The Big Issue

High quality, varied and entertaining content for readers across age, culture, religion, gender and other demographics. Stories include reporting on local and international happenings with a ‘bigger issue’ about an individual, and unusual news or events that impact us all. The Big Issue shares in-depth interviews with local and international celebrities, artists, change-makers and thought leaders. It also focuses on local people or organisations committed to making positive changes in society – intent on finding innovative ways to effect change.

The Big Issue

AI GUEST EDITOR GENEVIEVE

IN CONVERSATION … • My experience creating this issue with Genevieve … errr … AI, was both unusual and interesting but super frustrating and time consuming. Our Content Director, Ingrid Jones, Mikateko Media, questions the practicalities and use of AI in publishing. Here we go …

FULFIL A WISH • Our vendors sell The Big Issue to generate a living. They operate as self-made entrepreneurs and their sole earnings are profit made from each magazine they sell. We appeal to you to donate to our vendors' wish lists below, enabling them to further their opportunities. If you can make a dream come true, please reach out to us. The Big Issue is a social enterprise, creating opportunities to end poverty and exclusion.

YOUR SUPPORT IS WORKING • Big Issue Social Worker Melody Gombakomba emphasises how even the smallest contribution, such as buying a copy of The Big Issue, has helped change the lives of our vendors – please keep lending our vendors a hand up!

WHERE THERE'S SMOAK THERE'S FIRE • AI technology cannot replicate the magic of laying words on paper directly from the mind of an outstanding writer. Author Gregg Hurwitz reflects on the formidable Evan Smoak, a trained government assassin who's on a personal mission to help those with nowhere to turn, and the bad-ass hero of the Orphan X series.

Five minutes with Sihle Khumalo • Sihle Khumalo has travelled all over Africa getting to know the people. But it's South Africa's history that bewitches him, and for his latest book, he started off by looking into the history of place names, but ended with a lot more stories to tell.

Mad as hell • Fran Littlewood makes a triumphant debut with her book about a mother kicking butt.

ChatGPT trained to lie • If you haven't already signed up and tried ChatGPT, then its important to understand that the platform does not deal in truth and facts. Elon Musk has his sights set on developing a rival AI platform called TruthGPT. Musk is a serial entrepreneur and investor, founding PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX. Having seriously disrupted the banking sector, the car industry and space travel, he is artful in his craft …

WHAT DO ACADEMICS THINK? • ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment.

AI and perceptions of homelessness • With the rise of shockingly adept and adaptable AI, such as ChatGPT and other large language models, what can they tell us about images, stereotypes and the, hopefully, changing perceptions of homeless people? INSP asked it to “draw a picture of a street paper vendor” …

Something special

Book Power • The whole world opens up for you when you learn to read

WHO IS REAL? • Deepfakes: faces created by AI now look more real than genuine photos

CREATIVITY ON COMMAND • Image generators are one of the most advanced forms of AI.

THE GODFATHER OF AI • AI pioneer Geoff Hinton says AI is a new form of intelligence unlike our own. He's also just told The Guardian that he is regretful about his part in AI because he finds it “scary”. The Conversation reports …

CHAT GPT & THE LAW • Who owns the copyright on AIgenerated content?

COLOUR ENRICHES LIFE • Our Big Issue vendors enjoy art sessions...