SA probes claim Ramaphosa's speech written by chatbot

The South African presidency is investigating whether parts of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech last week were written using the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, local media report.

It follows claims online that a section of the speech delivered last week at an education forum by the president did not come from the president or his speechwriters.

The president’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, denied this, saying they do not use AI tools for content such as speeches.

He said that parts of the speech were written by the department of education for the president’s office, adding that they were following up regarding the source of the content.

"The use of AI to produce speeches or any other material is unacceptable, and action will be taken should these reports prove to be correct,” Mr Magwenya was quoted by The South African news outlet as saying.