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Advanced AI

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Advanced AI: What It Means Today — and What the Future Holds When people hear “advanced AI” , they often imagine robots, science fiction, or something far removed from everyday life. In reality, advanced AI is already quietly embedded in the systems we use every day — shaping decisions, improving efficiency, and sometimes influencing outcomes without us even noticing. Advanced AI refers to systems that go beyond simple automation. These systems learn from data , adapt over time , recognise complex patterns , and can assist — or sometimes outperform — humans in specific tasks. Importantly, they do not replace human judgment; rather, they amplify human capability . AI Is Already Around Us — Often Invisibly Many people are already benefiting from AI without realising it. For example: Smartphone cameras use AI to recognise faces, improve low-light photos, and stabilise video. Spam filters in email constantly learn what to block — protecting users every day. Navi...
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AI: Ethics, Authority, and Accountability

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Who Is Responsible When AI Is Used? As AI becomes more present in our daily lives — in offices, schools, media, churches, and even households — an important question emerges: When AI is used, who is actually responsible? The short answer is simple: humans are . The longer answer is where ethics begins. AI does not make decisions in isolation. It does not hold authority, values, or intent of its own. Every output, suggestion, or response exists because a human asked a question, set a direction, accepted a result, or chose to act on what was produced. Responsibility, therefore, does not shift — it remains with the user . This matters deeply in Papua New Guinea, where authority is traditionally relational rather than abstract. Chiefs, elders, pastors, managers, and parents are not respected because of systems — they are respected because they are accountable to people. AI should be treated the same way: as a tool under human authority , not a replacement for it. Humanising AI...
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Humanising AI

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  Why We Give Technology a Face In Papua New Guinea, understanding often begins with story, relationship, and personhood . We don’t grasp ideas purely as systems or abstractions. We understand them through people . That’s why: faith is expressed through 'human' figures, leadership is personal, not distant, and knowledge is passed through voices, not manuals. So when people give AI a name, a voice, or even a personality, it isn’t strange — it’s completely normal . We Have Always Humanised Complex Ideas Across cultures and history, humans have done this instinctively. Religion is one example: Christians understand God through Jesus, the Son of God Buddhists understand enlightenment through the life and teachings of the Buddha Indigenous belief systems often express knowledge through ancestors, spirits, and named forces These figures don’t limit understanding — they make it accessible . Humanising s...
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AI Basics with Kora

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A beginner's guide to understanding and using AI For many people in Papua New Guinea, Artificial Intelligence still feels distant — something happening elsewhere , in big countries, big companies, and big cities. But here’s the quiet truth: AI is already useful right now , even with limited bandwidth, modest devices, and no technical background. The challenge isn’t access. It’s knowing how to use it properly . This short guide is designed as an on-ramp — not for experts, not for coders, but for everyday users who want practical value without the noise. AI Is Not a Machine — It’s a Conversation Most beginners struggle with AI for one simple reason: they treat it like Google or a vending machine. They type a short command, expect a perfect answer, and feel disappointed. AI works differently. Think of it instead as: a colleague, a research assistant, or a thinking partner. The more clearly you explain what you want — and why — the...
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2026: The Year of AI

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Kora has returned from holidays with a new ‘do’ — and it looks like holiday mode clearly went a little too well!  😄 But along with the curls comes something more important: a few grounded thoughts on how to get the most out of AI. According to Kora: “AI is not something to fear, worship, or outsource our thinking to. It is a tool — and like all tools in Papua New Guinea, it works best when guided by people, culture, and respect.” Our New Year series explores AI not as a distant or abstract technology, but as a practical companion — one that Papua New Guinea can engage with thoughtfully, ethically, and on its own terms. 2026 is not about racing the future. It is about learning how to walk with it . The topics we’ll explore include: AI basics with Kora: a beginner’s guide to understanding and using AI Humanising AI: why we give technology a face   Ethics, Authority, and Accountability: who is responsible when AI is used?   Adva...
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What is Development Creep?

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Who Owns Kokoda? (Part 2) (By Kora* / Direction and editing: Glenn Armstrong) Looking out over the Trail, there is a point where the jungle falls silent. Veterans say it is the sound of memory. Trekkers say it is humility. Papua New Guineans say it is home. But increasingly, development professionals say it is a “platform.” And there lies the problem. Kokoda — once a solemn site of wartime sacrifice, national identity, and local custodianship — is slowly being reframed into something else: a convenient launch pad for every fashionable development agenda, from gender mainstreaming to climate resilience to market systems strengthening. Useful agendas in their own right, yes. But on Kokoda, they are beginning to overshadow the core story of the Trail itself. This phenomenon has a name: development creep . It begins quietly. A small program on environmental protection. Then a youth-empowerment add-on. Then safeguarding requirements. Then governance components. Before long, the ...
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Creep or Plague?

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The Global Problem  of Development Creep in Other Cultural Landscapes (By Kora* / Direction and editing: Glenn Armstrong) Kokoda is not unique. Across the world, heritage sites are slowly bending toward donor agendas that were never meant to be there. And if you wonder why multi-million dollar aid programs disappear into the ether, here’s why. 1. Cambodia — Angkor Wat Angkor Wat’s conservation programs have expanded to include: community livelihoods, gender empowerment, climate resilience, migration research, waste-management studies. Result: important programs, but heritage is no longer the centre of gravity. 2. Nepal — Everest Region Originally focused on mountaineering safety and cultural preservation, the Everest region is now home to: carbon-offset initiatives, climate modeling hubs, global tourism governance, resilience programming. The Sherpa cultural narrative is now an annex, not the headl...
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