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 ]
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Historical and dystopian fiction tapping into conversations around feminism and the #MeToo movement were the hot manuscripts going for big money at this year’s London Book Fair. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nature Research and The Estée Lauder Companies are launching two new awards for women in science. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Challenging all assumptions of the past' may be only the beginning of life after the digital disruption, Tom Goodwin says. And when he speaks at London Book Fair's Quantum Conference, he'll be talking about the 'share-of-attention' dilemma. The post London Book Fair’s Quantum Keynote: Tom... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At this year's Bologna Book Fair, scouts and agents said middle grade fiction remains hot, and the political upheaval in the United States is driving a global interest in titles, both fiction and nonfiction, that speak to this tumultuous moment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Buoyed by the success of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, children’s non-fiction is the “place to be” this Bologna, with publishers eager for new voices on the back of strong sales in the sector in the past 12 months. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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GMG received legal letter from Facebook day before Observer report on mass data harvestingIssuing a warning to the Guardian Media Group ahead of its publication of an exposé of mass Facebook data harvesting was not the wisest move, one of the social networking giant’s senior executives has said.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harvill Secker has acquired two "fierce and unconventional" books from Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tyson has been writing for general audiences for more than 20 years—but his latest book, 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,' is his first runaway bestseller. And he thinks he knows why. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With soaring sales, viral hits like Cat Person and a cameo by Tom Hanks, the form seems to be staging a comeback. But did it ever go away?In 2017, almost 50% more short story collections were sold than in the previous year. It was the best year for short stories since 2010. Booksellers are... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Katie Ganshert and editor Shannon Marchese say more readers are open to fiction that takes on today's powerful issues. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On the back of the success of his latest book Drawn Out: A Seriously Funny Memoir veteran cartoonist, political journalist and all-round dyslexic polymath Tom Scott will be the subject of a "roast" on Sunday where a group of writers, theatre makers and Wellington personalities will haul the... Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mention “pop science” in China and one blockbuster comes to mind: The Magic School Bus. It has remained the #1 children’s title since its launch in 2010, with online retailer Dangdang selling nearly half a million copies in an average year. On Singles’ Day—which is the equivalent of Black Friday... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two previously longlisted authors and one twice-shortlisted writer, Kamila Shamsie, are on this year's Women's Prize for Fiction longlist of 16 novels. The winner takes home £30,000 and a bronze figurine, the 'Bessie.' The post Six Debut Novelists Are on the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On the back of the success of his latest book Drawn Out: A Seriously Funny Memoir veteran cartoonist, political journalist and all-round dyslexic polymath Tom Scott will be the subject of a "roast" on Sunday where a group of writers, theatre makers and Wellington personalities will haul the... Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It is vital that publishers implement mobile strategies and exploit data about audience, BBC media editor Amol Rajan has said, whilst discussing the challenges facing organisations such as Facebook and the BBC. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In its latest market report, Slovakia's publishers' association says the overall book market was worth up to €110 million (US$135.3 million) in 2016. Fiction rose to 27 percent of those sales. The post Domestic Fiction Leads Slovakia’s Book Market Growth and Bestseller Lists appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook has had some bumpy years. Critics, especially Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, have no intention of letting the crisis go to waste. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2018-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the bestselling Left Behind series and a variety of other novels and nonfiction titles, opens a new fiction series set in Jordan during an archeological dig. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Only 51% of pre-school children are read to on a daily basis, a “steep decline” from 69% five years ago, Egmont Publishing has revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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