George Carlin's estate settles lawsuit against podcasters' AI comedy special

There will be no follow-up to that AI-generated George Carlin comedy special released by the podcast Dudesy. In January, Carlin's estate filed a lawsuit against the podcast and its creators Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, accusing them of violating the performer's right to publicity and infringing on a copyright. Now, the two sides have reached a settlement agreement, which includes the permanent removal of the comedy special from Dudesy's archive. Sasso and Kultgen have also agreed never to repost it on any platform and never to use Carlin's image, voice or likeness without approval from the estate again, according to The New York Times.  The AI algorithm that Dudesy used for the special was trained on thousands of hours of Carlin's routines that spanned decades of his career. It generated enough material for an hour-long special, but it did a pretty poor impression of the late comedian with basic punchlines and very little of what characterized Carlin's humor. In a statement, Carlin's daughter Kelly called it a "poorly-executed facsimile cobbled together by unscrupulous individuals." Josh Schiller, who represented the Carlin estate in court, told The Times that "[t]he world has begun to appreciate the power and potential dangers inherent in AI tools, which can mimic voices, generate fake photographs and alter video." He added that it's "not a problem that will go away by itself" and that it "must be confronted with swift, forceful action in the courts." The companies... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-04-03 07:52:24 UTC ]

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The Writer’s Alibi: My Terrible, Dreadful, Hope-the-FBI-Doesn’t-Look-at-This Search History

The internet search histories of novelists can be quite disturbing. Writer Kathleen Valenti shares the methodology behind web searches for her newest medical mystery. The post The Writer’s Alibi: My Terrible, Dreadful, Hope-the-FBI-Doesn’t-Look-at-This Search History by Kathleen Valenti appeared... Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2019-08-20 14:00:45 UTC ]
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Experiments in Postcapitalism: On Dempow Torishima’s “Sisyphean”

SCIENCE FICTION HAS BEEN mapping the topography of a yawning postcapitalism since the cyberpunk movement of the 1980s, a laborious undertaking still ongoing in the 21st century. Before cyberpunk, Deleuze and Guattari pointed the way in their books on capitalism and schizophrenia; after... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-08-03 12:30:19 UTC ]
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When Novelists Become Method Actors

During one of my first open mics in New York City, the comic running the mic tapped me on the elbow after my set and said, “Hey, you’re funny!” She sounded surprised. I was, too. Being funny wasn’t my main goal. I was there to spy on comics, trying to experience the highs and lows […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-31 08:49:06 UTC ]
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12 Novels about Historical Women to Inspire a Better Future

The Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a genre, historical fiction allows us to shuttle back in time to stand in the shoes, clogs, chopines, and go-go boots of people—real and imagined—to consider the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-15 11:00:13 UTC ]
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Summer reading: dive into the perfect book

As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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Can Sci-Fi Writers Prepare Us for an Uncertain Future?

Businesses and public policy makers are tapping novelists to imagine the path forward. But how much stock should we put in the predictions of storytellers? Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2019-07-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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The Writers Who Left: Cuban Exile and What Comes Next, by Margaret Randall

Cultural Cross Sections Margaret Randall Children’s choir at the 2014 La Matanza Book Fair / Photo by Mauro Rico / Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación / Flickr When good engineers or scientists emigrate, they are able to continue their work. Novelists... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-10 21:07:28 UTC ]
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Hodder to publish 'unforgettable' new Grisham thriller

Hodder & Stoughton will publish the “unforgettable” new thriller from John Grisham, about a man’s wrongful conviction and one courageous lawyer’s bid to exonerate him, later this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-10 17:38:07 UTC ]
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Viewfinders: 10 Y.A. Novelists Spin Fiction From Vintage Photos

The New York Times invited Asian-American authors to choose photos from our archives and write short young-adult fiction inspired by them. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-06-28 17:18:37 UTC ]
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Adam wins Desmond Elliott Prize for 'electrifying' debut Golden Child

Claire Adam has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for first-time novelists with her "electrifying" debut Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-18 18:50:22 UTC ]
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Jurors Announced for the 2020 Neustadt Prize

News and Events WLT Norman, Okla. (June 11, 2019) – Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Neustadt Professor and executive director of the World Literature Today organization at the University of Oklahoma, this week announced the names of nine writers to be the jury... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2019-06-10 16:04:37 UTC ]
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Men Outnumber Women by Far in News Photos Posted to Facebook

If you look at images posted to Facebook by news organizations, you are far more likely to see men than women, according to a new study from Pew Research Center. Pew analyzed images posted (publicly) to the social network by 17 national news outlets between April 1 and June 30, 2018, using a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-05-23 18:45:42 UTC ]
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Facebook exempts news publishers from its archive on political ads

Facebook says it will stop including some publishers' advertising in its political ad archive following months of criticism from news organizations.Next year the social media giant will no longer require publishers who want to buy ads boosting exposure to their articles on politics to go through... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: November 5, 2018

John Grisham has the #1 book in the country with ‘The Reckoning.’ Plus Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series has a fiery finish, and ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ spins to the big screen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Books Bestsellers: ‘The Reckoning’ Takes Over

John Grisham’s latest legal suspense novel debuted at #1 on the Apple Books store, knocking ‘Every Breath’ by Nicholas Sparks to #2 from last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Grisham's Rooster flies into the chart top spot

John Grisham’s The Rooster Bar (Hodder) has leapfrogged David Walliams and Tony Ross’ The World’s Worst Children 3 (HarperCollins) to claim his second week at the UK Official Top 50 number one spot within a year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook says it wants to do right by news organizations

Back in January, Facebook announced that it would henceforth de-emphasize posts from brands and publishers in users’ news feeds in favor of ones from friends and family. Media organizations—which have long been dependent on Facebook for traffic, albeit more than a trifle embarassed by that... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grisham, Vance, Manson Top iBook Bestseller Lists in 2017

John Grisham's 'Camino Island' topped the iBook's bestsellers fiction list in 2017, J.D. Vance took the top honor in nonfiction for 'Hillbilly Elegy', and Mark Manson had the top-selling audiobook, 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: John Grisham Dethrones Dan Brown

‘The Rooster Bar’ by John Grisham, released on Oct. 24, knocked Dan Brown’s ‘Origin’ from its longstanding #1 perch. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'News Geek' Google CEO Appeases Publishers With End to 'First Click Free'

A few years ago, Google regularly traded barbs with major news publishers in public. Today, Google is rewiring its search engine to appease them.The Alphabet unit is scrapping a contentious search result rule for subscription news sites and giving them new tools to attract more paying customers.... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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