Stuff South Africa

Chatbot teddies for three‑year‑olds? Why AI toys are risky for kids

The Conversation — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:09:38 +0000

ChattyBear, a soft, brown-furred teddy bear, begins every conversation with a jubilant, “Hello, my buddy!”

No longer the province of the imagination, ChattyBear is part of a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) toys. It can tell stories, chat about a child’s interests, play games or even discuss what’s happening in the world today.

These high-tech toys are powered by generative AI engines such as ChatGPT and are now widely available online. They are being marketed as a way to give children as young as three an educational advantage and a new type of play – without the perils of screen time.

After evaluating six different AI teddy bears and toys over several months, it’s clear how these toys could feel compelling for children. Yet as our new report highlights, there are new risks that come with AI toys turning up in young children’s lives.

Sounding human

For younger children, especially, understanding that their teddy or toy isn’t “alive” or magic can be hard. This is especially true if “teddy” uses language that positions it as a trusted friend – for example, by insisting it is a “real buddy”.

This is a feature of many AI toys.

Sounding human builds an artificial sense of trust and intimacy, which can be especially problematic for children when combined with sycophantic language choices – or excessively agreeable, validating and even flattering language.

Research shows young children are particularly prone to developing a strong sense of emotional attachment to conversational AI agents.

Increased trust leads to increased use and engagement with the toys. Recent estimates suggest close to 80% of children aged 10 to 17 have used an AI companion or assistant, so it’s urgent that children and young people be taught how to “reality check” their AI “buddies”.

Infinite chat

The marketing materials for many AI toys often highlight “endless conversations” as a feature of these devices.

But enabling endless conversations, or infinite chat, poses risks when it comes to children learning how to moderate their technology use. In the social media realm, the infinite scroll of TikTok or Instagram is seen as a potential challenge to teens, limiting their use to healthy amounts.

Research has also found some AI toys discuss very adult topics – such as sexual fetishes and how to find knives and start fires.

Infinite chat also opens the door to infinite data collection.

The potentially intimate nature of conversations with AI toys might lead children to presume their conversations are private. But most AI terms of use reveal the opposite to be true.

Sharing personal details with a friendly bear might feel safe. But that chat could be training data for the next large language model.

Marketing material for ChattyBear says the toy offers “safe, filtered content for children”. The Conversation contacted the manufacturer for further detail about this but did not receive a response before deadline.

Children’s wellbeing

Childhood is a critical period when young people develop the social and emotional skills to form and maintain trusting relationships. These skills are usually learned through interactions with trusted friends and adults.

Children’s rights advocates have raised concerns that excessive engagement with AI agents may reduce opportunities for children to develop these skills.

And the risks may compound over time.

Initially, time spent with AI agents may displace time interacting with real humans. Fewer opportunities to build these skills could lead to a reduced capacity to maintain caring human relationships. Difficulties in maintaining human relationships may promote a preference of machine over human relationships as children expect “frictionless” interactions.

Eventually, these developments may lead to less satisfying human connections, increasing loneliness, which in turn promotes increased time spent with AI.

The novelty of AI toys means there is little evidence to confirm these possible detrimental impacts. Further research is needed – especially as the AI toy industry is set to grow even more.

Last year, for example, Mattel, one of the world’s biggest toy makers, announced a strategic collaboration with OpenAI to support AI-powered products.

Barriers to the online world are gone

The ability to read and write was once a requirement to use most online tools and services. This literacy barrier no longer exists today with many generative AI toys, tools and devices now widely accessible to younger children through voice interactions.

The audio turn opens up new technological play, experiences and opportunities for children. But it also means adults need to ensure AI toys can be safe for younger children, too.

Right now, playing with AI toys under the supervision of a parent or trusted adult may well be a fun way to explore the world of AI together. But especially for younger children, playing with AI toys without supervision opens the door to a wide range of new risks.

Importantly, the risk factors in AI toy design, such as the degree to which they pretend to be human, can be changed by manufacturers, offering opportunities to follow safety-by-design.

However, the business models behind many AI toys capitalise on the duration and intensity of users’ engagement, leaving little incentive for companies to change their products.

Tama Leaver is a Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University
Katrin Langton is an Associate Research Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Education/School of Education, Deakin University
Suzanne Srdarov is a Research Fellow, Media and Cultural Studies, Curtin University
This article first appeared on The Conversation

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How to use eBucks to get up to 80% off overseas airfares

Stuff writer — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:31:02 +0000

eBucks, South Africa’s original bank loyalty programme, is relaunching its travel offerings with huge savings. Anyone who has ever scrutinised the Ts&Cs will know how hard it is to make sense of the opaque rules of the airline industry.

eBucks has struck deals with 11 airlines – covering Africa, Europe, the UK, the Middle East, North America, the Far East and Australia – to get as much as 80% off international flights.

From October, eBucks will introduce a “bank-funded international travel benefit offering up to 80% off the full price of international flights – not just the airline base fare”.

This discount is already available for domestic flights, after it launched in November 2025.

“For too long, the South African rewards travel category has advertised one number to customers and delivered another,” says Iain Meaker, product head for eBucks Travel. He says the phrase “up to 100% off” has typically meant “up to 100% off the base fare, and you pay the rest.”

Fly away with your eBucks

“We are saying something simpler: the rand you see on screen is the rand we cover. Up to 80% off the full fare — including fuel surcharges and airport taxes — on 11 of the carriers South Africans actually fly direct. And because we have built it around the household, the more of the family that banks with us, the further the family travels.”

The new travel benefit will apply to qualifying customers who book through eBucks Travel on the FNB or RMB banking App.

The bank says industry analysis shows many South African bank rewards “advertise ‘up to 100% off,’ but apply this only to the base fare, leaving customers to pay 35% to 60% of the ticket price in surcharges and taxes out of pocket”.

However, the base fare on a typical long-haul ticket often represents only 35% to 65% of the total price, meaning headline “100% discounts” on base fare frequently translate into much lower real savings, it says.

“The practical result is that an 80% discount on the full fare will deliver more significant cash savings than a 100% discount on the base fare, despite the lower headline percentage,” eBucks believes.

It gives an illustrative example of a R15,000 economy return ticket from Johannesburg to London. Taking 100% off the base fare saves approximately R7,500, but 80% off the full fare saves approximately R12,000. These are cover taxes and surcharges that other programmes exclude, it says.

But there are qualifying requirements to get 80% off. Customers must:

Hold a qualifying FNB or RMB Private Bank account, FNB Premier, FNB Private Clients, FNB Private Wealth, or RMB Private Bank. All FirstRand accounts in the relationship must be active and in good standing.
Hold a qualifying FNB short-term insurance policy at Tier 1, which is active comprehensive car insurance cover.
Hold a qualifying FNB short-term insurance policy at Tier 2, which is a comprehensive policy covering all four of car, buildings, home contents and portable possessions. OR they must have a qualifying comprehensive policy with a minimum monthly premium of R5,000.
Book through eBucks Travel on the FNB / RMB App.

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WiiM announces its first Dolby Atmos soundbar

Duncan Pike — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:05:08 +0000

If you’ve been thinking we need more soundbar options, you’ll be pleased to know the folks at WiiM have obliged with the WiiM Bar. The company has positioned this soundbar, which it calls a “display-first” soundbar, as the solution for audiophiles who are also cinephiles, and vice versa.

The company says it is “designed to bring powerful home theater sound, deep WiiM control, and at-a-glance playback visibility into one elegant living room device.”

A WiiM away from great audio

One thing that sets this soundbar apart from others is the 2.1in circular full-colour touch display in its centre. You can set it to display album art, track info, EQ, smart presets, recently played content, clock faces, dynamic wallpapers, audio visualisations, and playback/source controls.

Giving this display touch abilities probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but if all of those features can’t also be done with the remote, we’re not sure what all the lazy people are going to do. They won’t get up to touch their soundbar, that’s for sure. Also, sorry if you don’t see well.

The Bar sports a 3.0.2-channel configuration with eight drivers blasting audio at you, including three front mid-woofers, three front tweeters, two top-firing full-range height drivers, and four passive radiators. WiiM says you’re getting 135W of total system power.

As far as supported formats go, both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound formats are supported, along with LPCM, Dolby TrueHD and Digital Plus, AC3, and regular DTS via the HDMI eARC port. You also get optical and line-in options.

When you connect the WiiM Bar with other WiiM products via the companion app, you can expand your setup up to 5.1.2. In the app, you’ll also find EQ settings and access pretty much any streaming platform. You also have the option to bypass the app and stream music directly to the Bar using Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and Roon.

All that’s left is confirmation that a) it will be available here, and b) how much it will cost. Considering you can get other WiiM devices here, we don’t see why we’d miss out. We’ve reached out for confirmation anyway. If the local price is anywhere close to the US price of $480 (about R7,800 directly converted), this could be just what mid-range soundbar buyers are looking for.

Source

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Microsoft is finally killing Office 2019 for MacOS

Duncan Pike — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:57:50 +0000

If you’re still using Office 2019 on your Apple devices, you should seriously think about jumping ship. From 13 July 2026, Microsoft’s apps in the Office 2019 for Mac package will enter what the company calls “reduced functionality mode” and lose the ability to create and edit documents. It also affects outdated apps on iPhone and iPad, but not the Windows version of Office 2019.

End of life, time to pay

Support for Microsoft’s one-time purchase Office 2019 for Mac officially ended in October 2023. However, the apps remained operational. Come 13 July, or in a little over 5 weeks, that will change. This stems from an expiring security certificate that validates Office licences. The certificate has been renewed for newer Office packages on Mac, but not for Office 2019. The Windows version of Office 2019 is unaffected by this change.

A spokesperson for Microsoft said to Cnet, “Microsoft is not intentionally limiting or changing Office 2019; the product cannot receive the renewed certificate because no update path exists for an out-of-support product.”

If you’re still using Office 2019 for Mac, you have a few options. You could:

Ditch the one-time package lifestyle and switch to Microsoft 365, a monthly or annual subscription service packed to the brim with all of the company’s AI apps and services. You also get Word and the rest of the gang. This would make Microsoft very happy.
Purchase a new one-time licence of Office 2024 for Mac. This allows a single user to install the package on one device. It should be supported until at least October 2029.
Leave Microsoft in the dust and switch to Apple’s Numbers, Pages, and Keynote that came free with your device.

If you can’t live without the Office apps but aren’t clamouring to use Microsoft’s AI tools, and you don’t need the OneDrive storage that comes with a MS365 subscription, the one-time R2,800 purchase of Office 2024 for Mac is the best option. That will last you at least the next 40 months. Over the same period, you would spend R6,400 (if billed monthly), or R4,800 (if billed annually) on a subscription.

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AI offers promise for agriculture, but smallholder farmers risk being left behind

The Conversation — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:44:08 +0000

Globally, agriculture faces mounting pressures. These are driven by climate change, land degradation, labour shortages, supply chain disruptions and the demand for food from a growing population.

At the same time, productivity is uneven. For example, maize yields in the US often exceed 10 tons per hectare. These high yields are driven by mechanisation, improved seed varieties, irrigation and efficient input use, supported increasingly by precision agriculture technologies. In contrast, yields in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa remain around 2-3 tons per hectare. This reflects constraints like limited access to inputs, reliance on rain-fed systems and weaker infrastructure and institutional support.

Smallholder farmers make up around 80% of farmers in developing countries. They often struggle with low yields due to limited access to key agricultural inputs such as improved seeds, fertilisers and agrochemicals (herbicides and pesticides). They are less likely to rely on irrigation and farm mechanisation. They also have high vulnerability to climate shocks.

Conventional farming practices, including reliance on rain-fed agriculture, the use of low-yielding local seed varieties, sub-optimal input application and heavy dependence on manual labour, are increasingly insufficient to meet the demands of 21st-century food systems.

In recent years, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has been shown to improve input-output efficiency and enable real-time monitoring of crops and livestock. They’ve been shown to conserve soil and water resources, and reduce post-harvest losses, particularly in technologically advanced agricultural systems in the US, China and Europe.

We have over 15 years of scholarship in applied economics, development, resource economics and agricultural economics, including technology adoption and sustainable agricultural systems. Our recent study compared AI adoption in agriculture between developed and developing countries.

We examined how artificial intelligence is accessed and used across different regions. Evidence from technologically advanced economies such as Europe, the US, Australia and Japan was analysed alongside studies from Africa, South Asia, Latin America and other low- and middle-income regions.

Our main finding was that AI has strong potential to improve agricultural productivity and resilience. But this potential depends on supportive policies, reliable infrastructure and equitable access. Without these, the technology could reinforce existing inequalities rather than reduce them.

The potential and the gaps

Our review examined:

patterns of AI adoption: including the extent of uptake across regions, and types of AI applications used in agriculture (such as precision farming, disease detection, yield prediction, and smart irrigation)
levels of infrastructural readiness: including the availability of electricity, broadband connectivity, digital literacy support, data management systems, smart devices, and extension or technical support services necessary for effective AI adoption
key concerns around ethics and data governance: including data ownership, privacy and security, informed consent, algorithmic bias, transparency, accountability, and equitable access to AI-driven agricultural technologies.

We also explored how national policies are responding to emerging risks. These include data privacy breaches, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, labour displacement, and unequal access to AI-enabled agricultural technologies. This approach allowed us to capture both global trends and region-specific realities.

AI downsides

We also identified two factors that undermine the adoption of AI in Africa and other developing countries.

First, many AI models are not well-suited to developing country contexts. Tools trained on data from industrialised farming systems often perform poorly in local environments. It leads to biased or inaccurate recommendations and increases risks for vulnerable farmers.

For example, an AI-based yield prediction or pest detection model trained on large-scale monoculture farms in the US or the Netherlands could generate unreliable recommendations when applied to African smallholder farms characterised by mixed cropping, irregular input use, rain-fed agriculture and highly heterogeneous soil conditions.

Second, there are ethical concerns around AI use, particularly the lack of clarity on data ownership and privacy. Weak data governance is most pronounced in developing regions. Farmers often have little control over how their data is collected, used or monetised.

These challenges are not evenly distributed. But the risks are more pronounced in low-income regions, where regulatory systems are weaker, and smallholders have fewer resources to manage technological change.

Without appropriate safeguards, AI could reinforce disparities already embedded in global food systems. It also risks deepening existing inequalities, limiting its contribution to sustainable development and food security.

Way forward

AI could transform agriculture in Africa and other developing economies, but without the right policies, it may deepen inequality instead.

The priority is to fix the foundations. Reliable electricity, internet access, and affordable digital tools are essential. Without these, AI will remain out of reach for most smallholder farmers. Access to finance, training, and locally relevant data systems will also be critical.

Adoption should be gradual, starting with simple tools like advanced mobile advisory services before scaling up.

AI must be inclusive and farmer-centred. Done right, it can strengthen food systems. Done poorly, it risks leaving the most vulnerable further behind.

Abiodun Olusola Omotayo is an Associate Professor, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; North-West University
Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso is a Senior Lecturer at Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, Nigeria and Extraordinary Senior Lecturer at Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre, North-West University, Mafikeng, South Africa, North-West University
This article first appeared in The Conversation

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SpaceX in biggest IPO, Musk to be trillionaire

Toby Shapshak — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:02:40 +0000

Elon Musk is likely to become the world’s first trillionaire when SpaceX lists in what is expected to be the largest initial public offering (IPO) ever.

SpaceX on Wednesday revealed its plans to raise $75-billion when it lists, valuing the company at a whopping $1.75-trillion.

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation said it will sell 555-million shares for $135 each when it goes public.

But Musk will retain 82.4% of the voting control.

When it lists, SpaceX will be the seventh most valuable company on the S&P 500, which Nvidia leads at $5.2-trillion.

Musk is the world’s richest person – worth $825-billion – and his SpaceX shares are valued at $542-billion.

Not bad for a boy from Pretoria.

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What is the best MacBook Air value?

Stuff writer — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:55:14 +0000

What is the best value computer to buy right now?

Most of us will look to the latest new computers, but that overlooks the value left in pre-owned computers, argues MacShack, which is an independent pre-owned Apple dealer.

It thinks that “a certified pre-owned MacBook Air M1 at R9,900 is the best value computer in South Africa today”.

It’s a bold statement it makes in its first MacBook Depreciation Index for SA, with the key insight ”the M1 Air is the value sweet spot”.

The ‘sweet’ spot

“The MacBook Air M1 launched at R20,000 in November 2020,” explains MacShack director Rey de Beer. In 2026, a certified pre-owned unit sells for R9,900 at MacShack — a R10,100 saving.”

“The M1 MacBook Air still runs every current macOS application, still supports the latest macOS, and still benchmarks faster than most Windows laptops sold new at R12,000–R15,000 today,” he says.

He adds: “Apple Silicon doesn’t age the way Intel chips did.”

Meanwhile, he argues, for a student in South Africa, the math is “blunt: a new MacBook Air M5 at R21,999 vs a certified pre-owned M1 at R9,900. The M1 does 95% of what the M5 does, at 45% of the price. For browsing, documents, presentations, Zoom, and even light video editing — they are functionally equivalent.”

Those nice folks over at the iStore might not agree, nor will the happy hordes buying their brand-new MacBook Air M5. Not everyone can buy new, and there are lots of people looking for a good deal.

As we always advise, deal with reputable sellers, and if a deal looks too good to be true, it isn’t.

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MSI, Asus, Dell, and others have RTX Spark laptops coming

Duncan Pike — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:59:00 +0000

Nvidia kicked off Computex this week with its announcement of RTX Spark, a “superchip” built around the promise of improved on-device AI. Nvidia’s term, ‘superchip’, might be a bit of ambitious marketing, but the product is certainly more than just the company’s first CPU.

RTX Spark consists of a 6,144-core Blackwell RTX graphics card (similar to an RTX 5070 desktop GPU), a 20-core Grace 3nm ARM CPU that it co-designed with MediaTek, and 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory. As for its on-device AI abilities, Nvidia is throwing around a 1-petaflop performance figure for FP4 AI workloads.

That tracks, on paper, for the specs listed, but doesn’t mean much on its own. Any competent chip needs something to go in — queue the announcements from nearly every major laptop manufacturer (minus Apple) of new RTS Spark-powered models inbound.

MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+

Image: MSI

MSI didn’t waste time in announcing the Prestige N16 Flip AI+, a laptop it says “represents a new
generation of premium thin-and-light PCs.” It’s the only 2-in-1 device announced so far, so it has that going for it, at least. This, as with most of them, is geared towards AI developers, creators, and even gamers.

The Prestige N16 Flip AI+ will apparently feature a 99.9Wh battery (the highest capacity allowed on most international flights), support for MSI’s Nano Pen stylus, and a 16in “UHD+ Tandem OLED display.” Not much else is known just yet, aside from the fact that the display will cover 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, support a variable refresh rate, and reach a peak brightness of “over 1,000 nits”.

It may or may not become available in South Africa in future. But if it does, expect to pay a hefty sum. The display specs alone would seemingly warrant a price eclipsing R50,000.

Asus ProArt P16 and P14

Image: Asus

Asus has announced that it will bring RTX Spark to its ProArt range. We’re pretty familiar with the ProArt range, though we’ve yet to get our hands on the 2026 model. Future models that will ship with RTX Spark seem like more of the same — a minimal, streamlined chassis with a durable construction, excellent OLED display, powerful innards, and features geared towards mobile creators.

Asus says both its RTX Spark ProArt laptops will feature ‘Lumina Pro’ OLED panels with “up to 4K resolution on the ProArt P16 and up to 3K on the ProArt P14.” 100% coverage of DCI-P3, a Pantone validation, an anti-reflection coating that is said to reduce reflections by as much as 65%, and a claimed 1,600 nits of HDR brightness round out display specs.

Another 99.9Wh battery will power the P16, while the P14 will make do with a 90Wh battery. We also expect a plethora of ports with this one, and a price to match. The last one we reviewed (a 2025 model) was asking R65,000 (it has since been marked down to R45,000). The RTX Spark models will undoubtedly be more.

Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition

Image: Dell

Dell gave even less away than other companies regarding its new RTX Spark-powered XPS 16 Creator Edition. Other than the standard Spark specs, the company said the laptop will feature a Tandem OLED display with a True Black HDR 600 certification, a built-in SD card reader, and an HDMI port.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra

Image: Microsoft

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra is “the most powerful Surface Laptop ever built,” according to the company. It has the brightest display Microsoft has ever shipped — a 15in mini-LED ‘PixelSense Ultra’ — and the largest touchpad ever on a Surface. It will feature ports (good) and come in two colours: Platinum and Nightfall (read: Silver and Black). Microsoft said this is for “world makers”, so we’re expecting a price only they can afford, whoever ‘they’ are.

And friends

HP confirmed that its OmniBook X 14 and OmniBook Ultra 16 will get the RTX Spark treatment. It didn’t go into further details, only to say that one or both of them will be the “world’s thinnest RTX Spark, built for powerful performance.”

We know even less about Lenovo’s offering. Early intel shows it will be called the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n, although that could change down the line, and that’s it. We expect it will be fast, look nice, and cost a lot.

The first of the RTX Spark latops are expected to ship in US Autumn (our Spring), so around September, if everything stays on track and there are no setbacks. It will likely take them longer to reach South African shores.

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AI and journalism in southern Africa: editors are using it but balanced with human expertise and editorial judgement

The Conversation — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:37:22 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday newsroom work across Africa. It has entered quietly through routine tasks such as transcription, headline writing, translation and content preparation.

In southern Africa, where AI adoption is steadily growing, its application in journalism is raising critical questions from policymakers and governments. While technology offers gains in speed and efficiency, its use remains contested due to ethical concerns and fears about job losses.

As communication and media scholars researching data and digital communication, in our study, we examined its influence on production processes, ethical guardrails and job security. Interviews with senior editors revealed that, while AI improves efficiency and, in some cases, quality, it still requires human expertise and editorial judgement.

Senior editors described efficiency: faster turnaround, transcription, summarisation, headline generation and story drafting. Large volumes of information can be processed within tight newsroom deadlines. Most editors do not see AI as an immediate threat to jobs. Ethical concerns remain, prompting some newsrooms to adopt internal guidelines.

AI is already helping journalists sharpen headlines, summarise reports, generate illustrations, transcribe interviews and clean up copy under pressure. In some Zimbabwean newsrooms, AI-powered presenters are already reading weather bulletins and assisting with news delivery.

Yet caution prevails. Editors are experimenting with AI because newsroom pressures demand efficiency, but they remain determined not to surrender editorial judgement to machines.

This caution reflects broader structural pressures. Print circulation has declined, advertising revenue remains fragile, and newsroom staffing has shrunk. In South Africa, newspaper circulation declined by 17.3% in 2024, with several major titles reducing operations or shifting to digital-first models. Journalists are expected to produce more content, across multiple platforms, and at greater speed.

AI, however, introduces its own risks, including factual inaccuracies, hidden bias embedded in training data and weak contextual understanding. For example, AI systems may reproduce racial, gender, political, or cultural biases while struggling to interpret satire, local idioms and politically nuanced African contexts. As a result, editors emphasise that AI must remain under firm human control.

AI is doing the routine work first

The first newsroom functions being reshaped by AI are repetitive tasks. Editors described using AI for headline optimisation, summarising, transcription and minor editing. These are labour-intensive processes but do not determine editorial direction.

In Zimbabwe, experimentation is more advanced in selected organisations. AI avatars, AI-powered digital news presenters capable of delivering human-like news bulletins through synthetic voices, facial expressions and automated script reading, are presenting weather updates and selected content.

South African newsrooms remain more restrained. AI is mainly used in editing, reporting and headline optimisation. Full article generation remains limited because editors insist on rigorous human verification.

For now, AI functions as an assistant rather than a substitute.

Why editors remain reluctant to trust it

The central issue is credibility. Generative AI produces fluent language, but fluency does not guarantee accuracy. It predicts plausible content rather than verifying truth. So it can generate convincing but incorrect information. One example is in the saga involving the development of the South African AI strategy by government. It was found to contain several fictitious academic references likely generated by AI hallucinations.

Editors in both countries highlighted this risk. Zimbabwean editors noted that AI often draws from online sources without distinguishing between verified reporting and misinformation. South African editors raised concerns about plagiarism, weak attribution and unverifiable sourcing.

The African challenge is bigger than accuracy

Accuracy is only part of the problem. Many AI systems struggle with African linguistic and cultural contexts. Editors reported issues with pronunciation of indigenous names and poor handling of local nuance.

Most AI systems are developed in the global north and trained on western datasets, leaving African languages underrepresented. This calls for greater investment in African-centred AI research, local language datasets, and inclusive digital innovation policies.

African newsrooms are adopting tools that do not fully recognise their communication environments. Editors argued that locally grounded AI systems will be necessary to reflect African realities and avoid deepening technological dependence.

Will AI reduce journalism jobs?

While fears about job losses are widespread, editors offered a more measured view. Most do not expect journalists to disappear but anticipate pressure on technical roles such as sub-editing and layout.

Some acknowledged that media owners may eventually use AI to justify leaner staffing. But high costs remain a barrier. In Zimbabwe, in particular, expensive subscriptions and infrastructure challenges limit adoption.

In South Africa, editors similarly noted that current adoption levels are too limited to drive major labour restructuring. For now, AI is reshaping workflows rather than eliminating jobs. For example, one editor noted that AI tools have improved audience analytics and helped identify stories most likely to convert casual readers into paying subscribers. It also freed financial resources that can be redirected towards hiring freelance journalists.

Policy is falling behind technology

A key concern is that newsroom governance is not keeping pace with technological change. Zimbabwe’s Zimpapers group has introduced internal AI policies addressing disclosure, verification and training. Many South African newsrooms have yet to formalise such frameworks. The inputs from editors suggest that while existing press codes and ethical frameworks provide a basis for addressing AI-related challenges, they still need to be adapted to respond to the new ethical, operational and transparency risks posed by AI.

This gap matters because journalism depends on public trust. Readers need transparency when AI is used, and journalists require clear guidelines on accountability.

Without safeguards, efficiency gains risk undermining credibility.

Journalism remains a human responsibility

The central lesson is not that AI should be resisted, nor that journalism faces immediate automation. Rather, journalism remains fundamentally human because public trust depends on judgement, responsibility and context.

Machines can generate text and process information quickly, but they cannot fully grasp political sensitivity, moral consequence or historical meaning.

For this reason, editors in both countries maintain a clear position that AI may assist the newsroom, but journalism must remain under human editorial control.

Mandla J. Radebe is a Professor, University of Johannesburg
Mbongeni J Msimanga is a Post-doctoral fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, University of Johannesburg
This article first appeared in The Conversation

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Goodbye broadcast, hello streaming

Toby Shapshak — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:00:20 +0000

Who will win the TV wars is a question that has dominated tech publications for decades. The rapid evolution of flat-panel displays has seen a massive market for these amazing screens.

The debate now has a new corollary, which is, who will win the streaming wars? That is a topic that is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

You’ll notice, though, that the major TV manufacturers never put an Apple TV button on the remote control, like they do Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+. Apple, for its part, won’t let you install a streaming app on its MacBook laptops, only its own TV+.

The last smart TV I bought was clearly from the era where broadcast TV still dominated. It defaulted to HDMI 1, where the TV signal came in. The new interface treats that set-top box as equal to all the other options, with a clear bias to the visually enticing streaming services.

There are big icons for the last few things you watched on Netflix or Showmax (RIP). Click on the DStv icon, and it helpfully wakes the decoder up for you. I can be watching rugby in seconds. Samsung calls this the Media Hub, and it’s slick and simple.

Samsung 65in S95D OLED 4K HDR smart TV

R40,000 | Samsung.com/za

I’ve been testing the Samsung S95D OLED 4K TV, a glorious 65in screen that has decoupled the display from the rest of the operation, as it were. The TV’s brains are a separate smart box with all the HDMI and USB ports, and it runs Samsung’s own Tizen OS. Called the One Connect box, it attaches to the back of the TV (on its stand) or to the wall when wall-mounted.

Given that most households have a teenager or an adult who loves gaming, the TV has a 100Hz refresh rate that can go up to 144Hz. It makes no sense to non-gamers, but it’s the equivalent of using a Lamborghini to pop down to the cafe for a litre of milk. The upshot is that the 4K screen is brilliant and bright, and the fast refresh rate is great for watching rugby or any fast-moving sport.

One new feature on recent Samsung TVs is the ability to mute the commentator. I already do that by just muting the whole audio feed. But then there’s none of the crowd cheering and other stadium noises that I would be happy to hear.

This is part of the new suite of AI-enhanced features that can separate the audio streams for commentary and stadium microphones. It’s a winning feature that you never thought you’d want ― unless, like me, you have never liked the sometimes intrusive, often metronomic repetitiveness of some rugby commentators.

Called Soccer Mode for this month’s FIFA World Cup, it is my favourite new feature on a television. What can I say, I love the game (of rugby), but I often just want to watch the game ― especially given the one-eyed overseas commentators that South African teams so often are assigned.

Samsung Q-series HW-Q800D sound bar

R9,000 | Samsung.com/za

Speaking of good sound, I also tested the Samsung Q-series HW-Q800D sound bar, which pairs with the TV using Bluetooth and has a wireless subwoofer. Current OLED TVs are just too thin to have decent sound, so a soundbar is now an essential accessory. And it adds to the overall experience in ways we never knew before, side-firing speakers and self-calibrating systems.

Buying from the same manufacturer as the TV is another no-brainer.

This column first appeared in Business Day

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