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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Anne Enright has been appointed the first Laureate for Irish Fiction. The author receives €150,000 over the three-year term of her Laureateship, during which she will continue her own work as a creative artist, teach creative writing at University College Dublin and New York University, and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Times of India recently examined the problems facing Hindi pulp fiction in the era of ebooks, which may be killing off cheap pocket editions. The post HarperCollins India Tries To Save Hindi Pulp Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The government has published details on a “new, more challenging” GSCE in computer science, and content for more “rigorous and demanding” GCSEs in music, art and design and physical education. Content has also been published for A levels in dance, music and PE as part of a “commitment to raise... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What does the future of Library and Information Science look like? What do patrons expect from libraries? This infographic from USC has some answers. The post Infographic: Future of Library and Information Science Jobs appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, owners of Macmillan Science and Education, and BC Partners, owners and fund advisors of Springer Science+Business, have reached a merger agreement to join the two groups. Holtzbrinck, whose portfolio includes Nature and Scientific American, will hold 53 percent of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown Book Group has hired Maddie West as the new deputy publisher for its Sphere Fiction imprint, replacing Rebecca Saunders. West, who is currently editorial director at Atlantic imprint Corvus, will focus on publishing commercial women’s fiction for the list. Saunders, previously... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Haynes Publishing Group has issued a profit warning, citing "soft" trade and tighter inventory controls from retailers. The car manuals publisher said its half year results, which will be posted at the end of January, will be "seriously impacted" by "key consumer retailers implementing working... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Smith, founder and former CEO of Quercus, has been named CEO of Bonnier Publishing Fiction in London, covering both adult and children’s lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The government will put a £67m push behind the teaching of maths, science and digital skills in schools next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The French Publishers Association (Syndicat National de l’Edition, SNE) has warned its members that France may raise VAT on ebooks from 5.5% to the standard 20% during the first half of next year to avoid a fine of several million euros from the European Court of Justice, according to the trade... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Labour MP lashes out at publishers and editors in second annual Leveson speech for Hacked Off campaignLabour MP Tom Watson has lashed out at newspaper publishers and editors by accusing them of “fixing” legislation that affected them and operating “like a mafia.” In delivering the second annual... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Young adults dominate the Arabic book market, but publishers are acutely sensitive to the slightest challenge to conservative etiquetteThe boom in young adult fiction has left the Arab publishing world playing catch-up, as authors try to compete with Twilight and The Hunger Games without... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China's crack down "slash fiction" and pornographic graphic novels hasn't stifled the flow of material — or its popularity. The post “Slash Fiction” Thrives in China, Despite Government Crackdowns appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eye Benders: The Science of Seeing and Believing by Clive Gifford (Ivy) has won the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2014. The book, written with consultant Anil Seth and which was described by the judging panel as “both fascinating and fun”, explains how the science of optical illusions... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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September Publishing has acquired a book by Sharon Blackie on Celtic woman and empowerment. Publisher Hannah MacDonald (pictured) acquired world English language rights to If Women Rose Rooted, Like Tress from Kirsty McLachlan at DGA Ltd. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House's c.e.o. Tom Weldon has said the company will not be exploring subscription, as he is not convinced it is what readers want. Weldon, in conversation with The Bookseller's editor Philip Jones at today's FutureBook conference, said PRH UK is betting on three things for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piers Torday has won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award 2014. Torday won the award for The Dark Wild (Quercus), a story about 12-year-old Kester and his adventures amongst some of the last wild animals in the land. The animals believe the time is right to rise up against their human enemies... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Dark Wild' by Piers Torday has won the 2014 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, announced Thursday evening in London. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s laureate Malorie Blackman has launched a fan fiction-inspired project to find the best teen writers and creatives. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Baldacci’s YA novel The Finisher (Pan Macmillan) took the crown for the Best International Fiction Book at the Sharjah International Book Fair Awards yesterday (5th November). Michele Young, children’s rights director at Pan Macmillan, received the award on behalf of Baldacci from the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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