By using CHATGPT proactively to generate topic ideas and find alternatives, I’m able to tap into a wealth of creative possibilities that I might not have considered otherwise.

“Of course, while CHATGPT is an incredibly useful tool, we have to be aware of its limitations and ultimately, we are the final judge of our own work,” she says.

Bigger picture

Ai-powered tools are also being used in the sphere of creative design, as freelance motion graphics designer Venese Rengasamy has discovered.

“I have used Dall-e (an AI image generator) to put placeholders in my work to get a stronger vision of the project’s direction before creating my own assets.

“It can be difficult to find a specific picture that conveys a certain style or mood otherwise, so being able to describe what you need with keywords helps.

“CHATGPT has also been useful in generating scripts that I reference for my videos.

“I usually request the AI to write a script using the main points that I provide, and from there, I extract whatever I find useful and paraphrase it,” he says.

Dall-e isn’t the only image-generating AI tool, with Midjourney and Stable Diffusion being some notable examples.

The same can be said for Openai’s CHATGPT (with the newly released GPT-4 powering Microsoft’s Bing), which sees Google’s Bard and Meta’s LLAMA as rising competitors.

Even though CHATGPT made headlines for being able to pass the law exams overseas, the reality of the matter isn’t so simple.

A freelance paralegal service provider who wanted to be identified as just Nicko says he has been using AI to trim turnaround time.

“I’ve used CHATGPT to draft simple agreements for clients, but it can be hit or miss.

“If it’s for a legal submission, for example, you need to feed it with a lot of cases before you can get something decent.

“But even then, the results aren’t good enough for the courts. For simple legal agreements or even standard ones, it’s pretty good, provided you get the prompt right.

“You will still need to go through it since there may be irrelevant clauses. And, of course, always check with a lawyer after you’ve drafted it,” he says.

CHATGPT has also earned a reputation for being able to provide code based on users’ descriptions of the program.

According to software developer Lee, her company has been using an Ai-assisted coding tool in its workflow even before CHATGPT began making waves.

“I personally think CHATGPT is like a fancy Google search. It’s nice for inspiration and ideas, but not really helpful if you need something specific.

“For instance, people who can’t read code may copy and paste codes from CHATGPT but will not know how to read or tailor them to fit their needs.

“Using it involves a mix of knowing the right keywords and commands to get the output you want.

“I don’t really like it and prefer to just use the old school way of using Google search and reading off forums,” she says.

For context, standard Ai-assisted coding tools function to provide code based on requirements set by programmers with intrinsic knowledge of coding.

On the other hand, a tool like CHATGPT will give you code based on just a description, even if you don’t know anything about programming.

However, this will run the risk of possibly failing to meet all of the program’s requirements and being incomplete, which may render it non-functional.

Wong, a software engineer who wished to remain anonymous, echoes this sentiment.

“CHATGPT is capable of giving advice on technical issues, but directly searching Stack Overflow (a Q&A website for programmers) gave a better answer.

“Chatgpt’s answer had portions of the Stack Overflow solution, but it was incomplete.

“We needed to update the .Net core hosting bundle, which was entirely missing in the chatbot response,” he says.

One pattern consistent with CHATGPT use is that AI tools like it are being used in the initial stages of a project or for simple tasks, requiring careful verification by humans. And there are other hurdles that must be crossed before one can use CHATGPT efficiently.

Garbage in, garbage out

CHATGPT is capable of a lot, but the quality of its responses is reliant on user input, so the old computer concept of “garbage in, garbage out” couldn’t be more true.

According to Sydney, her company organised tutorials on the use of the CHATGPT, covering both the standard operating procedure (SOP) as well as tips and tricks.

“I can see AI tools being heavily integrated at other companies in the future, especially considering how they’ve already become an important part of ours.

“When working with CHATGPT, at times, you’ll need to ask for more information or request a change in sentence structure.

“But those are small things that can be fixed quickly with a change in wording or request,” she says.

The tutorials offered by her company covered basic how-tos and things to look out for, which were mainly for those that were less tech savvy.

For Gan, the amplification of bias from the datasets the AI was trained from is a concern, especially from the perspective of data integrity.

“As a PR professional, or any professional for that matter, it is integral to ensure transparency and that our sources are verified and validated.

“With AI, it can be hard to know what goes on behind the code, which means that using the output from generative AI requires manual interpretation and assessment.

“AI is also unlikely to decipher and understand intent, so if one has malicious intent, such as writing a phishing email, there’s no stopping the AI from helping with that,” she says.

Some companies, on the other hand, are more apprehensive towards the technology.

The insurance industry in particular has been wary about this technological change, according to an insurance admin who wanted to be identified as just Mark.

“A core part of our industry is evaluating the truth when it comes to claims made by all parties involved.

“The nature of AI being unable to provide critical evaluation of a scenario makes it a poor fit for our industry’s needs at this point in time.

“Coupled with how much sensitive information our industry deals with, management is very hesitant to allow its use, for good reasons.

“Since we handle a lot of personal data that is safeguarded under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010, it’s difficult for us to make a move towards this tech.

“Doing so may expose confidential data to a third-party that has not been contracted to handle it, which goes against our strict policy,” he says.

Mark also cites the costs associated with transitioning to and implementing Ai-powered tools as another reason for his company’s wariness.

SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) operator Loh Chi Fung brought up the fact that one needs to have a certain amount of knowledge about the topic that the AI is being used for.

“You need to provide a lot of context for CHATGPT to work and give you a good output.

“Sometimes, laymen like me don’t have all the inputs needed, particularly when the task at hand is a legal one.

“Plus, with the database it was trained on being dated to 2021, newer developments are not taken into consideration.

However, with new models arriving on the scene, much of the limitation faced today may likely just be a problem of the past.

By CHRISTOPHER FAM lifestyletech@thestar.com.my

Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

 CHATGPT has gained a lot of attention for its ability to generate realistic human responses to text-based input, particularly in academia.

So far, it’s been used for multiple legitimate purposes. Some major companies have turned to the tool to conduct business.

But the Better Business Bureau explained recently that cybercriminals have also taken advantage of the program’s AI’S capabilities for malicious purposes, like phishing, impersonation and even romance scams.

“Scammers have historically been on the cutting edge of technology and I don’t see this being any different,” Tom Bartholomy, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina, said.

“As they see that work, as they see people engaging with it, they’re just going to continue to refine it and continue to find other scams that they can feed that same technology into.”

Harder to spot

Bartholomy said most of the CHATGPT scams so far have involved phishing and impersonation.

For example, scammers posing as Amazon send out emails notifying customers that their accounts have been deactivated and later requesting personal information.

“One of the tells that we’ve always cautioned people on when they get an email or a text is that if there are any misspellings, if the grammar is poor, or if the sentence structure is just off, that can be a pretty good sign that you’re dealing with a scammer. CHATGPT takes all that away,” Bartholomy said.

“It’s going to make it easier for the scammers and make it more difficult for us as consumers to be able to discern what’s legitimate and what’s fake.”

Chatbots have been around for years, especially for business customer service assistance.

Bartholomy explained that Chatgpt’s advanced conversational model has made it harder for consumers to pick up on red flags.

That type of technology has been around longer than CHATGPT ... where you think you’re engaging with someone on a live chat.

“It’s actually just a bunch of canned responses until you give them a question that they can answer.

“Now with CHATGPT, that conversation can continue based on the questions that you have and the database that they’re pulling information from,” Bartholomy said.

Protect yourself

The Better Business Bureau recommends that online consumers watch for any suspicious activity.

> Be cautious of unsolicited messages.

> Verify the identity of the person you’re chatting with by asking for contact information.

> Scrutinise the text for red flags.

> Use two-factor authentication for your online accounts.

> Use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords.

> Be careful when downloading files or clicking on links.

;– The Charlotte Observer/tribune News Service

 

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