CO-PILOT AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

(1500 - 2000 WORDS)

I asked Co-Pilot (Microsoft Copilot in Bing 1), the following question: “What are the top 3 human rights
issues facing South Africans today?” This was the answer that it gave:

In South Africa, several **critical human rights issues** persist, affecting the well-being and
dignity of its citizens. Here are the top three challenges:

1. **Violence Against Women and Girls**: South Africa grapples with widespread and
endemic violence against women and girls. This issue remains an enduring nightmare, with
high rates of gender-based violence, sexual assault, and femicide. The country urgently needs
comprehensive measures to protect and empower women and address this crisis¹.

2. **Rule of Law and Accountability**: The corruption trial of former President Jacob Zuma
has faced repeated delays, raising concerns about accountability. The justice system's
effectiveness and timely resolution of cases are crucial for upholding the rule of law. Ensuring
that no one is above the law is essential for a just society¹.

3. **Environmental Challenges**: Air pollution continues to harm the health and well-being of
South Africans. A landmark judgment highlighted the poor air quality resulting from coal and
industrial fossil fuel operations. However, progress in meeting health-based air quality
standards has been insufficient. Failure to comply could cost lives, exacerbate the climate
crisis, and impact public health¹.

These issues demand urgent attention and concerted efforts to safeguard human rights and
create a more equitable and just South Africa.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 2024/03/21

(1) World Report 2024: South Africa | Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/world-
report/2024/country-chapters/south-africa.

(2) World Report 2022: South Africa | Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/world-
report/2022/country-chapters/south-africa.

(3) South Africa still battling human rights challenges, SAHRC says.
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/sa-still-battling-human-rights-
challenges-sa-human-rights-commission-says-20230321.

1 You can read more about what CO-PILOT is here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Copilot

Open Rubric
Use these three issues (along with chapters 4,5,7 and 9 in your study guide) to evaluate your own
community in the following way:

1. Describe your community: [20 marks] Using linguistic, religious, racial, and socio-economic
markers to describe your community. Give me a word-picture of what your community looks and
feels like.

2. Discuss where and how these human rights issues identified by Co-Pilot show up in your
community: [50 marks] Be sure to describe not only where and how these issues are occurring in
your community but also exactly which rights are being violated (use the Bill of Rights—Chapter 2
of the Constitution of RSA and quote the relevant rights directly).

a. Describe any relevant historical factors contributing to your community's human rights
issues.
b. Describe any relevant structural factors (social, economic, political) that contribute to
these human rights issues in your community.
c. Describe any relevant cultural factors contributing to your community's human rights
issues.

3. Discuss whether you believe Co-Pilot’s analysis is true for your community [10 Marks] or do you
see other human rights issues as more important than the three identified by Co-Pilot – be sure
to motivate your answer either way.

4. Discuss at least ONE community response [5 Marks] you believe would start the journey of
addressing one of the human rights issues in your community.

5. You will also get a mark for writing quality, introduction, conclusion and referencing [5 Marks]

6. Finally, please complete the following AI disclosure form [5 marks]

AI (Artificial intelligence Self-Disclosure as part of your submission (you can just copy and paste it
at the end of your assignment.

i) Which AI tools did you use (Bing chat, Co-Pilot, Bard etc.)2
ii) Where did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
iii) How did you ensure that your 'voice' (i.e., your views, perspectives, and
experiences) were not overpowered by your use of AI?
iv) iv) Did you find that the AI tools enhanced the quality or depth of your essay? If
so, how? If not, why?
 ASSIGNMENT 3 STRUCTURE
(1500 – 2000 words)

Here is a suggested structure for your assignment (feel free to copy it directly). You don’t have to use
it, but it is one way to ensure you address all the parts of the assignment.

1. Table of contents

2. Introduction

3. A description of my community [20]

4. The 3 human rights issues identified by Co-Pilot and their violations in my community [50]

5. Evaluation of whether Co-Pilot's analysis of human rights issues is true for my community [10]

6. A community response [5]

7. Conclusion

8. Bibliography

9. AI (Artificial intelligence) Self-Disclosure [5]

a. Which AI tools did you use (Bing chat, Co-Pilot, Bard etc.)
b. Where did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
c. How did you ensure that your 'voice' (i.e., your views, perspectives, and experiences)
were not overpowered by your use of AI?
d. Did you find that the AI tools enhanced the quality or depth of your essay? If so, how?
If not, why?

10. Signed Declaration

Will I be penalised if I don’t stick within the word limit?

Not necessarily. The word limit is a guide—you can go over it, but if you include lots of material that
is irrelevant to the assignment or repetitive, you will be penalised. I generally find that students who
stick within this word limit don’t say too little or too much.

Will I be penalised if I don’t use Artificial Intelligence?

No, if you choose not to use AI, you will only be penalised if you do use AI but don’t disclose it
(Turnitin can detect AI use) or use it in ways that dominate your own voice, views, and perspectives.
We are still in the process of developing a policy on AI, but for now, using it critically and disclosing
where you use it are the two principles that should guide your use of AI in this course.

Where can I find the referencing guide for referencing in-text and for a bibliography?

You can find it here. Remember to reference your study guide if you use anything directly from it. You
can also see Unisa’s policy on plagiarism here.

Will this module be using Turnitin plagiarism checker?

Yes, it will. Please make sure you are familiar with it by reading this document here. Please ensure you
submit the EULA when you submit your assignment on mymodules. It will automatically appear when
you make your submission.