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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Patrick Rothfuss is the author of the mega-bestselling novels The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, and is currently hard at work on The Doors of Stone, the final volume in his epic fantasy trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle. In the latest episode of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy he discusses... Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2014-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As this past week has shown, it's good to be Tom Hardy. Not only is his reboot of the Mad Max franchise coming out next year, but he's currently linked to no fewer than three comic book franchises from three different studios. This week's superhero movie news isn't all about Mr. Hardy, however.... Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2014-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At a panel about the lack of diversity in the book publishing industry, hosted by PW, a number of publishing warned that the overwhlemingly white makeup of the industry threatens its longterm viability. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin is to release a new non-fiction series of classics for the “discerning reader”. The first 10 books in the Penguin Classics’ Pocketbooks series will be released on 6th November, and include Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, Friedrich Neitzche’s Beyond Good and Evil, and Sigmund... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a year in which four publishers closed, paused, or slimmed down their fiction lists, members of the American Christian Fiction Writers held their annual conference Sept. 25-27 in St. Louis to honor their best, talk shop, and see who was still standing, though all agreed there are still... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Works that were nominated include 'The Innovators' by Walter Isaacson and 'Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?' by Roz Chast for the nonfiction prize as well as 'All the Light We Cannot See' by Anthony Doerr and 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel for the fiction award. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The list of 10 finalists includes a previous National Book Award winner, two finalists for the award, two Pulitzer Prize winners, and two first time authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The founder of Canada's Scotiabank Giller Prize announced yesterday that the prize purse will double, to C$140,000. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Start with One Direction and see where they take you your daydreams could snare you a book dealHow to write a bestselling novelHow to write a killer scriptShare pictures of where you writeThis article is a preview from the September issue of the Guardians monthly activities magazine, Do... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2014 Man Booker shortlist shows that “contemporary fiction is of the moment”,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Patrick Ness has warned against writing “adjective novels” while giving the inaugural... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Abingdon Press is “reassessing and realigning” its Abingdon Fiction and Christian Living programs and has “paused” acquisitions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Patricia Lakin reflects on discovering that her successful children's book, Clarence the Copy Cat, is out of print and what she can do to bring it back. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oneworld has signed two non-fiction titles for publication next year and 2016. Senior... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher says it would fight any measure that restricted free speech amid furore over new security lawsAustralias biggest newspaper publisher and the media union have warned the government against elements of a planned new national security bill that could allow journalists to be jailed for... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Natalie Jerome has been promoted to non-fiction publisher at HarperCollins, taking on the role... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing industry's packaging of women's literary fiction in stereotypically girly covers makes great books seem trashy.If you take a look at the cover of Alice Munro's latest Nobel Prize-winning short fiction collection, The View From Castle Rock, you probably wouldn't guess it includes... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook has gotten plenty of flack for its privacy practices, but here’s a new way to distrust the social media service: It may be playing with your emotions. As reported by The A.V. Club, in January 2012, Facebook adjusted its newsfeed algorithm for several hundred thousand users to see how... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even while publishers at the International Christian Retail Show celebrated top books in Christian fiction, publishing programs are being cut back in this crowded category. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since digital publishing is perfect for serializing fiction almost as fast as authors can finish their latest installment, it makes sense that Christian publishers exploring that developing space are also making things up as they go along. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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