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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Pan Macmillan has acquired two books from fantasy author Cassandra Clare in a seven-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'It would make larger parts of the research cycle open to self-correction,' says the Digital Science report's author, but so might 'a less drastic change.' The post Digital Science Scholarly Publishing Blockchain Report: ‘Important To Question’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bill Clinton handed Scholastic's Dick Robinson a lifetime achievement award. 'The happy ending still beckons,' Proulx said at the National Book Awards. The post Jesmyn Ward Wins Second National Book Award in Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oscar-winning movie star Tom Hanks has enjoyed many a big moment, but for a devoted Texan fan, the part he played in her engagement was the biggest and most memorable. San Antonio native Nikki Young â an actress as well as the entertainment director for Morgan's Wonderland â is getting... Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dr. David Jeremiah takes #2 on PW’s Religion Nonfiction Bestsellers list with his new book on decision-making, ‘A Life Beyond Amazing.’ Plus, Christmas novels take over the Religion Fiction list as the holiday season approaches. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hollywood star turned author Tom Hanks appeared at a sold-out event with Penguin Live last night, marking the finale of Southbank Centre’s biggest ever London Literature Festival at the Royal Festival Hall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebury Press has acquired a "ground-breaking" study of depression by science writer Alex Riley at auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Baillie Gifford assumed sponsorship of the Samuel Johnson Prize, Four Colman Getty had its work cut out shepherding 17 years of brand recognition into a new phase. Practice director Truda Spruyt reveals how the team made that transition. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'So much of the publishing industry revolves around London' in the UK, says publisher Ra Page. The Northern Fiction Alliance collective is a response. The post Far From the Madding Crowd: The UK’s Northern Fiction Alliance appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Britain’s creative industries are facing a "potentially catastrophic" loss of talent and skills following Brexit, the Creative Industries Federation has warned, arguing that the end of freedom of movement poses a "huge risk" to the sector. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George Saunders takes the £50,000 purse for his 'Lincoln in the Bardo' published by Random House in the States, by Bloomsbury in the UK. The post George Saunders Wins the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oxford University Press Children’s will publish a debut children's fiction series from BBC historian Dr Janina Ramirez. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In our digital age, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nobel prize is a reminder that it is still novels that ask the biggest questionsIt’s always entertaining to observe the interaction between the news media and a writer who has just won the Nobel prize. The all-time best was obviously Doris Lessing, who when... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is to publish a "mould-breaking" work of graphic non-fiction, Two Heads, written by leading neuroscientists, professors Uta Frith and Chris Frith, in collaboration with their son, Alex Frith, and Daniel Locke, a young artist. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This story originally appeared on Massive and has been republished with permission. Massive publishes science stories by scientists—subscribe to their newsletter and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weidenfeld & Nicolson has acquired a popular science book about cancer by geneticist and science writer Kat Arney. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The opportunity for children’s non-fiction lies in offering “trust and authority” in a world of fake news, paid for ads and internet misinformation, DK’s chief executive Ian Hudson has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An all-female group of authors has been selected for the US' National Book Foundation's 'Five Under 35' program, honoring fiction debuts. The post National Book Foundation Names Its ‘Five under 35’ Debut Fiction Authors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As its name suggests, SSAP is the go-to publisher in China for scholarly titles in the humanities and social sciences. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cordelia Fine has won The Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize, worth £25,000, for her “provocative” book about gender which “debunks” the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus concept and poses an “urgent call for change”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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