Editor,
The meteoric rise of Shillong lad Steve Jyrwa after his scintillating performances in India’s Best Dancer Season 4 has captured the imagination of many. The 17-year-old, who went on to become the champion of the reality show, has earned name and fame through his hard work, dedication, and discipline. He garnered tremendous support and love from his hometown. After dancing his way into the hearts of millions, Steve landed in Shillong on November 19, 2024, where his family, friends, and admirers came together to bless him. However, social media commentators had a field day taking potshots at the young boy just because his Khasi was not as good as his dancing techniques.
It is unfortunate that on the day the young talent returned home, the so-called “locals,” who think they are more Khasi than others, made extreme racist comments against him. Since they couldn’t find fault with his magical dancing skills, they chose to pounce on him simply because he was not fluent in Khasi. Some even went on to question his ethnicity. Be that as it may, Steve is as much a Shillongite as anyone else. He was born and brought up here. Just because he couldn’t speak Khasi fluently, that doesn’t make him less of a human or less of a Khasi.
Most of “our” people haven’t changed. Perhaps they never will. Their prejudice against their “own” people who look and sound different, or anyone from outside their group, has not vanished. When will they grow up and learn to accept others? But most of those who are in the habit of making racist slurs have probably never lived outside, and perhaps never will. We can’t fathom how they would react if someone in other parts of India hurled racist slurs against them. We can only pity their narrow-mindedness. But yes, if Steve had been someone with ‘phareng’ blood or of English descent, he would have been spared, thanks to the slavish mentality and colonial hangover of most of “our” people. Nonetheless, a racist mind is omnipresent – it exists in an educated elite as much as it does in an uneducated lout.
For those who still possess a reasonable mind, please do not fall into the racist trap. Life is meaningful if we learn to co-exist amicably. We can choose our friends, but not our neighbours. Let us encourage others to become more unprejudiced towards those who look and sound different. Appreciate their talent. Cheer them with encouraging words. If we can’t do that, we might as well do a service to humanity by keeping our mouths shut and our fingers away from the keypad.
Yours etc.,
B.R. Pde,
Shillong – 1
Is it possible to embrace AI’s potential while maintaining ethical safeguards?
Editor,
In our rapidly advancing digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) has woven itself into the fabric of daily life, offering unprecedented convenience and capabilities. However, a closer examination reveals that the advances rooted in AI come with their own set of profound risks and ethical dilemmas; particularly concerning the potential harm AI can inflict when things go awry.
A poignant example of these risks unfolded when a 29-year-old Michigan student in the US, Vidhay Reddy encountered a disturbing scenario that highlights AI’s unpredictability. During what was initially a normal conversation with Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini, about the topic of aging, the dialogue took a troubling turn. The AI spewed an onslaught of hateful and demeaning messages, labelling Reddy and I quote as “drain on the earth”, “You are a burden to the society”, ” A blight on the landscape”, and “Please die!!”.
Such hostile language from an AI challenged the fundamental assumptions about the reliability and safety of AI-driven interactions, raising alarms around the world especially those who are “emotionally vulnerable”.
The response from Google, which brushed off the incident as “nonsensical,” fails to address the gravity of the psychological impact such interactions can have on users, particularly those who might be emotionally vulnerable as stated earlier. For Reddy, and for many other users who engage deeply with AI, such encounters are anything but trivial. They reveal the darker potential inherent in technology capable of mimicking human interactions without the constraints of empathy or ethical considerations.
As Reddy concluded after his encounter with Gemini, “This wasn’t just a glitch. It’s a wakeup call for everyone.” Unfortunately, Reddy’s ordeal is not an isolated incident. In earlier instances, Google AI was criticized for providing perilous health advice, including the nonsensical suggestion of consuming STONES daily. Its surprising but its true!
Even more disturbingly in February this year, a tragic case emerged where a 14-year-old reportedly took his own life after allegedly being encouraged by a Google-designed AI bot, marking a chilling precedent of AI’s potential to influence human life or end it.
These events underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive re-evaluation of AI’s role in human society. As AI continues to develop at a blistering pace, the lack of adequate safeguards poses serious ethical questions. Chatbots today are not only enhancing their conversational skills but are also able to replicate human speech patterns, change voices, and simulate familiar personas, escalating the risk of emotional manipulation and abuse.
The breadth of AI’s influence is astonishing. Over 52 million individuals globally have embraced AI companions, relying on conversational chatbots for companionship and advice. Astonishingly, the spectrum of human-AI interactions includes users seeking life advice, contemplating major life decisions like divorce, and even entering into marriages with AI entities. Such interactions, while intriguing and novel, raise significant ethical concerns about the nature of these relationships and their impact on the human psyche.
At the heart of this technological embrace lies a deeper societal issue: GLOBAL LONELINESS and ISOLATION have now reached critical levels, with a quarter of the world’s population feeling socially disconnected. As individuals turn to AI to fill this void, the illusion of connection presented by these non-human entities might worsen the very problem they seek to resolve, ironically exacerbating feelings of loneliness rather than alleviating them.
Despite these profound implications, the regulatory landscape for AI remains largely underdeveloped. Incidents of AI producing racist, sexist, or harmful content are more than mishaps; they are symptomatic of a burgeoning technology developed and deployed faster than its ethical ramifications can be fully understood or mitigated. A lack of stringent accountability measures only compounds these issues, leaving users to navigate these waters largely at their own risk.
In this context, the trust placed in AI and the bonds formed with such technology should be approached with caution. While AI offers tremendous potential to revolutionize industries, enhance productivity, and even transform personal interactions, however, its integration into society is fraught with challenges that are as significant as its promises. Establishing rigorous ethical guidelines, enhancing transparency, and implementing robust regulatory frameworks are critical steps to address the potential pitfalls of AI, ensuring that its integration into our daily lives is safe and beneficial. In doing so, we can ensure that the powerful capabilities of AI serve to enhance the human experience, not diminish it.
Yours etc.,
Chanmiki Laloo
Shillong-2
Rafael Nadal – A gracious sportsperson
Editor,
Rafael Nadal will be remembered not just as a great tennis player but as a great human being. His dangerous high topspin forehand shot, which made Roger Federer remodel his backhand to deal with it, may one day fade out from memory, but not his smile, grace, and wit with which he faced many awkward situations and questions.
I will never forget how promptly he rushed to his opponent to offer help in case of a muscle cramp or injury. If he noticed among spectators that a crying mother could not find her child, he immediately stopped his serve till the mother and child reunited.
When he heard a drunk spectator using abusive language against him, he just smiled. His smile, even after defeat, and his sportsmanship are unforgettable. I admire him not just for his exceptional tennis skills but for his humility, respect for opponents, and fair play. His greatness was reflected in his farewell speech as well, where he attributed his talent to his luck and hard work when he said, “Just a kid that followed their dreams, worked as hard as possible. I have been very lucky.”
The 38-year-old Nadal told the crowd, “The titles, the numbers, are there, so people probably know that, but the way I would like to be remembered is as a good person from a small village in Mallorca.” There are many great players who won many tournaments but only a few can match the goodness and simplicity of Nadal.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata