Swapo think tank rejects ChatGPT manifesto claims
Chairperson of the Swapo think tank, Professor Andrew Niikondo, has rejected claims that the ruling party’s 2024 election manifesto was produced by chatbots instead of party officials.
Social media is abuzz with claims that ChatGPT was used to produce the manifesto, with some posting supposed samples of how the ruling party simply instructed the bot to come up with concepts using Namibian demographics.
Niikondo was responding to claims made by, among others, political scientist Rui Tyitende, who labelled Swapo’s manifesto an "empty ChatGPT manifesto”.
However, in an interview with Namibian Sun, Niikondo dismissed these remarks, highlighting the rigorous process that went into developing the manifesto. He said the think tank produced the document. “It is unfortunate that people, even with high academic qualifications, do not understand how the party manifesto is compiled,” he hit back at the fellow academic.
"Swapo party's 2024 election manifesto is not a document that’s drafted and published from just anywhere, so to say. There is a stringent process that’s followed.”
He added: “You would recall that the Swapo Party held its introspection conference, thereafter the policy conference and, lastly, the seventh congress. The information contained in the manifesto was gathered through those engagements as the party’s process.”
‘Extensive research’
Niikondo explained that the think tank conducted extensive research, consulting various stakeholders, including government departments and key industries, to create the document. “We unfortunately did not have the privilege of using that software [ChatGPT] to produce the manifesto. This is a credit to the Swapo Party, as the manifesto was produced by hardworking and committed party members.”
He criticised the focus on technology like ChatGPT, arguing it detracted from the substance of the manifesto.
“People, including some media, tend to focus on witch-hunting or trying to find something wrong in the manifesto. Perhaps having found nothing, they are now focusing on artificial intelligence [AI] software to take credit away from the party’s efforts," he said.
Niikondo added that the manifesto was a product of Namibians, for Namibians. He dismissed claims of AI involvement as a “political ploy or fabrication” by opponents who failed to recognise the document’s comprehensive approach.
“We will use the manifesto with vigour towards victory while others are busy with unnecessary stories.”
Scientific analysis
Adding to Niikondo’s comments, Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo clarified that the manifesto's strategies were supported by scientific analysis.
In a statement, he said the party used the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, not ChatGPT, to craft its economic strategies.
According to Nekongo, the CGE model was calibrated using Namibia’s 2019 social accounting matrix and used to evaluate youth employment strategies.
“The CGE model is a widely recognised tool for policy evaluation, indispensable for identifying, selecting and monitoring strategies to address development challenges like youth unemployment,” he said.
He further explained that official data from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) was used to measure the impact of public investment on employment, with a focus on youth employment. “To achieve this, official data from the NSA was utilised to establish the relationship between public investment and sectoral gross domestic product [GDP],” he said.
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Social media is abuzz with claims that ChatGPT was used to produce the manifesto, with some posting supposed samples of how the ruling party simply instructed the bot to come up with concepts using Namibian demographics.
Niikondo was responding to claims made by, among others, political scientist Rui Tyitende, who labelled Swapo’s manifesto an "empty ChatGPT manifesto”.
However, in an interview with Namibian Sun, Niikondo dismissed these remarks, highlighting the rigorous process that went into developing the manifesto. He said the think tank produced the document. “It is unfortunate that people, even with high academic qualifications, do not understand how the party manifesto is compiled,” he hit back at the fellow academic.
"Swapo party's 2024 election manifesto is not a document that’s drafted and published from just anywhere, so to say. There is a stringent process that’s followed.”
He added: “You would recall that the Swapo Party held its introspection conference, thereafter the policy conference and, lastly, the seventh congress. The information contained in the manifesto was gathered through those engagements as the party’s process.”
‘Extensive research’
Niikondo explained that the think tank conducted extensive research, consulting various stakeholders, including government departments and key industries, to create the document. “We unfortunately did not have the privilege of using that software [ChatGPT] to produce the manifesto. This is a credit to the Swapo Party, as the manifesto was produced by hardworking and committed party members.”
He criticised the focus on technology like ChatGPT, arguing it detracted from the substance of the manifesto.
“People, including some media, tend to focus on witch-hunting or trying to find something wrong in the manifesto. Perhaps having found nothing, they are now focusing on artificial intelligence [AI] software to take credit away from the party’s efforts," he said.
Niikondo added that the manifesto was a product of Namibians, for Namibians. He dismissed claims of AI involvement as a “political ploy or fabrication” by opponents who failed to recognise the document’s comprehensive approach.
“We will use the manifesto with vigour towards victory while others are busy with unnecessary stories.”
Scientific analysis
Adding to Niikondo’s comments, Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo clarified that the manifesto's strategies were supported by scientific analysis.
In a statement, he said the party used the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, not ChatGPT, to craft its economic strategies.
According to Nekongo, the CGE model was calibrated using Namibia’s 2019 social accounting matrix and used to evaluate youth employment strategies.
“The CGE model is a widely recognised tool for policy evaluation, indispensable for identifying, selecting and monitoring strategies to address development challenges like youth unemployment,” he said.
He further explained that official data from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) was used to measure the impact of public investment on employment, with a focus on youth employment. “To achieve this, official data from the NSA was utilised to establish the relationship between public investment and sectoral gross domestic product [GDP],” he said.
[email protected]
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