2020 KS Bull Issue 2

KS Bull 2020 Issue 2 The views expressed in each essay are purely for the academic purposes of crafting a viable argumentative response. They do not necessarily reflect the personal opinions of any student or staff member, nor do they necessarily represent the perspective(s) of Raffles Institution. All submissions have been edited for language before publication. No portion of this collection may be reproduced or shared for any reason and by any means whatsoever.

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 2 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing and distribution prohibited 2 CONTENTS 2019 Year 6 GP Prelims Paper 1 ‘Artificial Intelligence creates more problems than benefits.’ Discuss. 1 Ruth Teo Yan Ting | 19S03C 4 2 Ma Pei Yao Simon | 19S06F 8 To what extent are young people in your society prepared for a world that is constantly changing? 3 Shervon Lee Si Ying | 19S06A 13 Consider the notion that the Arts are aesthetically pleasing but of little real value. 4 Catherine Kausikan | 19A01B 18 Assess the view that your society is not doing enough to eradicate prejudice. 5 Tay Xi Teng | 19A13A 24 Should we place limits on scientific or technological developments when they have solved many of our problems? 6 Grace Chia Yong Yong | 19S06H 29 With the rise of online commerce, is the physical store dead? 7 Ivan Ezekiel Low | 19S06O 33 Consider the argument that it is impossible to solve climate change in today’s world. 8 Lorraine Ong | 19A13A 38 9 Nedunchezian Selvageethan | 19S06A 43 To what extent is progress achieved at the expense of our welfare? 10 Eugene Chua Weiheng | 19A01B 48 11 Nihal Ahmed s/o Shahul Hameed | 19A01B 54

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 2 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing and distribution prohibited 3 2020 Year 6 GP Timed Practice Paper 2 12 Paper 2 Passages 59 13 Annotated AQ: Megan Yeo Shu’en | 20A01B 61 2019 Year 6 GP Prelims Paper 2 14 Paper 2 Passages 65 15 Austin Tan Meng Kiat | 19S06H 68 Editorial Team and Acknowledgements 71

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 2 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing and distribution prohibited 4 1 2019 | Y6 | GP Prelims Paper 1 Ruth Teo Yan Ting | 19S03C ‘Artificial intelligence creates more problems than benefits.’ Discuss. The dystopian landscape of robots having the capacity to overtake mankind does not seem to be mere fiction in sci -fi movies anymore. The high efficiency and speed at which simple to moderately difficult tasks can be performed brings great delight to many corporations, but incites a growing fear in the masses, due to the lack of job security. With the looming threat of Artificial Intelligence stealing the jobs of many, coupled with its potential for the production of realistic falsehoods that can affect political landscapes, it is easy to dismiss Artificial Intelligence as far more problematic than beneficial. However, I believe that the progress that Artificial Intelligence has brought should not be feared due to its capacity to alleviate global issues and given that it serves as a tool for better quality work in several industries. Sceptics of Artificial Intelligence would often cite the negative consequences brought about by technological change, such as the widespread loss of jobs and the ability to manipulate the masses for political gains. Due to the advancement in technology, seemingly menial tasks can be easily carried out at a much faster speed. Those who perform routine tasks in factories or retail stores find themselves being replaced due to the use of Artificial Intelligence, which can recognise, sort and organise items at a far greater rate than humans can. Even for industries that seemingly require creativity that o nly the human mind can provide, now find themselves competing with Artificial Intelligence. For instance, Artificial Intelligence is now used in journalism and the music industry. Elon Musk’s company, OpenAI, recently used this technology to generate pieces of fake news that sounded highly legitimate — the report was

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 2 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing and distribution prohibited 5 about unicorns. This was easily achieved through intense “training” of this technology simply by feeding it countless articles and reports released online as news. The wider implication of this is the potential for the proliferation of falsehoods produced without the need for human intervention in the future. This perceived impending doom is what has convinced many that the myriad of issues in today's day and age is caused by Artificial Intelligence. Another example that highlights its capacity for negative outcomes is when Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, made use of algorithms to harvest the data of thousands of Facebook profiles for Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign in 2016. Using the data collected from these profiles, their political leanings were learnt and targeted advertisements appeared on their news feeds in an attempt to manipulate their beliefs. This example highlights how Artificial Intelligence, coupled with the use of social media, can have very significant consequences when used as a means of manipulation and deception. The danger in this technological revolution that the general population can barely understand is how it sets a precedent for dangerous and unethical use of technology when used without strict regulations. Furthermore, the scale of the impact is realised when we understand that the fate of an entire nation was at stake. Thus, it is understandable why many would argue that Artificial Intelligence creates more problems than benefits. However, I believe that supporters of the stand that Artificial Intelligence brings about more problems than advantages are slightly myopic in their worldview. Focusing on the negative consequences Artific ial Intelligence has brought would cause us to neglect the immense aid it has brought to many global issues. Due to the massive amounts of data it can analyse in a short span on time, thus being able to create virtual, yet life-like beings, Artificial Intelligence is able to be used as a tool to lure out predators of cyber-sex crimes. In the Philippines, there is the rising trend of cyber -sex abuse of children, one victim being as young as three months old. Using online chat platforms and dating apps, paedo philes are able to remain anonymous while obtaining the illegal material of child pornography they want. The scale of this crime is not limited to the surface web and extends

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 2 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing and distribution prohibited 6 to the Deep Web, where the Dark Web is. As the Dark Web is invisible to most users and requires special software to gain access, law enforcement officers are faced with the challenge of not being able to catch these perpetrators. Thus, in 2013, Amsterdam-based Terre des Hommes created a virtual 10-year old named 'Sweetie' using Artificial Intelligence, with the aim of luring out predators of cyber-sex crimes. Within two months, 1000 men from 71 countries approached 'Sweetie' online. Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, the movements of the virtual child seemed realistic enough and was abl e to show the scale of this cyber -sex crime. Another benefit brought about by Artificial Intelligence is due to its ability to efficiently identify and sort, thus taking over tasks that are low -paying and what seems to be a waste of human resource. For ins tance, recycling efforts in recycling factories can be very laborious due to the many different kinds of plastics with some being contaminated by food residue. Artificial Intelligence is now able to identify each type of plastic and categorise them so that they can be se