Science Fiction Tried to Warn Us about AI. Or Did It?, by Tom Gammarino Essay [email protected] Wed, 03/01/2023 - 03:46 Photo by NASA / Unsplash “All our AI Frankenstein stories,” the author writes, “warn us that AI will destroy us, but far louder than that, they promise that the future is going to be mind-blowing and epic.” Will we heed the warnings? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the literary work that most clearly established the conventions of science fiction as we know it. Not only did the 1818 novel pioneer the archetype of the mad scientist, it also established one of the genre’s most important cultural roles: to warn us about ways humans, through our hubris, might create the very beings that eventually undo us. In subtitling the novel The Modern Prometheus, Shelley harked back to the Titan who stole fire from the gods and was punished by having his regenerating liver devoured every day by an eagle (since the liver was the seat of the emotions for the Greeks, we might as well translate it as “heart”). Inspired by the experiments of Luigi Galvani, who used electric current to stimulate the leg of a dissected frog, and his nephew Giovanni Aldini, who ran a similar experiment on a hanged criminal, Shelley had her mad scientist play God by endowing a patchwork of human remains with the spark of life. Two centuries later, the resulting monstrosity serves as a stand-in for any of our runaway technologies — the internal... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2023-03-01 09:46:57 UTC ]
Here are 10 books that feature magical veterinarians in science fiction and fantasy settings, ranging from YA to adult books. Start with Super Extra Grande by Yoss, translated by David Frye. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-28 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Apple is borrowing a marketing tactic from Twitter pirates. The company made the unusual move of uploading the entire first episode of its series Silo to the social platform, allowing anyone there to watch the opening installment for free. The gambit follows Twitter’s move to allow longer video... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-27 18:24:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-26 13:58:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Despite our intrinsic distrust of AI in space taught to us by movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey ("I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave"), it offers large advantages to both manned and unmanned missions. To that end, NASA is developing a system that will allow astronauts to perform maneuvers, conduct... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-26 08:19:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-19 13:54:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Netflix just dropped the first reveal trailer for the forthcoming 3 Body Problem science fiction series at its Tudum fan event, along with a premiere month of January. This is a short delay for the anticipated series, as it was originally supposed to air this year.If the name of the show sounds... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-17 21:39:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Before I dedicated my life to taking pot-shots at the nature of the universe—I mean, before I became a science fiction writer—I was a frightened child. Death scared me, but living was the constant terror. My father told me I had chosen this. I had come to him in a dream before I was born […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-14 08:53:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-12 14:20:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-05 13:33:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With the rise of AI language models and tools like ChatGPT and Bard, we've heard warnings from people involved, like Elon Musk, about the risks posed by AI. Now, a group of high-profile industry leaders has issued a one-sentence statement: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-05-31 11:15:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this
World Literature Today Announces 2023 Student Translation Prize Winners News and Events [email protected] Tue, 05/30/2023 - 09:42 Katie Kassam and Vala Thorodds, winners of the 2023 Student Translation PrizesWorld Literature Today, the University... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-05-30 14:42:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Whether you're looking to belly laugh, contemplate the future of humanity, or dig into conspiracy theories, I have a sci-fi read for you! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-30 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Japan and JAXA, the country’s space administration, have spent decades trying to make it possible to beam solar energy from space. In 2015, the nation made a breakthrough when JAXA scientists successfully beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power an electric kettle, more than 50... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-05-28 21:43:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
New novels by Fonda Lee, Martha Wells, Nick Harkaway, Kelly Link and Emma Törzs. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-05-26 15:30:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A new book skewers the publishing industry's race issues, the author of 'Eragon' returns to science fiction, and two new nonfiction titles take an alternate view of history on this week's bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-22 14:34:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this
There’s a chance our understanding of biology is radically incomplete. Imagine using your cellphone to control the activity of your own cells to treat injuries and disease. It sounds like something from the imagination of an overly optimistic science fiction writer. But this may one day be a... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-05-18 01:04:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of American (SFWA) has announced the winners of the 2022 Nebula Awards, one of SFF’s most prestigious honors, “given to the writers of the most outstanding speculative fiction works released in 2022.” Here are the winners: NOVEL R.F. Kuang, Babel, Or the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-15 15:28:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-15 14:15:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-08 13:34:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this