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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright September 2024
It's 2024! What a time to be alive.
We’ve officially entered the age where the next headline might read: "Seputeh MP vs. ChatGPT: The Trial of the Century." It’s not every day you hear someone blame an AI tool for the downfall of political discourse, but here we are, thanks to Dr. Muhamad Akmal Saleh's suggestion that Teresa Kok should sue ChatGPT for mistranslating her remarks on the halal certification issue.
It appears that even in the world of complex politics, ChatGPT has entered the boxing ring, ready to take punches from an Umno Youth chief.
Let’s pause for a moment and think about what Akmal's recommendation actually implies. For one, it would finally answer the burning question: Can an AI testify in court?
Just imagine—ChatGPT in the witness box, attempting to justify its linguistic choices while simultaneously generating smart-alec remarks for its defense attorney.
"Your Honor," ChatGPT might argue, “I am just a humble algorithm, a series of neural networks. My purpose is not to ‘memalukan’ but to merely assist, albeit imperfectly, in linguistic gymnastics between Mandarin and Malay.”
And as for Teresa Kok, she must be scratching her head, wondering if this is where political reality has landed her—debating the nuances of a machine's translation errors.
You’d think that having a colleague jetting off for an overseas assignment would be a good enough excuse for using AI to speed things up.
Who hasn’t resorted to technology in a pinch? It's a pretty human error in this day and age to trust ChatGPT to do your homework (or in this case, translate politically sensitive remarks on halal certification).
But Akmal’s hilarious challenge raises even more absurd possibilities. If politicians start suing ChatGPT for mistranslations, what’s next?
Could we see international diplomats pointing fingers at Google Translate for derailing peace talks? Or celebrities blaming Siri for ruining their public image after poorly timed autocorrect fails?
Imagine a courtroom packed with iPhones and laptops—devices waiting their turn to be questioned under oath, responding only with "Sorry, I didn’t catch that" when pressed for answers.
The comedic potential of a lawsuit like this is endless. There’s something irresistibly charming about Akmal’s suggestion to sue an AI tool, almost like telling someone to sue a hammer after hitting their own thumb.
But his jab, calling Kok "Nyonya" while humorously dismissing her complaints, brings a very human touch to the whole ordeal. He seems to be laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all, as should we.
But let’s consider the deeper implications here. If ChatGPT becomes a regular scapegoat for politicians, might we see a future where AI takes the blame for all human errors in politics? "The budget was miscalculated? Blame Excel!" "That campaign promise? Siri misunderstood me!" We might soon see a parade of lawsuits targeting the technologies that politicians conveniently rely on for everything from speechwriting to translation.
Meanwhile, the rest of us common folk will be left pondering how much easier life would be if we, too, could deflect our mishaps onto AI. Missed an important work email? "Sorry, my inbox used ChatGPT to prioritise messages!" Cooked dinner poorly? “ChatGPT suggested I add too much salt!”
Still, it’s worth wondering how such a court case would play out. I imagine the defense would call up expert witnesses—other AI tools, perhaps?—to vouch for ChatGPT’s innocence. A courtroom drama featuring robots defending robots. It’s like "The Terminator" meets “Judge Judy.”
In the end, Akmal’s tongue-in-cheek recommendation to sue ChatGPT is probably just another attempt to poke fun at a messy situation. But it’s a reflection of where we are—living in a world where politicians are one mistranslation away from international scandal, and technology is at the heart of both our triumphs and our blunders.
So, should Teresa Kok really sue ChatGPT? I, for one, can’t wait for the Netflix series.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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