Piece of Peace: Love and Peace Shall Win Again

 "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." - Martin Luther King Jr.

 

The warriors are gearing up, preparing for the jungle ahead, and the drums begin to beat in the distance. The path ahead is rugged with obstacles and challenges lurking around every corner. We have walked this road before, and we know that the journey is not an easy one. General elections in Nigeria are not just a game, and we cannot entrust the process solely to the politicians. As we are getting ready for the election day, it is time for me to pen down my next piece of peace (#PieceOfPeace). I have consistently written about peaceful elections in every election season, and this is my third article in this series since the 2015 general election.   

Nigeria is a country with so much potential, but it has been held back by decades of corruption, ethnic and religious tensions, and a general lack of leadership. One of the biggest challenges the country faces is ensuring free and fair elections, without violence and vote buying. As the country prepares to cast votes for the presidential elections, it is important to remember that love and peace shall win, and not your favourite candidate.

There are four leading candidates in this election, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. For neutrality I will try not to mention their names. We have the one that has been playing the role of kingmaker in Nigerian politics and now wants to become King himself. The one that has become a regular customer to INEC running for president in every election season since 2003. Then, the one that has framed himself as the anti-establishment candidate in hopes of harnessing votes among those who feel anger at the status quo and lastly the one that curved his support from the ancient city of Dabo and its environs.

Regardless of who wins the election, it is important to remember that violence and vote buying should have no place in Nigeria's democracy. It is essential to ensure free and fair elections, where every vote counts and is not influenced by money or intimidation. Nigeria needs leaders who can unite the country and work towards a common goal of making the country great again. These leaders can only come through a credible democratic process. It is important to note that any form of intimidation, harassment, and online stalking is unacceptable in any election, regardless of the political affiliation or beliefs of the individuals involved. The BATified, ATIKUlates and OBIdients, or any other group or individual, should understand that such actions do not promote peace, but rather contribute to tension and division in the country. The big question is; are you all ready to accept the outcome of the election without causing any form of violence even if it is not your favourite candidate who wins? Your answer to this question will determine your political maturity and commitment to peaceful nation building.  

One of the biggest challenges Nigeria faces is the issue of security. The country is plagued by terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. It is important for the new president to take a tough stance on security and work towards ensuring the safety of all Nigerians. As Nelson Mandela once said, "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." This statement holds true for Nigerians during the presidential election. While the election may be a time of heated political debate and differing opinions, it is crucial to remember that all citizens are ultimately working towards a better future for the country.

The philosophy of democracy centers around the peaceful transfer of power through the ballot box, yet this principle has not always been upheld in Nigeria's presidential elections. The country has witnessed significant security challenges in recent years, and it is crucial for all Nigerians to embrace the ideals of peace, love, and harmony during this election. Let us remember the wise words of many leaders who have emphasized that peaceful elections are the foundation for a stable and prosperous democracy. The future of Nigeria depends on the ability of its citizens to shun violence and vote buying, and instead come together in the spirit of peace to build a brighter future for all.

I would conclude this piece with another quote from Martin Luther King Jr. who once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Let us choose love over hate, peace over violence, and progress over stagnation. Together, we can build a Nigeria that we can all be proud of. I wish all of us a successful general election and a peaceful transition.

God bless Nigeria.

Shafi’i Hamidu wrote-in from the Doha.

Twitter: @shafzon

FaceBook: Shafi’i Hamidu

 

 

PUBLISHED IN:
 1. The Nation, with the title "Love and peace shall win again", February 27, 2023 .

ChatGPT and the Turing Test: Can Machines Truly Mimic Human Intelligence?

 

"The question is not whether machines can think but whether men do. The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine already surrounds a thinking man." - Marvin Minsky

 

The Turing Test is a measure of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour that cannot be distinguished from that of a human. The test was proposed by British mathematician and computer scientist, Alan Turing, in 1950. The test involves a human assessor who engages in a natural language conversation with a machine and a human participant. The assessor does not know which is which, and must determine which is the machine and which is the human based solely on their responses to questions and statements. If the assessor cannot reliably distinguish between the machine and the human, the machine is said to have passed the Turing Test. 

To date, no machine has definitively passed the Turing Test. While there have been several attempts to create machines that can pass the test, none of them have been universally accepted as meeting the criteria set out by Turing. These criteria include; mimicking human conversation, displaying intelligent behaviour, understanding and learning, and most importantly is convincing the assessor. The most famous attempt at passing the Turing Test was the Loebner Prize, an annual competition in which chatbots compete to convince human judges that they are human. From my little search, the first competition was held in 1991, and the rules of the competition are based on Turing's original test rules published in his paper titled: Computing Machinery and Intelligence. However, while some chatbots have come close to passing the test, none has been declared a winner.

Turing believed that if a machine could meet these criteria, it would be reasonable to say that the machine is intelligent. However, he also acknowledged that passing the Turing Test does not necessarily imply true intelligence or consciousness on the part of the machine. The test simply provides a useful benchmark for evaluating the progress of artificial intelligence research.

I consider ChatGPT to be a new phenomena that hit the internet by storm. It is an artificial intelligence natural language model developed by OpenAI that uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like responses to natural language inputs. It is one of the most advanced and sophisticated language models available today, capable of generating coherent and contextually appropriate responses to a wide range of text-based inputs.

As an AI language model, ChatGPT is designed to generate human-like responses to the best of its abilities. It can hold conversations and provide responses that may be near indistinguishable from those of a human in some contexts, but its limitations in providing accurate responses to questions beyond 2021 and its lack of consciousness shows that it cannot fully learn from current events. It is not capable of fully simulating human intelligence and consciousness and therefore can not pass the Turing Test.

Researchers and developers are continuously working to enhance ChatGPT's abilities. While the AI language model may not pass the Turing Test today, it is possible that future versions of language models like ChatGPT could meet the criteria set out by Turing and be considered to have passed the test. However, there is ongoing debate in the field of artificial intelligence about whether the Turing Test is the most appropriate way to measure the intelligence of machines.

The debate is open ended. However, Andrew Ng believes that if a typical person can do a mental task with less than one second of thought, we can probably automate it using artificial intelligence either now or in the near future.

As I write this piece, a flood of nostalgic memories rushes back to my mind, reminding me of one of the most extraordinary lecturers I have ever had. His name was Prince Badmos, and though he has now passed on from this world, his legacy continues to inspire me. It was under his tutelage that I was first introduced to the Turing Test, a fascinating concept. His kindness, his passion for teaching, and his unwavering commitment to his students will never be forgotten. In addition, I also lost my beloved father in-law this week; Alhaji Mahmud Audu Bida. He was a pillar of strength to the family and a source of inspiration to all who knew him. May their beautiful souls rest in the highest levels of Jannatul Firdaus, amin. This piece is dedicated to them, with all my heart.

 

Dr. Shafi’i Hamidu wrote in from Doha. 

Twitter: @shafiihamidu

FaceBook:  Shafi'i Hamidu




PUBLISHED IN:
 

1. Daily Trust Newspaper, "ChatGPT and the Turing Test: Can Machines Truly Mimic Human Intelligence?", 19th February 2023.