Showing posts with label productivity and success. Show all posts

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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China’s opening-up resonates with the values of the world, Boao Forum for Asia

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Immediately following the three-day China Development Forum 2023 (CDF) which concluded on Monday, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 kicks off on Tuesday. Senior political figures from various countries, heads of international organizations, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have visited China intensively these days, and their strong expectations for the Chinese economy and their urgent desire to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China are self-evident. The two high-level forums, one in the south and the other in the north, have created a hot atmosphere throughout China, bringing spring warmth to the global economy in the cold wind.

The CDF primarily is a platform for large multinational corporations. This year's theme is "Economic Recovery: Opportunities and Cooperation." The Boao Forum for Asia focuses on inviting more political leaders from various countries to participate, with the theme: "An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development amid Challenges." Both forums underline the keyword "cooperation" and have received positive responses from the outside world. Despite the continuous gloomy international situation, it cannot conceal the common aspiration that seeks opening-up, cooperation and win-win development, instead of seclusion, confrontation and monopoly. This will effectively hedge against many uncertainties currently arising and provide a stable anchor for the giant ship of human society's shared destiny.

Currently, the variability and complexity of the international political and economic environment are unprecedented. Problems such as high inflation, high debt, slow economic growth, and energy and food crises have emerged in both Eastern and Western countries. In this circumstance, many countries hope to find a cooperative space to maintain sustainable economic growth. Previously, the G20 Bali summit has proven that cooperation is possible. Although there are still voices hyping decoupling and outsourcing, the global trend of solidarity and cooperation in seeking economic recovery is irresistible. What the world needs is to unite this hope, combine efforts, and involve the maximum range of countries, striving not to let any country fall behind. China is the biggest driving force and certainty factor in this endeavor.

The world has turned its attention to China, and China has also opened its arms to embrace the world. This positive interaction has been deepening. The holding of the two major forums once again proves this point. In the past decade, China's average contribution to global economic growth has exceeded 30 percent, and according to IMF's forecast, China will contribute one-third of global economic growth this year. A 1 percentage point increase in GDP growth in China leads to 0.3 percentage point increase in growth in other Asian economies, on average. In addition, there have been continuous bank failures in the US and Europe recently, and a financial crisis is approaching. However, China does not have significant pressure from inflation or deflation, and its monetary policy has a greater room for maneuvering. The stability of China's economy and finance will also provide positive spillover effects for the volatile international financial market.

As the most active and sensitive tentacles of globalization, moves of large multinational enterprises are representative. We have noticed that many American media outlets are paying close attention to Apple CEO Tim Cook's trip to China and at the same time mentioned the "dramatically different treatment" that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew received in Washington a few days ago. In China, Cook "gave an optimistic speech that was met with applause." He described Apple's relationship with China as "a symbiotic kind of relationship that we have both enjoyed." However, in the US, Shou Zi Chew faced several hours of questioning, which was a "politically motivated crowd-pleasing drama." Such a contrast is obviously very strong.

This shows that cooperation has urgent practical significance at present. Because some people continue to create obstacles, the world needs to form a powerful force to overcome and correct them. It requires joint efforts from all parties. China has always stood on the side of peace, development, and cooperation. From the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to the two sessions and to the two major forums, China has sent extremely strong signal to promote high-level opening-up. Multinational enterprises have felt the warmth of being "one family" on this land. This will, in turn, promote the international community's vigilance and resistance toward decoupling. In fact, the more daunting the challenge is, the stronger the collective resistance against it will be, and this is determined by the strong inherent driving force of peace and development.

The holding of the two major forums not only shows China has met the world halfway in the economic field but also represents a resonance of Chinese values with the international community. From Global Development Initiative to Global Security Initiative and to Global Civilization Initiative, the interaction between the world and China has already surpassed the economic and trade level. Chinese values have taken root and are bearing fruits. The appeal and attractiveness it creates have appeared at the venues of the two major forums and in the enthusiastic interactions between multinational enterprises and China. It will appear in every corner of the world in the future.

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China's contribution to regional, global devt in focus at Boao Forum
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023 and deliver a keynote speech in South China's Hainan Province on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Monday, marking Li's first address at the major Asian forum after becoming the Chinese Premier earlier this month.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023

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Participants arrive in South China’s Hainan Province on March 26, 2023 to attend the Boao Forum for Asia ...

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Sunday, 26 March 2023

Five ways to naturally increase your 'happiness' hormone; Learn how to breathe properly for exercise and to relax

Boosting your 'happiness hormone' raises your mood, productivity and success levels.getty

Here’s a double combo to increase your dopamine levels: Cuddle your furry friend, while listening to your favourite tracks. — AFP

Fatigue, reduced concentration, memory loss and lack of motivation are some of the consequences of a dopamine deficiency.

However, this neurotransmitter – also known as the happiness hormone – can be stimulated naturally through certain actions and activities accessible to all.

Central to the brain’s reward system, this compound is naturally secreted to provide a certain feeling of satisfaction in response to specific actions, such as physical activity.

According to the French Federation for Brain Research (FRC), it is, more precisely, a “neurotransmitter, which in the central nervous system, activates postsynaptic dopaminergic receptors.

“[It] plays an essential final modulating role in motor and psychic output, ... serves to reinforce behaviours such as eating, and plays a role in motivation by functioning as a kind of reward system.”

A deficiency or excess of dopamine can have harmful consequences, ranging from memory loss to addictions, requiring a certain balance to be maintained.

Parkinson’s disease, linked to a degeneration of the neurons that produce dopamine, requires clinical therapies to stimulate the production of this substance.

But milder symptoms suggestive of dopamine deficiency, such as reduced concentration, fatigue or memory lapses, can potentially be relieved by everyday actions and activities that help stimulate its production.

Here are five ways to help keep this neuronal messenger at optimal levels:

> Play with your pet

Many studies have shown that pets, especially dogs and cats, are a source of happiness, and even a way to limit stress.

Not only do they help reduce the levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – according to American research, but our four-legged friends could also stimulate the production of dopamine.

Several scientific studies agree that petting a furry friend releases two essential substances: oxytocin, the love and social bonding hormone, and dopamine, our famous happiness hormone.

> Get some exercise

It is often said that exercise or playing sports releases endorphins.

This is true, but it is not the only pleasure or well-being hormone that is secreted by physical activity.

Whatever the chosen form, exercise naturally stimulates the production of dopamine during and after exertion, providing that feeling of well-being, accomplishment and satisfaction, or exercise “high”, that gym junkies often talk about.

It is therefore not surprising that certain scientific studies point to a link between physical activity, memory and concentration, or that it can be a source of motivation – and in excess, of exercise addiction.

> Listen to music

Music may soothe the savage beast, but that’s not all it can do.

It could also play an active role in stimulating the production of dopamine.

Music and pleasure appear to be intimately linked, provided of course that you choose tracks that you particularly like.

Activating the brain’s famous reward system, listening to music could even arouse feelings of euphoria and desire that are more often associated with eating, sex or taking certain drugs, as revealed by researchers from Canada’s McGill University.

It is therefore not surprising that music is now used in healthcare settings, with music therapy used to complement nursing care during painful procedures, for example.

> Make love

From relieving migraines to fighting certain cardiovascular (heart) diseases and even looking younger, sex seems to be particularly beneficial for health, according to numerous scientific studies.

But beyond that, sex could also be a stimulant for dopamine production – and for good reason, since it is obviously also directly associated with pleasure.

Making love is enough to secrete the famous molecule, but the orgasm alone provides a veritable cocktail of hormones, releasing serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin, which are all associated in one way or another with happiness and pleasure.

> Eat a healthy, balanced diet

A poor diet can be the cause of a dopamine deficiency.

Meanwhile, certain foods can help to naturally boost its production.

For this, it’s advisable to turn to certain foods rich in tyrosine, such as meat, fish, seaweed, leeks, spinach, legumes, avocados, bananas and chocolate.

All these ingredients help fight against stress, improve mood or limit fatigue. – AFP Relaxnews

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And when our body needs more oxygen than usual, e.g. during sporting activity, our breathing rate increases automatically too.

“It’s a vital process that takes place subconsciously,” says Barbara Nützel, an instructor at a school for health management in Saarbrücken, Germany.

In this way the body prevents itself from going into oxygen debt, which is a temporary oxygen shortage in body tissues resulting from intense exercise.

Our cells need oxygen to break down glucose and produce energy.

“Breathing is regulated by the autonomic nervous system and brainstem,” says Sylvain Laborde, a researcher in the performance psychology section of the Cologne-based German Sport University.

The brainstem respiratory network can adapt our breathing to external circumstances.

When we’re relaxed or asleep, we automatically tend to breathe deeply and evenly.

“Our body finetunes its oxygen supply,” she says.

“We have sensors – so-called chemoreceptors – that recognise whether we have sufficient oxygen, and not too much carbon dioxide, in our blood and adjust intake accordingly.”

But not all breathing is the same.

We can take air into our chest, or seemingly deep into our belly.

The latter is called diaphragmatic breathing, also known as abdominal breathing, belly breathing or deep breathing.

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle at the base of the lungs.

When you breathe diaphragmatically, inhaling makes the diaphragm contract and move downward, which creates more space in your chest cavity and allows your lungs to expand.

When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, moving upward in the chest cavity and forcing air out of your lungs.

We’re born knowing how to breathe diaphragmatically, says Nützel, but unlearn it as we grow older.

Stress is one reason our breathing becomes shallower.

“Chest breathing wastes energy,” Laborde says, “as it activates many muscles we don’t really need for breathing.”

Breathing the right way

Breathing this way during sporting activities reduces the amount of energy at our disposal.

Athletes would therefore do well to learn diaphragmatic breathing technique and practise it regularly.

It can bring their breathing rate down from 15-20 breaths per minute to six, according to Laborde.

It can also be worthwhile to attend a yoga class, where emphasis is placed on diaphragmatic breathing training, says Nützel, a yoga instructor herself.

Athletes can breathe either through the nose or mouth.

“No matter what the sport,” Laborde says, “it’s best to breathe through your nose because the air is then moister and warmer.”

This protects the respiratory passages from drying out and cooling down.

It also protects them from dirt, Nützel says, since “the nose acts as a natural filter for airborne particles”.

During intense athletic activity, however, it’s normal to breathe through the mouth to meet the body’s oxygen requirements.

“At high intensity, you need a lot of oxygen, so sometimes, you’ve got no choice,” says Laborde.

“If oxygen intake through the nose is too low, your performance suffers.”

Which breathing technique is best for a round of jogging or strength training at the gym then?

Nützel says: “Whatever sport you do, the point is to require as few breaths as possible.”

When we run, there’s no need to consciously adapt our breathing to our strides.

“It’s best to give your breathing free rein,” says Laborde, “because our body knows exactly how much air it needs.”

For strength sports such as weightlifting, on the other hand, a targeted breathing technique is useful.

“You should exhale as you work against gravity, and inhale again in the relaxed phase,” advises Nützel.

A well-known breathing technique during weightlifting is called the Valsalva manoeuvre.

“Athletes try to mobilise more strength by pressing air against their closed mouth and nasal passages,” notes Laborde, but adds that it makes little difference in their performance.

Practising yoga is a good way to increase your respiratory volume.

“You learn to breathe more deeply, and with a little training, you’ll need fewer breaths to reach the same volume,” says Nützel.

Breathing efficiently doesn’t only boost athletic performance by supplying the body with an optimal amount of oxygen.

“Conscious breathing strengthens the immune system as well,” remarks Nützel.

What’s more, she says, exhaling more slowly lowers blood pressure.

Your heart rate – and resting heart rate – decrease.

Breath training can also have positive psychological effects, such as stress reduction.

By breathing more mindfully and slowly on a daily basis, you not only enhance your performance capacity, but your quality of life too.

Laborde recommends integrating slow breathing into your evening routine as a relaxation technique.

“Over time, slow breathing is beneficial to health and advisable,” he says. – By Pauline Jürgens/dpa;

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Sowing the seeds to Success:

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