The Creator review: A visually stunning, yet deeply shallow, AI epic

Equal parts Terminator, The Golden Child and The Matrix prequel, The Creator is yet another sci-fi epic about a war between humans and AI, one told by someone who just can't shut up about their time backpacking across Asia. Director Gareth Edwards clearly understands the power of scale and spectacle, something he demonstrated with his indie knockout Monsters, as well as his big-budget efforts, Godzilla and Rogue One. But The Creator, like those films, also suffers from a disjointed narrative, weak characters and a surprisingly shallow exploration of its (potentially interesting!) themes. It's a shame — at times, the film also proves he can be a genuine visual poet.  The Creator stars John David Washington, fresh off of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, as Joshua, an American soldier embedded among a group of AI rebels as a double-agent. When an operation goes wrong early on, he loses his rebel wife Maya (Gemma Chan) and the will to keep fighting the war between the anti-AI West and the AI-loving country of New Asia. (Yes, this is a film where the many people, cultures and languages throughout Asia are flattened into a single nation.) Photo by 20th Century Studios Through a series of clunky newsreels that open the film, we see the rise of artificial intelligence as a potential boon for mankind, as well as the creation of Simulants, AI-powered beings with human-like bodies and skin. When a nuclear bomb hits Los Angeles, obliterating millions in seconds,... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-09-29 17:30:21 UTC ]
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June’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Self-published books receiving starred reviews from BlueInk this month include a novel about a wisecracking cat that investigates the death of its owner and a memoir of escaping Romania under Soviet rule. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #self-published books #top reviews #blueink review


May’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published titles include a novel about lesbian nuns in pre-WWII Germany and a memoir from the daughter of 1960s cult leaders, among others. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An AI Licensing Primer for Book Publishers

Columnist Ken Brooks argues that when it comes to licensing deals with AI companies, publishers should strike the iron while it’s hot. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins to allow tech firms to use its books to train AI models

Some nonfiction backlist titles will be used to train artificial intelligence with authors’ permissionPublisher HarperCollins will allow some of its titles to be used to train AI models, with the permission of authors.The company “has reached an agreement with an artificial intelligence... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-19 16:24:59 UTC ]
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Agents, Authors Question HarperCollins AI Deal

HarperCollins has become the first Big Five publisher to strike an AI licensing deal, which authors and agents appear to be approaching with caution, skepticism, and a measure of hope. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Sweden's Nuanxed Promises Fast, Accurate AI Book Translations

Nuanxed is a publishing service that combines the use of AI translation tools with human editing and proofing. The company has produced more than 800 translations and worked with publishers ranging from Blackstone to HarperCollins. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Language of Survival and Resistance: A Review of Shereen Malherbe’s Yassini Girls, by Zeynep Alp

The Language of Survival and Resistance: A Review of Shereen Malherbe’s Yassini Girls, by Zeynep Alp Book Reviews [email protected] Mon, 11/18/2024 - 15:22 Yassini Girls (Beacon Books, 2024), the new novel by Shereen Malherbe, invites readers into... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-11-18 21:22:51 UTC ]
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HarperCollins is selling their authors’ work to AI tech.

On Friday, author Daniel Kibblesmith posted a series of screenshots on Bluesky in order to share a concerning email he received from the agency who’d repped him on his children’s book Santa’s Husband: the book’s publisher, HarperCollins, was offering $2,500 (non-negotiable) for the right to use... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-18 13:36:53 UTC ]
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Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) review: A cheap tablet hampered by outdated software

The latest Amazon Fire HD 8, updated last month and starting at $100, is a modest refresh, offering more RAM, a nominally upgraded camera and some new AI features. The general sales pitch, however, remains the same: You get a just-competent tablet for the essentials at a dirt-cheap (and... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-15 14:19:25 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Taiwan Travelogue,’ by Yang Shuang-zi

Yang Shuang-zi’s “Taiwan Travelogue,” a National Book Award finalist, is a nesting-doll narrative about colonial power in its many forms. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-15 13:18:52 UTC ]
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Ayad Akhtar Wants Writers to Reckon with AI

McNeal, the new play by Ayad Akhtar, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Disgraced, focuses on an egocentric, self-destructive white male novelist, played by Robert Downey, Jr. The fictional Jacob McNeal—think Mailer or Roth at their worst—wins the Nobel Prize early in the play, but he’s guarding a... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2024-11-14 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Sonos Arc Ultra review: New tech powers a big audio upgrade

2024 has been a rough year for Sonos. The company’s would-be triumphant entry into the crowded headphones market was overshadowed by a disastrous app redesign. In the fallout of the botched software update, the company decided to delay products that were ready to be shipped to give itself more... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-11 13:00:11 UTC ]
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Engadget review recap: Two new Macs, the PS5 Pro and more

Techtober rolled straight into November this year. The first week of the month was a busy one at Engadget HQ as we published a number of high-profile reviews over the last few days. There's the MacBook Pro and Mac mini from Apple alongside the beastly (and expensive) PS5 Pro. Plus, we've got yet... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-09 15:00:04 UTC ]
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Engadget Podcast: Reviewing the PS5 Pro and Apple’s M4 Macs

In this episode, Devindra and producer Ben Ellman recover from the election by discussing our final thoughts on the PlayStation 5 Pro, as well as Apple’s M4 Mac mini (so cute, so powerful!) and new MacBook Pros. The M4 chip is a solid upgrade, but the M4 Pro is shockingly fast (so much so that... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-08 12:30:09 UTC ]
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Future of TV Briefing: How the European creator economy compares to the U.S.

This week’s Future of TV Briefing recaps the conversation with Whalar’s Emma Harman about the European creator economy during last week’s Digiday Publishing Summit Europe. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2024-11-06 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Inside Dow Jones’s AI governance strategy, with Ingrid Verschuren

During the Digiday Publishing Summit Europe, Dow Jones’s evp of data and AI detailed the role that the publisher’s AI steering committee plays in its use of generative AI technologies. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2024-11-05 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Dutch publisher to use AI to translate ‘limited number of books’ into English

Veen Bosch & Keuning, the largest publisher in the Netherlands, has confirmed plans to trial the use of artificial intelligence to assist in translation of commercial fictionA major Dutch publisher plans to trial translating books into English using artificial intelligence.Veen Bosch &... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-04 17:43:58 UTC ]
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Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024) review: A luxurious reading experience

Amazon completely revamped its Kindle family in October when it debuted the entirely new Colorsoft ereader along with updated generations of the other three existing models: the standard Kindle, the Paperwhite and the Scribe E Ink tablet. The new Paperwhite has a slightly larger screen, a bigger... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-04 16:30:36 UTC ]
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Engadget review recap: Amazon's colorful Kindle, DJI's latest action cam and more

I think my colleague Cherlynn Low jinxed us in the last installment with her mention of a slower than usual October. The last week of the month was jam-packed with news, especially from Apple, so we're in for a busy few weeks of reviews to finish out the year. This week, we tested Amazon's... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-02 14:00:46 UTC ]
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Amazon reportedly bumped back its AI-powered Alexa to next year

If you’re wondering what happened to Amazon’s new and improved version of its Alexa voice assistant, you’re not alone. Bloomberg reports that the new Alexa is still stuck in its developmental phase and Amazon has cut off access to its beta phase including its new “Let’s Chat” phase. As a result,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-01 21:50:42 UTC ]
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