South Africa’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, has urged higher vigilance in how scientific developments are used as rising applied sciences such as synthetic intelligence turn out to be extra widespread and extra highly effective.
Speaking on the World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) 2025 in Pretoria, Nzimande stated the misuse of AI in international battle underscores the pressing want for moral oversight.
“The call to be vigilant is particularly urgent today when we are witnessing the use of emerging technologies such as AI, not only for the targeted killing of civilians in places such as Gaza, but also how the same technology is being used in the targeted killing of journalists,” he stated.
Citing figures from the International Federation of Journalists, Nzimande famous that greater than 248 journalists and media employees have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023. The federation alleges that some of these deaths resulted from deliberate focusing on by the Israeli military, with a number of instances beneath investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Nzimande challenged the viewers to think about science journalism’s position in a world the place “countries continue to sell weapons to other countries that are committing genocide and other human rights violations.”
The minister highlighted the relevance of this yr’s convention theme, “Science journalism and social justice: journalism that builds understanding and resilience,” saying it locations duty on journalists to interrogate how science is used to deal with inequality, battle, pandemics and local weather change.
He additionally careworn the significance of enhancing how scientific data is communicated to the general public. “We must constantly assess how science is communicated and how such communication influences social attitudes toward science,” he stated.
Nzimande outlined authorities efforts to strengthen science journalism and construct a scientifically literate society. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation locations greater than 40 unemployed journalism graduates annually in science reporting roles by means of partnerships with mainstream and neighborhood media.
Television, the web and radio stay the general public’s important sources of science data, in line with the 2022 South African Public Relationship with Science survey.
The WCSJ 2025 marks the primary time the convention is being hosted on the African continent. It follows South Africa’s current G20 Leaders’ Summit and serves as a major platform for elevating discussions on science communication and its societal impression.
This yr’s programme consists of three plenary periods, 58 parallel periods and contributions from 196 audio system. Delegates even have the chance to attend 21 discipline journeys, together with visits to main analysis tasks such as the Square Kilometre Array.
“The hosting of this conference does not just affirm our status as a preferred destination for global conferences; it also provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase South Africa and Africa’s science and cultural landscape,” Nzimande stated.