Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Officials in South Africa are investigating claims that a speech given by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week was partially written by ChatGPT, according to local reports.
Speculation began circulating online after Ramaphosa spoke at a conference in Johannesburg on Nov. 21 about the importance of decolonizing education. Social media users ran sections of the speech through AI-detection software and posted seemingly damning results suggesting that a non-human chatbot had been involved in composing the text.
“We must challenge colonial theories and practices to build resilient education systems that are [centered] on African perspectives and experiences,” part of the speech read, according to South Africa’s Department of Basic Education. “This requires a shift away from a Eurocentric worldview to embrace a more diverse and inclusive perspective. We must acknowledge and value the knowledge systems of all people and integrate them into our curricula and knowledge selection processes.”