Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris has sparked mixed reactions following her comments on the recent scandal involving Baltasar Engonga, the Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) of Equatorial Guinea.
Esther Passaris suggests Equitorial Guunea’s leaked videos could be fake. Engonga has been at the centre of controversy after over 400 private videos allegedly featuring him with multiple women were leaked online. Were Baltasar Engonga’s videos fake? However, Passaris suggested a different perspective during her address at the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa.
Rather than condemning Engonga’s actions, she proposed that the videos might have been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI). In her speech, Passaris stated: “I want to touch on the Africa Commission on Human Rights and People’s Rights.
Right now, in all social media, the Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency in Equatorial Guinea has been trending. He’s been trending because somebody leaked some 400 videos of him having inti*mate relationships with various women of various stature. And he comes out and says all those were AI-generated.
And I look at human rights and people’s rights, and I feel like, with the AI coming in, what is the commission doing to ensure that they safeguard people’s rights? A lot of rights are going to be affected if we don’t have a way to deal with AI legislation.” She linked the controversy to the growing risks of AI proliferation, raising concerns about its potential to violate individual rights and undermine personal privacy.
She also emphasised the importance of the African Commission on Human Rights and People’s Rights in safeguarding people from AI misuse, noting that many rights could be impacted if proper legislation is not put in place to control AI. As expected, her remarks have provoked a variety of responses: @AlukoTom: “What is she not telling us?”
@Teddykimany “Ppassaris good question on AI but on That Guinea man to say those videos are AI-generated unatubeba aje hapo.” @Alinasoft_ai: “AI is yet to get that level.” @Nairobianmenace: “That can’t be AI.” @kparkha7: “Hahaha, now a day it is easy to blame AI for what you did.”
by Brian Ajon
