Deepfake video of Taylor Swift speaking Mandarin sparks discussion over AI

Entertainment

The Independent

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November 3, 2023

Deepfake video of Taylor Swift speaking Mandarin sparks discussion over AI

Taylor Swift garnered the attention of her Chinese fans this week as clips of her speaking fluent Mandarin went viral on Chinese social media.

In a video shared on the Chinese platform Weibo, the 33-year-old pop star showcased her Mandarin-speaking abilities, with a slight American accent, in what appeared to be a talk show.

Swift said in Mandarin, “Recently, I’ve been to many places, like Italy, France, and Japan.” The video, posted on October 21, has since amassed over 6 million views.

Being available to everyone

In another video, Swift discussed songs that tend to “get left behind” and expressed her desire for people to hear these tracks.

The surprising element is that Swift’s Mandarin proficiency was actually achieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). The deepfake videos were created using an AI tool from HeyGen, a Chinese startup, according to The China Project news outlet. The tool synchronized her lip movements with her Mandarin speech, closely resembling Swift’s actual voice. This realistic AI-driven performance left Chinese netizens amazed by the technology, with comments like “This is awesome!” There was even requests for Mandarin versions of their loved shows.

Pros and cons of Deepfake

However, the technology also sparked conversations about potential drawbacks as AI continues to advance, including concerns about scams and job displacement. One netizen pointed out that the most alarming aspect is the potential misuse of this technology for fake news, as the AI can manipulate both voice and mouth movements, making it easy for people to believe deceptive content. Another Weibo user expressed concern that this AI technology could be used for fraudulent purposes, allowing criminals to deceive victims into giving them money.

HeyGen, the company responsible for the video creation tool, was co-founded in November 2020 by Joshua Xu and Wayne Liang. Their AI-powered video generator enables users to create text-to-speech videos in over 300 voices, spanning more than 40 languages, using more than 100 AI avatars with various ethnicities, ages, poses, and attire.

Possibility of scamming

The development of such technology has raised concerns about its potential for criminal applications. Earlier this year, a scammer in northern China used deepfake technology to trick a man into transferring a substantial sum of money to someone impersonating a friend during a video call.

In January, China implemented new regulations requiring businesses offering deepfake services to verify the real identities of their users and appropriately tag deepfake content to prevent confusion.

Michelle Obama’s has mixed feelings about her daughters Malia and Sasha’s new home

Cover Photo: Instagram

The post Deepfake video of Taylor Swift speaking Mandarin sparks discussion over AI appeared first on The Independent News.

S’porean tells SG people to “stop being birds” making “cheap, cheap, cheap” sounds in M’sia to be considerate of M’sians

Anna Maria Romero

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November 3, 2023

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S’porean tells SG people to “stop being birds” making “cheap, cheap, cheap” sounds in M’sia to be considerate of M’sians

SINGAPORE: The Singapore dollar recently reached an all-time high against the Malaysian ringgit, which would normally signal more shopping and food trips, right? But a man who gives financial advice online has warned Singaporeans against this type of excess, telling them to “Stop being birds in Malaysia” in a YouTube video that has gone viral.

“Because of the powerful Singapore dollar, things become so cheap, we always say ‘cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap’, right?” Hence, the reference to people chirping like birds, Mr Loo Cheng Chuan, 51, said, asking Singaporeans to be more considerate of the feelings of Malaysians. “Can you all stop being bird man? It’s not very nice, okay? We’ve got to be sensitive.”

Mr Loo then quoted former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who once said that when Singaporeans go to Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, or Melaka and buy something because of the “powerful Singapore dollar”, they notice that things are much more affordable.

“We always say cheap, cheap, cheap,” he said.

He added that some go there and don’t just buy quietly and then go away, but instead, say loudly and show everyone, “Wah, so cheap ah! How does the Malaysian feel, right?”

Furthermore, having enough loud birds flocking around the shops can have a negative effect, he added, in the sense that it can cause prices to go up. “What does the store owner do? He increases their prices, yeah.”

“So stop being birds in Malaysia, can you? Don’t flaunt your purchases, don’t flaunt your Singapore dollar and don’t flaunt your meals,” Mr Loo said.

He also said, “When you eat, it’s like freaking 10 years never eat before… order all the things, so much wastage. And when pumping petrol, you go and push the car up and down; hopefully, extra 100 millilitres of petrol can go in.”

Giving Singaporeans a dose of reality, he said that being born in Singapore is like winning the lottery because the government is very good at investing money. “Our GIC and government are very good; they drive up the Singaporean dollar. But when we won a lottery game, please be humble about it.”

He also corrected the notion that Singaporeans buying in Malaysia are helping the economy of that country, saying, “You’re helping yourselves” instead. /TISG

Dad says “we abandoned our son” in public because he “needs to learn his lesson the hard way”

Anna Maria Romero

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November 3, 2023

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Dad says “we abandoned our son” in public because he “needs to learn his lesson the hard way”

SINGAPORE: A TikTok video of a father pretending to leave his son behind at an interactive exhibit has gone viral, getting over 344,000 views in the few days since it was posted. However, not everyone appears to be on board with this family’s parenting style. Commenters expressed concern, saying the little boy could have gotten kidnapped or that it was “dangerous for a number of reasons.”

The 36-second video clip shows a boy walking by himself outside the Smart Nation Builder truck exhibit at the library. Since the exhibition has interactive games, it should not be too surprising that the boy, 10-year-old Daken Lee, was so engrossed with it that he let his parents leave without him.

@familee.sg

Go and find a new family, my son. I will miss you. #family #parenting

♬ original sound – Lee Family 🇸🇬🇭🇰 – Lee Family 🇸🇬🇭🇰

While the clip is set to suspenseful music and shows that the boy “is starting to panic” and “is reaching for his phone,” it does not appear that the child feels any real sense of alarm, and a few short seconds into the video sees his parents and smilingly walks toward them.

The bio of the @familee1985 account on TikTok includes a part that says “family comedy,” which gives us a clue that not everything posted on it should be taken seriously, including the caption from the Oct 31 video below that reads, “Go and find a new family, my son. I will miss you. #family #parenting.”

But netizens may have taken exception to the narration on the video, which reads, “We abandoned our son and we don’t regret it. He got too engrossed with the games and did not want to leave. He needs to learn his lesson the hard way. He couldn’t find us at the waiting area.”

“No parent should do that,” one netizen said, while another wrote, “It’s NOT FUN AT ALL.”

However, some said: “I agree w this method of teaching. If never put them thru this, they’ll not feel the fear of lost & learnt. but in today’s ERA, there’s phone to call,” one woman wrote.

Others chimed in that their parents did this with them when they were young, and one top comment was, “At one point in a child’s life, I think all parents did this.” /TISG

Woman tries to bribe Changi Airport officers to fly without valid visa; she ends up in jail instead

Anna Maria Romero

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November 3, 2023

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Woman tries to bribe Changi Airport officers to fly without valid visa; she ends up in jail instead

SINGAPORE: On Oct 16, a woman named Zeng Xiuying offered two officers at Changi Airport US$50 (S$70) to allow her and her companion to go through the boarding gate to fly to Amsterdam without a valid visa.

The officers refused to let the women fly and declined the bribe. On Nov 1 (Wednesday), Zeng, 52, a Chinese national, was given a four-week jail sentence after she entered a guilty plea to offering gratification to an agent under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with another charge taken into consideration for her sentencing.

The woman, who did not secure the services of a lawyer for the legal proceedings, told the court that it was her first time to travel abroad. On Oct 16, 2023, Zeng and Wu Zhangwang arrived at Changi Airport from Koh Samui, Thailand. Their tickets to Amsterdam via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines had a transit stop in Singapore and were scheduled to depart shortly before 1 am on Oct 17, reports TODAY Online.

However, the two women were subjected to screening by KLM agent Suriah Samsi before being allowed to enter the departure gate. The agent discovered that neither of them had a proper visa to enter the Netherlands.

Certis Cisco officer Ronald Michael Jansen was tasked to help tell the women in Mandarin that KLM was not allowing them to board the flight. After doing so, he told them they could call the airline’s hotline or proceed to the KLM counter in the departure area. But the women stayed near the departure gate to speak to other auxiliary police officers. Mr Jansen then drew near Zeng and Wu again, which is when Zeng put an arm around Mr Jansen’s shoulder and handed him around US$50. She asked him to talk to KLM on their behalf to permit them to fly out anyway.

Mr Jansen declined to take the money from her but approached the counter again to see if the woman could board the plane and was told this was not possible. As he approached Zeng to tell her this, she handed her travel itinerary to him, where there were several US dollar notes hidden in the itinerary. This was rejected once again by the Cetris Cisco officer, who then left the area.

Zeng also tried to hand at least US$50 to Ms Suriah when the latter asked for her passport later that evening, and Zeng asked the KLM agent in Mandarin to “help” her. Like Mr Jansen, Ms Suriah said no to Zeng. The woman was later arrested for her attempts to bribe Mr Jansen and Ms Suriah.

While Zeng admitted to having attempted to bribe the two, she said she only offered one US$50 note to them. She also said that she handed the money over as she needed help with asking KLM why she had not been allowed to board the flight.

The woman could have been given a fine of as much as S$100,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years, or both, had she been convicted of corruptly offering gratification to an agent. /TISG

SFA fines catering company $6,000 after 92 fall ill from food poisoning

Anna Maria Romero

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November 3, 2023

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SFA fines catering company $6,000 after 92 fall ill from food poisoning

SINGAPORE: KG Catering was fined $6,000 on Wednesday (Nov 1) by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) due to several hygiene lapses that caused 92 cases of food poisoning between Sept 11, 2022, and March 11, 2023. The breaches in hygiene include food waste found within the catering company’s premises, improper storage of food, and the presence of live cockroaches and other rodents.

92 people who suffered food poisoning experienced symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea—after consuming food prepared by G Catering in three separate incidents, the SFA said in a media release. SFA suspended the catering company’s operations from Nov 9, 2022, to Feb 1, 2023, and KG Catering was told to correct the hygiene lapses in improving the cleanliness of its premises and food safety practices.

*Live cockroaches were observed on the premises. (Photo:* *SFA)*

These breaches were discovered when officers from the SFA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) carried out inspections on three occasions of the catering company’s premises. After the hygiene lapses were rectified, the SFA lifted the suspension.

*Food waste was found littered on the floor of the premises. (Photo: SFA)*

The SFA said, ”Food safety is a joint responsibility as food can be contaminated anywhere along the food chain. While SFA continues to be vigilant and works to ensure that regulatory measures are in place and properly enforced, the industry and consumers must also play their part.”

The agency added that food and beverage establishments need to make sure that their premises are clean and well maintained and to follow food hygiene and food safety requirements. Otherwise, they are in danger of not following the Environmental Public Health Act and could be fined as much as S$2,000. If they continue to commit offences, they may be fined as much as S$100 for every day or part thereof.

SFA advises the public to avoid patronizing food and beverage establishments where they see poor food safety practices. They should provide feedback on such establishments through the SFA’s online feedback form (https://www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback) or call the SFA Contact Centre at 68052871 with details for our follow-up investigations.

Man says he’s forced to travel to office to “do the same work and at 6pm pack up and squash into bus/train”

Lifestyle

Obbana Rajah

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November 3, 2023

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Man says he’s forced to travel to office to “do the same work and at 6pm pack up and squash into bus/train”

SINGAPORE: A man who had been working in a company for many years wrote that he found having to come to the office a rather rigid practice.

In an anonymous post to popular confessions page NUSWhispers, the man said he felt overwhelmed because of his work situation. The amount of work he had to do daily was a lot, and he said that he also had to go to office for four days a week. “This 4day on-site is so rigid. Cant this, cant that. You are basically travelling all the freaking way here just to sit at your desk and do the same work and at 6pm pack up and squash into the bus/train only to crash into your bed when home. Worst case i live in the east. What kind of life is this. Covid has taught us something and its beneficial. Govt is also pushing for it”, the man wrote. He added that he was not able to easily find another job as he had a mental health condition.

Last year: One thing the COVID-19 pandemic taught us well is that many of our jobs can be flexible and that working from home is not just a possibility but a workable reality. And for the younger generation of workers in Singapore, this type of flexibility may just be non-negotiable. Even as the situation normalizes and bosses are encouraging employees back into the swing of working from the office, workers aged 18 to 34 are saying, “Maybe not” according to the results of the ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View, which was published on July 4.

In Singapore, over half of the young workers who participated in the study said they would contemplate leaving their jobs if asked to return full-time. Among workers aged 55 and older, only 35 per cent of the respondents had the same sentiments. And yet, the percentage of Singapore’s younger workers who feel this way is lower than that of the rest of the world.

Based on the survey conducted in 17 countries among 33,000 employees, 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old employees said they might look for another job should full-time work resume. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, 66 per cent held this sentiment. For workers aged 45 to 54, 56 per cent said they would do so. The study pointed out that this sentiment may affect industries such as food and beverage and retail, which depend heavily on younger workers. /TISG

Maid serves her employer burnt food and says “remove burnt part and eat”

Obbana Rajah

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November 3, 2023

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Maid serves her employer burnt food and says “remove burnt part and eat”

SINGAPORE: An employer took to social media after her helper served her burnt food and tried to pass it off as edible.

In a post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, one woman wrote that she and her maid had a good relationship. However, she shared: “My helper burnt my chicken. The skin and one side of the chicken was burnt. It was black. She left the dish on my table with the side sauce and talked abt random things and then she went away. When I sat to eat, i noticed one small part on the side was burnt. I thought it’s okay to just peel it and eat the rest. When i turned the other side of chicken, it was equally burnt black”. She wrote that she became rather sad and angy, and questioned her helper. “I asked her if the chicken is suitable to be eaten. She said I can remove the burnt part and eat. I’m not sad because the chicken is burnt. I’m so super sad because she didn’t tell me before I start eating. She acted blur. For her, the burnt hard chicken is okay. I feel she is not respecting me. If she does, she wouldn’t do this. I feel so sad”, the employer wrote, asking other helpers and employers in the group for their opinions.

Netizens who commented on the post urged the employer to practice open communication and to encourage her helper to do so as well. One said: “My view as a helper is that she is wrong that she didn’t mention you about the burnt chicken. As a helper, if something goes wrong with the food I will mention while I served it or even before I serve it. So she can decide to eat it or just order. For you as an employer, you should have talk to her. Let her explain what happen maybe she can do better nxt time. Don’t let your so called good relationship ruined by burnt chicken only. Open communication is the key”.

Another netizen in the group commented: “It’s quite natural that she tries to avoid getting told off by acting blur. I believe she felt bad but pride n embarrassment held her back to just tell u she burnt the chicken. Don’t take it too heart badly since u both hv a good relationship. U can joke with her n tell her if she burnt the chicken again, u wl nag at her for 3 months. It wl be easier if u focus on all the things she didn’t make mistake vs the few mistakes she makes occasionally. I hv a very gd relationship w my helper. Everytime she falls short, I focus on the so many things she did right daily instead of the occasional mistakes she make wh is inevitable bec no one is perfect. If I hv to correct her, I try to make it light n funny so she doesn’t feel stress over it. It’s a win win situation bec I believe happy helper, happy family”.

Ravi Menon: Malware scams are ‘worrying’ but ‘right approach’ needed to decide who takes responsibility for losses

Singapore News

Anna Maria Romero

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November 2, 2023

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Ravi Menon: Malware scams are ‘worrying’ but ‘right approach’ needed to decide who takes responsibility for losses

SINGAPORE: Mr Ravi Menon, who heads the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank, acknowledged that authorities are “very concerned” about malware scams. These recent fraudulent schemes have been in the news after many have been victimized, with some losing even their life savings after inadvertently downloading infected files that allowed scammers access to their personal data and/or banking credentials.

Nevertheless, Mr Menon added that the “right approach” needs to be found before this type of scam is made part of a proposed framework determining liability for the financial losses that occur because of them, he said in a recent CNA interview.

At present, discussions on the framework are taking place. On Oct 25, a consultation paper was released by MAS and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) stating that the country’s telecommunication companies and financial institutions that were found in breach of responsibilities might need to compensate their customers who were victimized by these scams.

This concentrates on digital phishing scams, to begin with, but other types of scams—including malware, love scams, and investment scams are not yet part of the framework.

Malware scams were once practically unheard of, but in the past few months, more and more incidents of this type of fraudulent scheme have been reported in the news. The police have said that there have been over 1,400 people who have fallen prey to malware scams, with total losses of at least S$20.6 million in the first eight months of the year, with nearly half taking place just in July and August.

CNA quotes Mr Menon as saying, “The number of malware scams is smaller than other scams but the number is growing, and we are very concerned about it. We’ve been discussing with the banks the safeguards and measures that can be put in place against malware scams

Malware scams are not part of this shared responsibility framework. I know people will be disappointed with this but … we need to get the right approach towards such scams before we can put it in the framework.”

The MAS head said, however, that at least four major banks have implemented anti-malware controls. Last month, OCBC, DBS, Citibank, and UOB implemented safeguards that restrict access to their apps when customers are found to have downloaded potentially risky apps from unofficial portals.

Other safety measures are under consideration, which may make banking inconvenient for app users, and yet may be needful to protect people, he added.

CPF Board issues warning about scam email requiring wage information from employers

Law

Anna Maria Romero

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November 2, 2023

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CPF Board issues warning about scam email requiring wage information from employers

SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (Nov 1), the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board issued a warning on its Facebook account concerning a scam email that has been circulating with the email subject: “Reminder: Requirement to declare wage information.”

“The email contains an attachment asking employers for employee wage information. This scam email mimics CPF Board’s authorised email address in the sender description. The email was 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐏𝐅 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝. Please do not open the attachment and delete the email immediately,” the warning added.

The CPF Board assured the public that its systems have not been compromised and encourages everyone to review and update their email security settings to block malicious or spoofed emails or seek assistance from their email service provider.

The CPF Board also added a site providing more information on protecting firms from business email compromise attacks, which may be found here. People with questions regarding the matter may call 1800-227-1188 or write to the CPF Board at cpf.gov.sg/writetous.

This is not the first time fraudsters have targeted the CPF in scamming people. In June, the Public Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force alerted the public over the emergence of scams involving malware that ended with money taken from bank accounts and Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts.

In two such cases, CPF savings were lost, amounting to at least $99,800. The scammers’ modus operandi is as follows: A person would see a grocery advertisement on social media platforms such as Facebook. Those interested and contacted the scammers via messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, would be sent a uniform resource locator (URL). The scammers would then tell their victims to download an Android Package Kit (APK) file, an application created for Android’s operating system, ostensibly for ordering and payment purposes.

“Unknown to the victims, the application would contain malware that allowed scammers to access the victims’ device remotely and steal passwords, including passwords (e.g. Singpass passcode) stored in the device. The scammer might also call the victim to ask for their Singpass passcode, purportedly to create an account on the application,” the police wrote.

In August, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) issued an advisory warning the public about a scam being spread via WhatsApp with messages titled “CPF Top-up Scheme ( CPFS) OFFER.”

The scam claims that individuals who fill in their personal information on the included link in the message will receive additional CPF contributions.

In June of last year, after warning people against scammers, the CPF Board announced that it would bolster its cybersecurity measures by taking steps to protect members from being victimised by fraudsters.

Woman says she only had 3 friends, and as she ages, she feels more lonely because now her friends prefer to go out with their partners

Relationships

Obbana Rajah

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November 2, 2023

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Woman says she only had 3 friends, and as she ages, she feels more lonely because now her friends prefer to go out with their partners

SINGAPORE: A woman took to social media to talk about how age slowly dissolved her friendships, making her feel very lonely.

In an anonymous post to popular confessions page NUSWhispers, the woman said that she always admired people in big cliques with large friend groups. “I’m sure it must feel nice to have that same group of friends you can always randomly ask out/ have known you long enough etc. I hope they’re aware that they’re really lucky to have found a tight-knit, consistent, group of friends that all like each other, naturally, in life. On the other hand, I have always only been close to 2-3 people MAX. Meaning that in every environment I’m in (school/uni/work), I tend to end up close to 2-3 people there. So I’m usually in a trio, or a 4-person clique where it then (also) becomes a trio, and then as we all get older, we gradually just start chatting 1-1 to each other”, the woman wrote.

She added that as she and her friends all got older, all of her friends started getting into relationships and would eventually prefer to go out with their partners. “I’m starting to get real damn lonely knowing I’m not close enough to anyone to tell/rant s**t to because we’re just “hang out once in awhile” friends see… And it gets depressing that I’ll have smth I’m really excited about but I don’t know who I can discuss the meme/joke/topic with bc everyone has diff interests/busy with their work/busy with their partners etc. Btw don’t get me wrong, I have a partner too but I’d really like to maintain my friendships”, she wrote. She added that one of the worst feelings for her was when she had relationship issues but did not have anyone close enough to confide in. “It just keeps getting worse and worse as I get older. I’m not too sure if anyone else can relate or I’m really just pathetic and not as likeable as those people in consistent “big” cliques haha”, the woman wrote.

One netizen who commented on the post wrote: “You are not alone in feeling this way. As we grow older and priorities change, we grieve for our friends and past relationships. However regarding your assumption that “bigger cliques are better” and you wish somebody would know you intimately… no one knows ALL of you, not even your spouse or parent. There are the big group of friends, but their conversation will likely be not as deep – for deeper connections, you need small group to have vulnerable conversations. You can read books by Brene Brown on this topic. To feel less lonely, try to befriend yourself. Enjoy your time with yourself alone, date yourself. Also, find group of like minded people looking for authentic connections e.g. go to an authentic relating circle, join a listening group like We Are Hear Singapore. Lastly, I recommend therapy who can help you make sense what you are feeling and to have a better quality of life. /TISG

Deepfake video of Taylor Swift speaking Mandarin sparks discussion over AI

Being available to everyone

Pros and cons of Deepfake

Possibility of scamming

Michelle Obama’s has mixed feelings about her daughters Malia and Sasha’s new home

S’porean tells SG people to “stop being birds” making “cheap, cheap, cheap” sounds in M’sia to be considerate of M’sians

Dad says “we abandoned our son” in public because he “needs to learn his lesson the hard way”

Woman tries to bribe Changi Airport officers to fly without valid visa; she ends up in jail instead

SFA fines catering company $6,000 after 92 fall ill from food poisoning

Man says he’s forced to travel to office to “do the same work and at 6pm pack up and squash into bus/train”

Maid serves her employer burnt food and says “remove burnt part and eat”

Ravi Menon: Malware scams are ‘worrying’ but ‘right approach’ needed to decide who takes responsibility for losses

CPF Board issues warning about scam email requiring wage information from employers

Woman says she only had 3 friends, and as she ages, she feels more lonely because now her friends prefer to go out with their partners

Singapore News

Job seeker asks: ‘Is it really that hard to get hired now, or is it just me?’

Singapore negotiating US concessions on pharmaceutical exports and high-end AI chips access

‘I find myself paying S$10 for fried noodles at a business district’: Resident asks Singaporeans how they are coping with rising costs

NTUC Union and Link members to enjoy 50 cents hot kopi or teh in May, plus ongoing 50% off essentials

Business

MIDA champions Malaysia’s rise as Asia’s new supply chain hub through JS-SEZ partnership with Singapore

CLAS reports 4% YoY gross profit increase for Q1 FY2025

ST Engineering bags S$4.4B in new contracts for Q1 2025, boosted by defence and public security and commercial aerospace deals

Singapore banks drive share buybacks, set to be biggest in four years, after dip in share prices

Singapore Politics

Pritam Singh: Maybe SM Lee only wants to present one side of facts on Income-Allianz deal

WP’s Andre Low: Ng Chee Meng and I represent 2 very different kinds of candidates

Pritam Singh: If PM says he needs over 2/3 of Parliament to be PAP MPs to govern properly, that’s a ‘serious problem’

GE2025: Which candidates could lose their deposits?