As with the printing press and the dotcom boom, initial frenzy and speculation obscures the lasting legacy of new technologies“Innovation,” wrote the economist William Janeway in his seminal book Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy, “begins with discovery and culminates in speculation.” That just about sums up 2023. The discovery was AI (as represented by ChatGPT), and the speculative bubble is what we have now, in which huge public corporations launch products that are known to “hallucinate” (yes, that’s now a technical term relating to large language models), and spend money like it’s going out of fashion on the kit needed to make even bigger ones. As I write, I see a report that next year Microsoft plans to buy 150,000 Nvidia chips – at $30,000 (£24,000) a pop. It’s a kind of madness. But when looked at it through the Janeway lens, ’twas ever thus.“The innovations that have repeatedly transformed the architecture of the market economy,” he writes, “from canals to the internet, have required massive investments to construct networks whose value in use could not be imagined at the outset of deployment.” Or, to put it more crudely, what we retrospectively regard as examples of technological progress have mostly come about through outbreaks of irrational exuberance that involved colossal waste, bankrupted investors and caused social turmoil. Bubbles, in other words. In recent times, think of the dotcom boom of the late 1990s. Or in earlier times, of the US railway... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-12-30 16:00:37 UTC ]
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In 2023, the major publishers maintained their grip on the bestseller lists, but indies scored some notable successes, with Entangled, Kensington, and Sourcebooks among those making inroads. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Supported by the Association of American Publishers and others, the new nonprofit aims to “certify fair training data use” in Generative AI, and comes amid a growing number of lawsuits filed against AI companies over alleged copyright infringement. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Insight offers publishers AI tools, including large language models such as ChatGPT and Claude, to analyze documents and generate metrics, editorial and marketing assets, sales material, and other content. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Ottawa is working through an AI inquiry while Canada's publishing industry is 'still waiting for ministers to honor their commitment.' The post Canada Calls for AI Input With Copyright Needs Still Unmet appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-16 13:58:06 UTC ]
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These are the 23 most clicked-on books featured on Book Riot in 2023, from fantasy to literary fiction and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-16 11:45:00 UTC ]
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2023 was an incredible year for books celebrating all things science. Here are 10 of the best science fiction books of 2023. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-15 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Read your way into the best historical fiction of 2023, which spans the globe and time. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-12 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Independent bookstores in the western U.S. came through the holidays with boosted balance sheets and tales of community connection. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Sheikh Zayed Book Award's translation grant program supported 10 Zayed-winning titles' funding applications in 2023. The post UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award Supports 10 Translations in 2023 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-11 17:32:47 UTC ]
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Another year, another record: OverDrive reps reported this week that 152 libraries around the world reached million-checkout milestone last year, including 23 first-timers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble followed up sales increases in 2022 with more gains in 2023 and CEO James Daunt said the bookseller is "entering a period of significant growth." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Thanks to mild weather and a strong economy, December sales at bookstores across the Midwest were up, with booksellers reporting increases ranging from 13% to 31%. Adult fiction and political nonfiction were popular, as were children's picture books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Colleen Hoover, who reigned supreme in 2022, also had a stellar 2023, and was joined by Rebecca Yarros in dominating the charts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A 1.7% increase in sales in the fourth quarter kept the drop at 2.6% for the year, overcoming a 4.1% drop during the first nine months. Smaller than expected losses in sales of books for adults helped to offset plunges in the children’s sector. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The newly launched lawsuit of OpenAI and Microsoft by The New York Times parallels legal actions from the book publishing industry. The post AI: Copyright Challenges Now Include a New York Times Lawsuit appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-04 19:59:05 UTC ]
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By reusing and repurposing existing writing into viral fragments on Twitter, the account functioned like today’s chatbots. The Guardian spoke to Jacob Bakkila, the human behind the accountMore than a decade before an AI-powered chatbot could do your homework, help you make dinner or pass the bar... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-01-03 15:00:04 UTC ]
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