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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Two debut novels are battling it out on the shortlist for the $50,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, including one soon to be published by Oneworld. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vintage has acquired a "beautiful, heart-breaking" novel about the life of Jean Rhys by Booker-shortlisted novelist Caryl Phillips. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zoe Sugg, known as YouTube personality Zoella, has moved to Hodder & Stoughton for her first non-fiction book after the publisher won rights at auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scottish novelist Elizabeth Macneal has won this year’s Caledonia Novel Award for her "masterful" historical fiction debut, The Doll Factory, set in Victorian London. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2017, the bestselling books in Germany show that readers are interested in translated fiction and thrillers. Nonfiction bestseller lists included more German authors than foreign authors. The post 2017 Bestselling Books in Germany: Translations Top the Fiction List appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Children’s and Michael Joseph are launching a new YA trilogy jointly written by authors Tom and Giovanna Fletcher. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We caught up with Briscione, author of the forthcoming book 'The Flavor Matrix' (HMH), to find out how chemistry is the key to why certain ingredient combos work—from pizza, to caramel and fish sauce. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan celebrated female writers at its annual women’s fiction party on Tuesday evening. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Award-winning self-published comics artist Whit Taylor makes her trade publishing debut with 'Ghost Stories,' a collection of old and new comics short stores that will be published this month by Rosarium Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2017 bestseller list was dominated by women, with Margaret Atwood at the top, but the Booker still favours menOn the face of it, the revelation that female writers dominated the UK literary bestseller lists in 2017 might seem cause for celebration, a long-overdue correction that seems... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus has appointed Claudia Connal as publishing director to head up a new strand of narrative non-fiction within the business. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a moribund market, faith-based publishers hunt for fresh voices and new genres. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has revealed its longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2018 prize, including a novel soon to be published by independent UK publisher Oneworld. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eric Vuillard’s Goncourt Prize–winner The Agenda, a historical novel about the Nazi annexation of Austria, remained at #1 in France. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Holtzbrinck technology company Digital Science has collaborated with high-profile universities and research funders to develop a platform, Dimensions, which it says will "democratise and transform scholarly search". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The intent of the eligibility change, according to the Booker Prize Foundation, is to be sure that Irish independent publishers can be recognized as readily as Irish publishers headquartered in the UK. The post Man Booker Prize for Fiction Adds New Eligibility for Irish Publishers appeared first... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book industry leaders are divided in terms of their outlook for 2018, with some optimistic about growth and others more cautious about the delicate state of high street retailing and the impact of continued political instability. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Murray is launching an international non-fiction prize worth £20,000 to mark its 250th anniversary this year. At the same time, publisher Mark Richards has been given new responsibilities to lead the imprint. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Helen Cross, Andy Stelman, Mark Stewart and Richard Adams respond to a recent Guardian article by Tim LottAs someone whose tiny, grimy literary novels have attracted the interest of the film industry, the truth is the opposite of what Tim Lott (Why should we subsidise writers who’ve lost the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Jilly Cooper has said that literary fiction should not receive state support, arguing instead that the money would be better spent on the declining newspaper industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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