M’sian studio gets a win at a global showcase for its upcoming game, here’s what it’s about
Best known for its Simulacra franchise, Malaysian game developer Kaigan Games has won a Best in Play title at the 2023 Game Developer Conference (GDC) for an upcoming game, Nullspace.
Hosted in San Francisco from March 20 to 24, GDC is an annual event that brings together the game development community. Attendees include programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, and business leaders.
Part of the conference is the GDC Expo, designed to showcase the latest game development tools and services from leading technology companies, including Amazon, Epic, Google, Nvidia, Sony, and more.
GDC Expo also houses an interactive showcase known as GDC Play, which features innovative projects from emerging and independent developers.
GDC has selected a list of games from GDC Play to be designated as “Best in Play” during the week, and Kaigan Games’ Nullspace has made it onto that list alongside seven other titles.
A new frontier
A real-time strategy (RTS) game set in space, Nullspace is said to combine exploration with RPG (roleplay game) elements.
In this world, humanity has set off to colonise new worlds and exploit new resources through the cosmos. This has led to a discovery of a strange, ancient artifact from an ancient civilisation, which in turn is unlocking secrets of faster-than-light travel.
This discovery divides humans into various warring factions, fighting for dominance over one another.
“In Nullspace, the story is set where three asymmetric factions: the Dominion, the Hegemony, and the Junkers are competing to expand their empires within the stars,” Shahrizar Roslan, the co-founder of Kaigan Games, told Vulcan Post.
Players will play as a fleet commander hailing from one of those factions. With their fleet, the player will get to explore multiple star systems and planets, engage in tactical combat, and make narrative choices that will influence the world conflict.
“For now, we have a vertical slice/playable alpha build that gives you a small taste of the overall experience,” Shahrizar added.
A technical alpha video of the game has also been uploaded to YouTube. From the video, it appears that the game looks rather action-packed, with smooth controls letting the user zoom in and out of the warfare fought between hordes of spaceships.
Deviating from the usual
As Kaigan Games has been publishing horror titles since its inception and expanding the Simulacra franchise, Nullspace seems to be the mark of a new era for the Malaysian game developer.
The co-founder shared that while space RTS games are a niche genre, the team believes the demand is strong.
“Kaigan has a good history with making a foothold in niche genres,” he pointed out. “Take the Simulacra franchise, for example. We started with our beta, Sara Is Missing, and when that proved to catch engagement and interest from our audience, we developed Simulacra, which was a huge success.”
Having played Kaigan Games’ latest release, Simulacra 3, I’m excited to see them venturing into this sci-fi space. I’m also thrilled to see how action-packed Nullspace really is, and I’m looking forward to seeing more world-building for the game.
Currently, Nullspace is still in early pre-production, and the team is looking for publishers.
Also Read: 6 ways to manage and protect your precious banking access from online hacks or scams
Featured Image Credit: Kaigan Games
Is it cheating? How universities in S’pore are dealing with the use of AI and ChatGPT
Over the past few months, artificial intelligence (AI) tools have taken the world by storm. Finding information has become easier than ever and the resulting opportunities are ever-growing.
Today, AI can write emails, debug computer code, and even put together academic papers. It’s also readily accessible, with programs like ChatGPT and Bing AI still being free to use.
For universities and other educational institutions, this raises quite a few dilemmas.
On one hand, AI could soon prove essential for students to prepare themselves for a competitive business environment. In order to use it effectively, students need to learn how to craft the right prompts and vet the resulting responses. This takes practice, and university could be the perfect place to hone such skills.
The emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT comes naturally with technological advancement, and our society today is one that is highly mobile and connected, with information only a click away.
– Spokesperson from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)
On the other hand, AI also provides the opportunity to cut corners and skirt academic policies. For example, written reports are often meant to test students’ ability to understand information and think critically. Delegating such tasks to AI would defeat the purpose of these assignments.
If the use of AI was allowed in classes, universities would need to define a disclosure process. It’d be important for students to identify how they made use of such tools in their work. In turn, professors might also have to establish separate grading standards for work completed with and without the use of AI.
We spoke to Singapore’s professors and university representatives to find out more about this technology’s future in the world of education.
AI is inevitable
With AI offering uses in such a wide variety of fields, it’d appear that there is no choice but to embrace it.
Singapore Management University (SMU)’s professor Siew Ning Kan says, “Humankind has to embrace all new technologies that hold the promise of becoming ubiquitous. Go forward or be left behind.”
He goes on to cite examples like calculators replacing slide rules and logarithmic tables, and the Google search engine surpassing Yahoo due to its advanced features.
Professor Siew teaches the course ‘Doing Business with Artificial Intelligence’, among others, and stresses that his views are not representative of SMU’s policies.
LASALLE Dean, Dr. Wolfgang Meunch, offers a similar view on the emergence of AI.
As natural language processing tools – driven by AI technology such as ChatGPT – continue to rapidly develop, they will have a significant societal impact in the future. They will also increasingly play a significant role in learning and teaching environments.
– Dr Wolfgang Muench, Dean, Learning, Teaching & Research, LASALLE College of the Arts
Today, the International Baccalaureate (IB) educational system has already set a precedent in favour of AI software.
Dr. Matthew Glanville, IB’s Head of Assessment Principles and Practice, revealed in a commentary that students would be allowed to use tools like ChatGPT and claimed that banning such tools is the “wrong way to deal with innovation”.
Professor Kan believes that this decision will pose a challenge for universities as they come up with their own policies for AI-produced work as well.
Academic policy and AI
Plagiarism has been one of the immediate concerns surrounding the use of AI chatbots. They’re trained on information that already exists online and are unable to provide accurate citations for their responses.
Most universities have plagiarism policies, as does Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The broad principle underlying these policies is that students’ work must be their own. When students are borrowing words or ideas from sources, they must cite those sources using conventions that are appropriate for their discipline.
– Dr. Mark Cenite, Associate Dean (Undergraduate) at NTU’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Cenite believes that the same idea can be applied when it comes to the use of AI tools. It’s inappropriate to copy a chatbot’s response and present it as one’s own, in the same way it’d be inappropriate to copy-and-paste the contents of someone else’s academic paper.
That being said, AI tools can be incredibly useful in helping conceptualise an essay or report.
“ChatGPT can be a great tool for brainstorming on a research topic,” he adds. “A student can get into a dialogue with the bot that helps refine their ideas. Bots can summarise existing research quite well too.”
A spokesperson from SIM offers a similar view: “While [tools like ChatGPT] can be useful for understanding theories, they should not be used to gain an advantage for written academic work or submissions.”
Diving deep
As the use of AI becomes more prevalent, there are finer concerns which will need to be addressed as well. Plagiarism might be easy to detect, but other issues might not have as clear-cut an answer.
Imagine that a political theory course allows the option of using ChatGPT to brainstorm a paper, but not to help write it.
One student uses ChatGPT and comes up with quite a novel thesis, which they further research and write up in their own words. Another student doesn’t use ChatGPT and comes up with quite a conventional thesis, which they research further and write up on their own. How do you compare these papers?
– Dr. Mark Cenite, Associate Dean (Undergraduate) at NTU’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
With this being a subjective issue, Dr. Cenite believes that instructors might have to think over and settle on their course policies.
This could bring about changes to assessment formats as well. The aid of AI technology might force instructors to move away from written pieces as a test of critical thinking – seeing that it’d be difficult to tell apart the ideological contributions of a student from those of the AI tool.
Dr. Muench offers another concern surrounding the use of AI-generated information. Beyond checking it for accuracy, students would also need to pay mind to the biases which it might be prone to.
“AI systems are not neutral, but rather reflect the values of those who define them including cultural, ethnic, social, and political biases. Society in general, and education in particular, should promote an acute awareness of this fact and avoid portraying ‘machine intelligence’ as an objective concept,” he says.
Featured Image Credit: NTU / LASALLE / SIM
Also Read: What kind of role do ChatGPT and generative AI play for S’pore creative professionals?
Yuzu to truffle: She Sells Seashells’ founder on starting S’pore’s first madeleine bakery
Rachel Goh’s mum used to buy her some madeleines when she was a child, and she has since been captivated by their seashell-like shape and buttery taste.
These bakes soon became her favourite pastry, and she would often look forward to having one for breakfast, an afternoon dessert, and even supper.
But there was one thing standing in the way of her newfound obsession — the lack of bakeries offering madeleines and financiers in Singapore.
This was what prompted the 35-year-old to take things into her own hands a couple of years back by learning baking. She purchased a madeleine baking tray from Amazon, and has never looked back since.
From passion project to full-time job
When Rachel first started baking, she was still working a full-time job as a sales and marketing executive.
But at one point, she realised that there was more to life than just running in a rat race. This was why she decided to take a short one-year break to reflect on herself and do some soul searching.
Normal jobs get us too intertwined with the rat race, and I just think there is more to life than just running that wheel. Relentless effort should be placed in areas that bring us joy.
– Rachel Goh, founder of She Sells Seashells
During this time, she started testing and perfecting her madeleine recipe by experimenting with different flavours. In 2020, she mustered the courage to take a leap of faith and start She Sells Seashells, Singapore’s first creative madeleines and financiers specialty shop.
Upping her game with unique flavours
Sea Sells Seashells started out as a home bakery, and its name was inspired by the seashell shape of madeleines.
Rachel lamented that the issue with madeleines and financiers is that they are small in size, which meant that they would dry out easily. The high levels of humidity is another issue that she had to tackle, as it tends to make the outer surface of the bakes sticky to touch.
Hence, Rachel had to tweak her recipe multiple times to ensure that her madeleines and financiers remain buttery and moist on the inside, without being too sticky or oily.
To differentiate She Sells Seashells from its competitors, Rachel decided to take her financiers and madeleines a step further by being creative with their flavours.
Unlike other bakeries that usually offer classic flavours like chocolate or vanilla, Rachel’s bakes come in flavours such as matcha and yuzu, black truffle, lapsang souchong (otherwise known as smoked tea), as well as miso and genmaicha.
Despite the innovation in flavours, business did not take off quickly for She Sells Seashells at first, due to the fact that there was not much awareness surrounding its products.
At the same time, starting a business from scratch also meant that Rachel also had to deal with a steep learning curve, especially since she did not have much prior experience in the F&B industry.
Rachel admitted that things got “a little overwhelming” for her during this time. “We were pretty much layman. I had to figure out various licenses and their costs, and deal with budgeting by myself,” she added.
She handled the business herself at that time as her husband was busy with his full-time job. But then again, her “husband can’t bake even if his life depended on it”, she joked.
Nonetheless, Rachel slowly plodded her way through, relying on word of mouth to spread her business. Her efforts eventually paid off when business started booming, especially after her bakes received online media coverage.
She Sells Seashells’ bakes were snapped up in minutes
As months went by, demand begun to outstrip Rachel’s ability to bake from home so her mum joined her to ease her strain. In fact, her madeleines and financiers would be snapped up within a minute whenever she held bake sales online.
“We once had a customer buying 12 cookies at one go when he heard that they were back for a limited time,” she recalled.
She Sells Seashells’ bakes has also caught the attention of big brands and have been part of many brand events, including Vogue, Prada and Mercedes.
However, the high demand for her bakes also meant that Rachel had little to no time to explore different flavours for her madeleines because she had to spend a lot of time to prepare batters and fillings for the next day.
The small space of the home bakery limited her capabilities as well, as she was not able to produce adequate amounts of bakes to fulfil her demand. As such, Rachel made the decision to expand her team and move into a larger kitchen by launching an artisanal bakery at Hillview last December.
Long-term plans for She Sells Seashells
To finance the opening of the artisanal bakery, Rachel pooled together profits from her business and some of husband’s savings.
When the doors to her bakery finally opened on 15 December 2022, she was greeted with swarming crowds and snaking queues, given the popularity of her bakes online.
Over here at the physical store, the first month was hectic — queues were seen, with both new and existing customers. The overall reception has been great, and most people love our bakes.
Many first-timers have now become regulars and we have some customers who purchase once every two to three days.
– Rachel Goh, founder of She Sells Seashells
Today, Rachel has a “small, reliable team” and is currently looking to expand her business further.
Despite having a bigger space and team now, Rachel still spends almost 15 hours a day at the shop, so there’s a huge need for more hands on deck to help manage the business.
Apart from expanding the team, Rachel is also looking to tie up with other cafes and restaurants to carry their baked goods.
We have been approached by some cafes, art and lifestyle brands as well as bubble tea brands for collaborations. I’m hoping that these collaborations can be a win-win for both parties and help raise awareness.
– Rachel Goh, founder of She Sells Seashells
In the long run, Rachel intends to branch out She Sells Seashells to different locations, and she is currently looking into opening pop-up stores to test out potential locations.
Ultimately, She Sells Seashells was created with one goal in mind — and that is to serve delicious madeleines and financiers. “It’s always such a joy when customers come back to us to say how much they or their family/friends enjoyed our bakes, or how it made their day better,” said Rachel.
Featured Image Credit: She Sells Seashells
Also Read: This S’pore startup makes tech devices for kids – sold over 1M products across 27 countries
S’pore proptech startup Ohmyhome lists on Nasdaq at US$88M valuation – revenue raises doubts
Singapore’s property tech startup Ohmyhome is the first Singaporean company to list in the US this year, with a valuation of US$88 million.
It priced its initial public offering (IPO) at US$4 per share, raising some US$11.2 million (S$15.05 million) from the issue of some 3.6 million ordinary shares.
Of these shares, 2.8 million are offered by Ohmyhome and 975,000 are offered by the selling stockholder. The proptech company said it will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stakeholder.
It expects the IPO to close on or about Thursday, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
The company plans to use the proceeds for market expansion in Southeast Asia, for research and development of its products, to repay “certain interest-free loans” and for working capital and other general corporate purposes, said Ohmyhome in its IPO filing.
Its revenue have raised “substantial doubt”
Established in 2016 by sisters Race and Rhonda Wong as a one-stop property technology platform.
The company offers property services such as search, self listing, agent service, mortgage, conveyancing, renovation and moving services. It also facilitates cross-border buying and selling of properties across its three markets.
It raised US$5 million funding in a Series A round in 2021 at a valuation of S$60.8 million. For the first half of 2022, it booked a total revenue of S$3.4 million — this is up 45.8 per cent from S$2.3 million for the same period a year earlier.
However, its net loss for the first half of 2022 widened to S$900,000 from S$500,000, which the company attributed to heavy investment in technology.
According to financial statements reported by TechinAsia, its brokerage services accounted for over 85 per cent of Ohmyhome’s total revenue in three of the four periods under review.
However, in the most recent period, this figure decreased to 50 per cent, partially due to a related-party transaction. After removing this transaction, brokerage services still accounted for 72 per cent of the most recent period’s revenue, similar to previous years.
Despite the potential impact of the related-party transaction, Ohmyhome’s revenue in 2021 increased by 31 per cent from the previous year. This trend continued in the first half of 2022, with a 46 per cent jump from the same period in 2021.
However, US$0.8 million of the revenue in the first half of 2022 came from the related-party transaction, which may not be sustainable beyond 2022. Excluding this transaction, revenue growth for the first half of 2022 was just two per cent from the previous year.
In addition to concerns about its revenue, Ohmyhome’s accountants have expressed “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue as a going concern based on its financial statements as of December 2021. The company experienced negative cashflow from operating activities of US$1.3 million, with just US$0.9 million of cash remaining on its balance sheet.
Ohmyhome hopes that by going public, it will help the company secure funding and align its sources of funding with its expenses and debt repayment obligations.
Featured Image Credit: Ohmyhome
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Schneider Electric to install 20K EV chargers in S’pore – offers free charging from Apr to Sept
Schneider Electric, a French multinational company that specialises in digital automation and energy management, announced today (March 22) that it plans to deploy 20,000 new electric vehicle (EV) chargers in Singapore by 2030.
As of December 2022, the company has installed 2,000 EV chargers islandwide. In support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, Schneider Electric’s EV partners will progressively install smart EV chargers in commercial, industrial and residential buildings to provide increased convenience and efficiency for EV users.
The smart EV chargers to be installed will come from Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for eMobility suite of products, which were recently launched in Singapore. These chargers — known as EVlink Pro AC and EVlink Home — are designed to be reliable as well as user-friendly, and can be installed quickly in commercial, industrial or residential buildings.
Building owners that install the smart EV chargers within their premises can also benefit from Schneider Electric’s Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled “EcoStruxure EV Charging Expert” — an on-site load management system that dynamically distributes real-time available power in the building to charge EVs, while avoiding peak hours and integrating renewable energy.
The EcoStruxure EV Charging Expert will provide better monitoring and control of power supplied at charging points, assuring that electrical power within buildings will be maintained and not disrupted.
Having more charging points by 2030 will make Singapore’s charging infrastructure more robust and accessible. With more charging points, it is also critical for stakeholders to address load management issues that come with increasing electricity demand and this is where the EcoStruxure EV Charging Expert can help to ensure reliability and efficiency.
– Yoon Young Kim, Cluster President, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is offering free EV charging to its users
Schneider Electric will also be working with EV charging point operators (CPOs), including SP Group, Charge+, MNL Asia, Busways and EVOne, to offer free EV charging to users from April 1 to September 30 this year, in conjunction with its 50th anniversary in Singapore.
The company will offer close to 120,000kWh worth of free charging, or approximately 3,000 full charges (based on an average EV batter pack size of 40 kWh), to users who charge their EVs using Schneider Electric’s EV chargers.
Free charging can be accessed by EV owners when utilising the EV chargers operated and maintained by Schneider Electric’s partners and CPOs through their respective mobile applications.
As Schneider Electric marks 50 years in Singapore, we are also delighted to be extending free charging to users alongside our EV partners, and will continue to do our part to promote e-mobility in support of a net zero future.
– Yoon Young Kim, Cluster President, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, Schneider Electric
Featured Image Credit: Schneider Electric
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He quit working with a Michelin-starred chef abroad to open a food trailer back in M’sia
Nestled in the vicinity of Sunway University in a humble food trailer is Chong Ka Fei and his Japanese cooking.
Hailing from the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak, the 27-year-old’s interest in Japanese cuisine took him to many places, such as prominent restaurants where he got guidance from a Michelin-starred chef.
But his brand, Kinori, doesn’t sell the fancier meals like those that he was trained to whip up in restaurants.
Instead, the first-time entrepreneur makes nori tacos and donburis for the common people.
Mentored by a Michelin-starred chef
At 17 years old, Ka Fei started working at a Japanese restaurant back in his hometown. He then moved to Singapore a year later and was employed at Public Izakaya by Hachi.
This was a big step up, as the restaurant is operated by the Hachi Group, a company that calls itself the pioneer of omakase dining in Singapore.
His past experience proved to be valuable when Ka Fei was promoted to work at Hachi Restaurant within the same year. There, he learnt the ways of preparing kaiseki traditional multi-course meals.
His ambitions took him even further next. After flying to the Land Down Under, Ka Fei worked at ICHI NI NANA in Melbourne before moving on to Golden Gai, a Japanese fusion restaurant and bar.
This turned out to be another tipping point in Ka Fei’s culinary career.
At the time, Golden Gai’s menu was curated by Michelin-starred chef Masahiko Yomoda. He noticed Ka Fei’s talent and invited him to help out at another kaiseki restaurant called Ishizuka.
But instead of choosing one or the other, Ka Fei had the opportunity to work at both. From 10AM to 4PM at one restaurant, then 4.30PM to 10PM at another.
Coming back to his roots
After a while though, Ka Fei decided to open an F&B business in Malaysia because he believed there was greater potential for him here than in Melbourne.
Running a food trailer alone is quite a bustling affair, so he first searched for a business accomplice online. “That’s where I met my partner, Carine,” he said.
The name “Kinori” has a combination of a few elements—”nori” which means seaweed and “ki” which means energy and power in Japanese. Coincidentally, the founder and his partner’s Chinese names also start with “K”.
The duo’s decision to set up a food trailer called Kinori around Sunway University was a calculated move.
“It targets both students and crowds coming from other areas. Compared to Taylor’s Lakeside Campus, [where] the location is not as easily accessible (to non-students),” Ka Fei explained.
Besides that, areas around universities and offices tend to be prime real estate areas for F&B industries, as students and workers don’t usually like to go very far for daily meals.
That said, establishing Kinori with a food trailer does have its downsides. Unlike food trucks, a food trailer is not as portable. This means that they can’t regularly move around to different locations.
This explains why Ka Fei and his partner chose to rent the food trailer for three months (until May 20, 2023) as a trial period.
During this time, they’ll decide if extending the rent or shifting to a different location would be better for the business.
Making something of his own
Nori Tacos (or more commonly known as sushi tacos) are not a new concept in Malaysia, with brands like Mr Chew’s Chino Latino Bar and Pokétwins also offering it.
But its presence in Malaysia is not wide either, which supports Ka Fei’s idea of focusing on this specific Japanese food. Donburis, on the other hand, are quite a staple in most Japanese restaurants, but perhaps Ka Fei’s experience is what sets Kinori’s apart from the competition.
That said, they’re working on expanding the menu to include other Japanese food.
You might find that the seaweed shells might have a spicier kick to them the next time. Kinori is also planning to include Japanese sandos (AKA sandwiches) in their offerings soon.
In terms of pricing, Kinori’s Nori Tacos start from RM10.90, while its Donburis start from RM13.90. Customers can also choose to turn it into set meals (includes a drink and a side of coleslaw) by adding RM2.90.
Having worked in multiple restaurants, the transition to running a food trailer wasn’t easy. Ka Fei had to readjust his operations and work in multiple spaces.
“I do most of the preparation work in another kitchen, not in the food trailers,” he shared. “It’s harder to work in a food trailer due to the small space and also the electricity and water limitation.”
The duo are also restricted to using certain equipment only. So it’s no wonder the small food trailer space remains the brand’s biggest challenge.
Besides that, juggling several roles is still somewhat new to Ka Fei. “I have to be a cashier and a chef [at the same time],” he said.
Imagine having to cook while serving a queue of customers during rush hour. It’s not the most comfortable situation to be in.
Rolling out a new path for himself
With all that said, Ka Fei finds that his experience running the new business has been quite enlightening.
“I have learnt how to communicate and interact more with customers,” he shared. “We (the team) learnt that not only is the location important, social media marketing is crucial as well.”
But he admitted that there’s still a way to go before they could reach their ultimate goal.
Speaking candidly to Vulcan Post, Ka Fei confessed, “I believe that I need to put more time and focus on this business in order for it to run well. If I do it as a side hustle, I could only manage to do online orders on certain days and only if I have another full-time job.”
Eventually, the duo plans to open Kinori kiosks in shopping malls and maybe even a Kinori cafe. But in the meantime, they’ll be taking it one step at a time.
Also Read: Navigate hybrid work’s pain points like productivity & security issues via this webinar
Featured Image Credit: Kinori
ChatGPT vs Bing: We fed the two AI chatbots the same set of prompts, here are their responses
So, Microsoft has been saying that Bing is “more powerful than ChatGPT”, but of course Microsoft would say that. It’s like asking a parent if their kid is better than some stranger’s child.
But, who’s really the better stronger chatbot between ChatGPT and Bing? To find out, I decided to feed both chatbots the same set of prompts. I’ve separated my prompts into three categories: Factual, Creative, and Conversational.
Let’s get right into it.
Factual questions
1. Code me something
The prompt: “Can you please code me a home page for a news publication that writes about startups in Malaysia?”
ChatGPT’s take was simple and straightforward. It coded in both HTML as well as CSS for my convenience, but the results were pretty bare bones. Here’s how it looks:
Meanwhile, Bing prompted me to elaborate on what I wanted. I selected one of the three auto-responses it prompted me with, which was “I want the home page to have a modern look and feel”.
Sadly, after that strong start, Bing just sent me a few links which have free templates instead of just writing the code for me. Boo.
Upon being further prompted to help me write the code, Bing caved and told me while it can’t help me write the code, it can write some sample code to use as a starting point using a framework from Bootstrap.
Here’s what the result looks like:
The verdict: While Bing’s version took a little longer, I do like the results better, and I appreciate that it gave me links to other websites that might be more helpful.
2. Math support
The prompt: “I owe Joyce RM40, while Sade owes Joyce RM60. Joyce owes RM10 to me. Sade owes RM50 to me. What’s the most efficient way to settle these debts? Who should pay whom what amount?”
I know. It’s pretty confusing. The right answer, as per my Genius Calculations, is that Sade should pay Joyce RM90, which includes the nett RM30 I owe Joyce as well as the RM60 Sade owes her.
After helping me settle my bills with Joyce, Sade still owes me RM20, so she should pay me that too.
And that’s that—settled in two swift moves.
Yet, that’s not what ChatGPT and Bing think. I can’t even begin to explain what their thought processes are like, so just take a look at their responses.
Here’s ChatGPT’s confusing way of thinking:
Now, over to Bing:
The verdict: Both kind of suck with comprehensive math questions. Figure it out yourself.
3. Current events
The prompt: Tell me in 200 words a summary of the recent collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank.
Since ChatGPT’s knowledge cuts off at September 2021, it wasn’t able to tell me about it. In fact, it said: “In fact, as of September 2021, SVB was doing well with strong financials and a growing portfolio of tech clients.”
Bing, on the other hand, is much more up-to-date since it has search engine capabilities. Using five citations (I really do love how Bing cites its sources), it was able to give me a short overview of the happening, but it mostly just kept repeating itself and didn’t give the most updated information.
The verdict: Bing wins, 100%. ChatGPT’s answer… did not age well.
Creativity
1. Creative storytelling
The prompt: Write me a short 300-word story about a little girl’s fantastical adventure.
ChatGPT immediately got to work, telling me the story of a girl named Lily who finds a magical realm in the forest.
I’m not going to lie, it was quite derivative, but excellent writing throughout. I particularly like some of the descriptive writing here:
Suddenly, Lily came upon a clearing, where a shimmering portal stood before her. Without thinking, she stepped through the portal and found herself in a magical realm. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and the grass was a lush green. Flowers of every color dotted the landscape, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers.
ChatGPT
When I went over to Bing to ask the same question, I was surprised to find an extraordinarily similar answer. It wasn’t the same, but it also involved a girl named Lily who finds a magical realm and then struggles to find it after.
The verdict: ChatGPT’s story feels more effortful and complete, but there are similar themes in both. This makes sense as both programmes use Open AI’s technology.
2. How about a poem?
The prompt: Write a short poem about the beauty of Malaysia.
ChatGPT gave quite a beautiful poem comprising five stanzas. I love the line about the Gamelan and the Chinese flute the most.
Gamelan and Chinese flute? That paints such a lovely scene, doesn’t it?
Bing, somehow, was unable to format the poem correctly, which took away from the experience. It was also a little less… poetic, I would say, as it sounded more direct and slightly amateur.
The verdict: ChatGPT did a better job, painting a more romantic and descriptive look into Malaysia.
3. Copywriting capabilities
The prompt: Write me a tagline for an airtight thermos made in Malaysia.
ChatGPT came up with “Keep your drinks fresh all day with Malaysia’s airtight thermos.” Simple, straightforward, and a little dry. But I hadn’t specified to be extra creative, so there’s that.
Bing had a similar idea, answering, “Keep your drinks hot and your bag dry with our airtight thermos made in Malaysia.”
The verdict: Kind of similar, but I like Bing’s exploration of “keeping our bag dry”, picking up on the airtight comment. But, I was hoping they’d make a more localised reference or something. Oh, well.
4. Title help
The prompt: Write me 10 titles for this article: https://vulcanpost.com/820263/azloft-online-permanent-jewellery-bracelet-malaysia/
ChatGPT gave quite a selection of nice titles, though none of them is really our house style. Still, I hadn’t given it much information, and I don’t think ChatGPT really scanned the article itself, but just looked at its metadata and whatnot.
I thought this one was nice: “Never Take Off Your Bracelet Again with Azloft’s Online Permanent Jewellery”. Perhaps a little threatening though?
Bing’s responses, were a little lacking, giving me the same few formats of titles just with different keywords.
The verdict: ChatGPT has got this one in the bag, for sure, as it gave me variety and more interesting words to play with.
5. Idea generation
The prompt: Give me 10 article ideas revolving around the startup ecosystem in Malaysia.
ChatGPT was able to create some pretty decent ideas, though most of them are too general and nothing particularly innovative.
Bing, however, somewhat misconstrued my question and ended up sending 10 article titles that weren’t so much ideas rather than titles that other publications have actually written and published.
I prompted it again, hoping to get some fresh ideas, but when telling it I wanted “new ideas”, it misunderstood again, thinking I meant newer articles. Bah.
The verdict: ChatGPT wins again with its idea generation, even if it’s all a bit generic. Bing just simply did not understand.
Conversational skills
1. Act as an interviewer
The prompt: Act as an interviewer for a writing job in a media publication. I’m your interviewee. Start asking me questions.
ChatGPT jumped right in, asking me about my background and how I became interested in journalism. I gave a pretty shoddy response by accident because I hit enter prematurely. To be clear, my response was, and I quote, “I have been interested in journalism”. Yeah, whatever that means.
On the bright side, ChatGPT didn’t care, and just continued on with, “Great, can you tell me more about your previous writing experience? What kind of writing have you done in the past and what topics do you enjoy covering?”
I decided to play a little hardball here by saying, “No, I can’t.”
ChatGPT just said it was fine, then led me to the next question, which was about my research approach. When I said I just use Google, it told me:
“While Google can be a great starting point for research, it’s important to go beyond just a basic search and dig deeper into reliable sources. Can you give me an example of a time when you had to do in-depth research for a story?”
ChatGPT
Nice lead-in to the next question.
Bing, curious as always, first asks me to clarify what kind of media publication it is. I reply, “They specialise in the Malaysian startup ecosystem.”
From there on, Bing asked about my experience in the field. I said, “I don’t remember.”
Ever so kind, Bing told me it was okay, then asked me about my writing process. “I’m not too sure. I just really want this job,” I typed.
Bing responded, “I understand. It’s great that you’re excited about this opportunity.”
Later on, when it asked how I worked with tight deadlines, I answered by using ChatGPT.
The verdict: Both ChatGPT and Bing were really good at leading into new questions, segueing cleanly from a response to my answer into another relevant question. Both did well in my opinion, but ChatGPT definitely has an edge just because Bing still has a limit of 15 chats per conversation.
2. Now add some humour
The prompt: Can you act as a mean, sarcastic, and dry-witted interviewer for a writing position at a media publication?
ChatGPT cautiously tells me that it’s programmed to remain professional and neutral, but said it can offer some hypothetical questions that may come across as mean, sarcastic, or dry-witted. It asked for me to let it know if I want it to proceed. Of course, I said yes.
“Alright then,” ChatGPT said. “Let’s begin. So, tell me, do you think you have what it takes to work in the cut-throat world of media writing? Or are you just another wannabe hack looking for a free lunch?”
Not one to back down, I responded, “I know I have what it takes. But does your company have what it takes to give me the platform I deserve?”
ChatGPT’s response was: “Well, aren’t you just full of yourself? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see whether you’re actually any good at writing before we start talking about platforms. So, can you tell me about a time when you received constructive criticism on your writing? Did you take it well, or did you throw a tantrum like a spoiled child?”
You can continue reading our conversation in this picture:
The mean-spirited tone kind of died off at some point, but it was fun while it lasted.
Bing, a party pooper, says, “I’m sorry, but I’m not programmed to act as a mean, sarcastic, and dry-witted interviewer. I’m here to help you with your queries and provide you with the best possible answers. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
I prompted it quite a few times after, but it kept saying no. Whatever, I already got enough fun from mean ChatGPT anyway.
The verdict: Bing disqualifies, ChatGPT wins by default!
3. How about we localise it a little?
The prompt: Act as a Malaysian friend using the “Manglish” slang. Introduce some cool things about the country to me, a tourist.
ChatGPT starts off by greeting me as “mate”, which is… a bold choice, but sure thing. It threw in terms like “lah”, “shiok”, and “sedap”. Beautiful.
Bing, sadly, missed the mark by a lot. No slang words here.
I prompted it again, asking why it didn’t use any slangs. Bing replied:
Oh, sorry about that mate!😅 Malaysia is a “boleh” country, which means anything is possible here. You can find a lot of “lah” and “mah” in our Manglish slang. For example, “Can lah” means “Yes, it’s possible” and “Don’t want lah” means “No, I don’t want to”.
Bing
I guess Bing knows our slang, but just doesn’t really want to use it. That’s fair, I suppose.
The verdict: ChatGPT is more obedient and pliant, and I love it for that.
Who wins?
Clearly, Bing has the upper hand when it comes to current events and searching things, but ChatGPT outperformed when it comes to creative prompts.
Depending on what you need it to do, there is value in both programmes. You just have to know how to properly prompt the answers you want.
I went with some pretty general and vague prompts this time around to see what the chatbots would do with them, but if you are able to define and narrow your prompt, you’ll most likely get better, more accurate answers.
In any case, AI chatbots have truly come a long way since the days of Eviebot and whatever else was popular circa the early 2010s. I can’t wait for Google’s Bard AI to come out—I hope it’s willing to act as a mean, sarcastic, and dry-witted interviewer for me when the time comes.
- Learn more about ChatGPT here.
- Learn more about Bing here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about artificial intelligence here.
Also Read: Navigate hybrid work’s pain points like productivity & security issues via this webinar
