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Extra! French Soldiers Accused Of Rape In Central African Republic

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Le Parisien, April 30, 2015

"The French military at the heart of a scandal" reads the front page of French daily Le Parisien, following the revelation of accusations that 16 French soldiers sexually abused children in the Central African Republic between December 2013 and June 2014.

The allegations were kept secret until The Guardian published an article Wednesday based on a United Nations report revealing that 10 children had been sexually abused at refugee camp set inside M'poko airport, in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, where French troops were posted in 2013 to try and stop the spreading of sectarian unrest in the country.

"If some soldiers have behaved badly, I will show no mercy," French President François Hollande was quoted as saying by Le Parisien. Meanwhile, the UN is threatening to fire the senior official in the organization who blew the whistle on the scandal, according to The Guardian.

ABOUT THE SOURCE: Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering international and national news, as well as extensive coverage of Paris and its suburbs. It was founded in 1944.

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Future

AI As God? How Artificial Intelligence Could Spark Religious Devotion

We may be about to see the emergence of a new kind of religion, where flocks worship — literally — at the altar of Artificial Intelligence.

Image of artificial intelligence as an artificial being

Artificial intelligence generated picture of AI as a god

Neil McArthur

The latest generation of AI-powered chatbots, trained on large language models, have left their early users awestruck —and sometimes terrified — by their power. These are the same sublime emotions that lie at the heart of our experience of the divine.

People already seek religious meaning from very diverse sources. There are, for instance, multiple religions that worship extra-terrestrials or their teachings.

As these chatbots come to be used by billions of people, it is inevitable that some of these users will see the AIs as higher beings. We must prepare for the implications.

There are several pathways by which AI religions will emerge. First, some people will come to see AI as a higher power.

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