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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Pamela Erens chronicles prep school love in 'The Virgins,' Elizabeth Cohen writes online dating short stories in 'The Hypothetical Girl' Mario Alberto Zambrano impresses with 'Loteria.'The Virgins Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown senior editor Rowan Cope has bought a debut by US journalist and blogger Emily... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lagardere has reported sales in its publishing division up 3.1% like-for-like in the first half... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hairy Bikers Dave Myers and Si King's new weight-loss tome, The Hairy Dieters: Eat for Life (... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon announced a Kindle World license for the books of Kurt Vonnegut, but not everyone thinks it's a great idea. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The two-book deal William Morrow signed with Patricia Cornwell earlier this month was just the latest high-profile deal in a concerted effort by parent company HarperCollins to rebuild the house’s fiction list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As a result of laws prohibiting 'homosexual propaganda' in Russia, a young adult novel featuring a gay character, is sold with adult-age warning labels. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ken Michaels is to join Macmillan Science and Education at the end of the month as its chief... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen is predicting that fiction ebooks will overtake sales of fiction paperbacks, but not... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2013 longlist of fiction for the Man Booker Prize will surprise and intrigue in equal measure. The shortlist will be announced in September and the winner on October 15. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an interview with Guernica magazine, literary agent Nicole Aragi discusses the crisis of literary fiction, why translated books don't sell in the US, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The continuing growth of digital publishing has put even more energy into the flourishing genres of SF, fantasy, mystery and romance publishing, says Wired. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries must adapt to the realities facing them in a "complex" landscape, Brian... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Daunt Books imprint is to begin publishing original fiction, in an "exciting development... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The future of book publishing is increasingly digital -- and increasingly tilted towards genre fiction. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian publisher Icon Empire Press has accused German bookseller Weltbild of "hypocrisy... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Welsh council leader has warned that entire local authority library departments could be at... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Craig Chappelow has written about how leaders can be more successful. But he'd crack One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest before the latest business book any day. Here's why he thinks you should, too. Read any good leadership books lately? Me either. It seems like popular books about leadership... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Most museums have publishing departments and bookstores, so publishing exhibition-related fiction shouldn't be much of a stretch and might enhance the patron's experience. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While a high-calibre jury of writers and critics ponders the nominees for this year's Children's Book Awards, we have asked the true experts. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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