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02 November 2023 | Story NITHA RAMNATH | Photo SUPPLIED
Is AI the future of research? Experiences of co-authoring a book with machine-generated summaries

The University of the Free State (UFS) is pleased to invite you to an online public lecture that will be presented by Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor of Gender and Africa Studies at the UFS. Prof Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem, Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria (UP), will respond. 

Lecture description: Is AI the future of research? Experiences of co-authoring a book with machine-generated summaries.

The world is undergoing tectonic technological shifts that hold grave challenges to societies, universities, and researchers. For any researcher, the persistent challenge is to negotiate a plethora of different sources on the subject, which could be overwhelming. AI could be one means to facilitate the process of research. This, however, raises ethical questions as to the originality of research, issues of plagiarism, and the question of the individual researcher’s own intuition as opposed to software-generated prompts. Prof Solomon shares his experiences working on a machine-generated book.

Date:  Monday, 27 November 2023
Time: 14:00-15:30 

 

WATCH: www.ufs.ac.za/Webinar

For further information, contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.

Speaker:

Prof Solomon is a Professor in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the UFS. His research interests revolve around political Islam and issues of terrorism. His most recent books include African Security in the Anthropocene (with Jude Cocodia, Springer, 2023), The Future of War in Africa (with Eeben Barlow, Amazon Kindle, 2023), Intersectionality and LGBTQI Rights: A Comparative Analysis of Iran, Turkey and Egypt (with Simone Bekker, Nova Publishers, 2023), Directions in International Terrorism: Theories, Trends and Trajectories (Palgrave, 2021), Terrorism in Africa: New Trends and Frontiers (with Glen Segell and Sergey Kostelyanets, Institute for African Studies, Moscow, 2021), and Arab MENA Countries: Vulnerabilities and Constraints Against Democracy on the Eve of the Global COVID-19 Crisis (with Arno Tausch, Springer 2021).

Respondent:

Prof Ruttkamp-Bloem is Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy at UP, the AI ethics lead at the Centre for AI Research (CAIR), and the chair of the Southern African Conference on AI Research (SACAIR). She is a philosopher of science and technology, an AI ethics policy adviser, a machine ethics researcher, and is an associate editor of the Science and Engineering Ethics journal. Prof Ruttkamp-Bloem led the UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group that prepared the draft of the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, currently assists with implementing the recommendation, and is the current rapporteur for the UNESCO Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). Prof Ruttkamp-Bloem has recently been appointed to the AI Advisory Body reporting to the Secretary General of the UN.

News Archive

Message of appreciation from the UFS acting Vice-Chancellor and Rector: Prof Nicky Morgan
2017-01-04

Dear Colleagues, Students, Parents/Guardians, Alumni, and Friends of the university

The University of the Free State (UFS) successfully completed the 2016 academic year, with the official examination ending on 14 December 2016.  We have also completed the last of our graduation ceremonies, and are now preparing to accommodate the additional and ad hoc examinations in the coming weeks.
 
This comes after the university has successfully readjusted its academic programme in October 2016, subsequent to the disruption of activities and programmes for almost a month. All of this could not have happened without the extraordinary support and dedication of the staff and majority of the students at the UFS.
 
I would like to thank all our staff, parents/guardians, alumni, and friends of the UFS for the role they played during these challenging months in order to ensure that we could end the academic year successfully. If it was not for your understanding and uncompromising support, we would not have been able to complete the curricula, continue with the exams, and end the year in this way.
 
However, we all know that this was not an easy task. The sheer dedication and drive of our academic staff to adapt the mode of teaching and assessment of modules must be applauded, as it took courage and perseverance. Not only did they manage to complete the curricula, they also managed to do the assessment almost completely online. The incredible role of our administrative and support staff – including our security personnel – should also be acknowledged with deep appreciation.
 
This has been a learning experience for all, which has provided us with a solid base for academic recovery in the future.
 
During its quarterly meeting on 2 December 2016, the UFS Council expressed appreciation to all staff, students, and the university management for the successful completion of the 2016 academic year.
 
To all our alumni and donors who continued to support the UFS this year – thank you for your commitment, loyalty, and continued contribution.
 
Looking forward to 2017
The UFS announced on 7 December 2016 that it will be increasing tuition and housing and residence fees for 2017 by 8%. The approved increase in fees is in line with the recommendations by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, on 19 September 2016. The increases were approved by the UFS Council on 2 December 2016, with the understanding that it would be paid by the Department of Higher Education and Training by means of the fee adjustment grant for qualifying students with a combined family income of not more than R600 000 per annum.

The university management is aware of the economic realities in South Africa, as well as the financial pressure households are experiencing. The long-term financial sustainability of the UFS, as well as the financial constraints which impact teaching and learning, research, and community service, continues to remain of utmost importance to the Council and to the senior leadership of the UFS.
 
The university management stated its pro-poor approach to student funding on several occasions; that academically deserving students from poor and working class families should receive substantial financial support. For this reason – also because it does not place a burden on poor and working-class families – an increase in tuition fees aligned with the DHET proposal was submitted to Council for approval. The presidents of the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campus Student Representative Councils were present and participated in the discussion on fees – also when Council approved the increase.
 
I am thankful to report that more applications for admission were received for 2017 (42 568) in comparison to 2016 (29 284), and we are excited to welcome first-year students to our campuses in January 2017. See 2017 calendar of events and information.
 
The necessary safety measures have been taken and contingency plans are in place when students return in 2017. The university management will continue to work with the South African Police Service to ensure stability on the campuses and the uninterrupted continuance of the Academic Project.
 
In conclusion, I would like to wish you a restful and safe Festive Season. Thank you once again for your crucial role in making the University of the Free State still one of the universities of choice in the country.
 
Best regards
 
Prof Nicky Morgan
Acting Vice-Chancellor and Rector
University of the Free State

 

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