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 ]
News tagged with:
#best-case scenario
#science fiction
The mission of new fiction imprint Hoopoe is to "accurately reflect what is going on in the Middle East, from the Middle East." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#american university
#fiction imprint
#middle east
Hodder & Stoughton has acquired Graham Norton's "darkly funny" fiction debut. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#darkly funny
#fiction debut
#hodder stoughton
Malorie Blackman is excited about the publication of her first standalone novel in four years but has warned that “some people won’t be happy” about its frank depiction of sex. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#malorie blackman
The younger generations' appreciation for print books and more are noted by IPG Fellow Tom Bonnick of Nosy Crow at Digital Book World. The post Nosy Crow’s Tom Bonnick at DBW: ‘Humanizing a Book’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nosy crow
#tom bonnick
#younger generations
#print books
Jonathan Cape is publishing BRIT(ish): Getting Under the Skin of Britain’s Race Problem by Afua Hirsch, social affairs editor for Sky News. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#jonathan cape
#afua hirsch
#sky news
Neil Gaiman is set to release two books this year – a selection of non-fiction writings and a special edition of his first novel Neverwhere, illustrated by Children’s laureate Chris Riddell. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#neil gaiman
#special edition
As the IPG’s representative to Digital Book World 2016, Tom Bonnick says he's looking at the role of independent publishers in today's industry. The post A UK Independent Publisher at DBW: Nosy Crow’s Tom Bonnick appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nosy crow
#tom bonnick
#independent publishers
Baileys has confirmed sponsorship for 2017 for the Women's Prize for Fiction following an initial three-year partnership. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fiction sponsorship
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady decided to use social media to introduce a furry new member of the family to the world. On his Facebook page, Brady posted a video introducing the family's new puppy, Fluffy, with the help of a familiar Disney movie. In the video, Brady tries his best... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#lion king
The Republic of Consciousness prize has been launched by novelist Neil Griffiths, who intends to ‘guilt trip’ bestselling authors into contributingThe award-winning novelist Neil Griffiths is launching a new literary prize celebrating the “small presses producing brilliant and brave literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#consciousness prize
#small presses
#author launches
#small publishers
#bestselling authors
Waterstones must sustain three years of consecutive profit-making before the company can “stand on its own two feet” and not rely on the “charity” of its owner, the chain’s m.d. James Daunt has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#daunt warns
#james daunt
Authors and critics are warning that Middle Grade children’s books, for readers aged eight to 12 years, are failing to get the attention they merit from the media and book prize organisers because of the dominance of Young Adult titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#readers aged
Developers and authors explain how they are experimenting with technology to publish ‘unprintable’ books – including a love story told through Google street view and a prison break with swappable recipesPublisher Anna Gerber isn’t trying to kill off the printed book – she’d just like you to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing project
#online bookstore
#angry birds
Ingrid Selberg, the former m.d. of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Division, is teaming up with Emma Young to write a middle-grade fiction series about vloggers for Macmillan Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#macmillan children
#ingrid selberg
#simon schuster
Ullstein and Bonnier UK are launching a new digital imprint called Manilla that will publish English ebook editions of bestselling German fiction. The post Manilla: New Home for International Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#international fiction
This week on the Culture Gabfest’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Slate book critic Laura Miller discusses her recent article on the resurgence of housewives in contemporary fiction. Laura recommends three new books that give the old trope a 21st-century makeover and discusses the big question: What... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#culture gabfest
#bonus segment
#recent article
#contemporary fiction
#big question
An article in the Jakarta Globe looks at Lian Gouw, the founder and owner of Dalang Publishing, a two-person operation based in San Mateo, California. The post Dalang Publishing: Introducing Indonesian Historical Fiction to the U.S. appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
A children's book which judges said would grip readers of all ages is named Costa Book of the Year. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#costa winner
Bonnier Publishing Fiction is changing its name to Bonnier Zaffre, effective immediately. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#bonnier zaffre
#effective immediately
World’s biggest education publisher aims to make £350m in cost savings by the end of 2017Pearson is to cut 4,000 jobs after issuing its second profit warning in three months. The world’s biggest education publisher said it aimed for annual savings of £350m by the end of 2017 and it would end its... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#profit warning
#cost savings