Artificial intelligence can now write fiction and journalism. But does it measure up to George Orwell – and can it report on Brexit?Will androids write novels about electric sheep? The dream, or nightmare, of totally machine-generated prose seemed to have come one step closer with the recent announcement of an artificial intelligence that could produce, all by itself, plausible news stories or fiction. It was the brainchild of OpenAI – a nonprofit lab backed by Elon Musk and other tech entrepreneurs – which slyly alarmed the literati by announcing that the AI (called GPT2) was too dangerous for them to release into the wild, because it could be employed to create “deepfakes for text”. “Due to our concerns about malicious applications of the technology,” they said, “we are not releasing the trained model.” Are machine-learning entities going to be the new weapons of information terrorism, or will they just put humble midlist novelists out of business?Let’s first take a step back. AI has been the next big thing for so long that it’s easy to assume “artificial intelligence” now exists. It doesn’t, if by “intelligence” we mean what we sometimes encounter in our fellow humans. GPT2 is just using methods of statistical analysis, trained on huge amounts of human-written text – 40GB of web pages, in this case, that received recommendations from Reddit readers – to predict what ought to come next. This probabilistic approach is how Google Translate works, and also the method... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading science fiction, chick lit and fantasy novels by people of colour for a year brought home to me just how white my reading world wasIn 2014, I managed to read 25 novels. All of them were written by people of colour. That was the result of a small challenge I set myself: not to read books... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The event will be emceed by Kunal Nayyar, best known for his role as Raj on CBS’s 'The Big Bang Theory.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foyles reported a loss last year due to the closure of its Westfield White City branch and the move of its new flagship store, although sales were up 2.2%. Results for the year to 30th June 2014 show that the six-shop mini-chain slipped into a loss of £600,000, up from a profit of £100,000 in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amish Tripathi's Shiva trilogy about the popular Hindu deity has become the fastest selling book series in Indian publishing. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2015-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author of Fever Pitch is adapting a book of the same name based on the memoirs of Nina Stibble, a nanny who worked for some of London’s leading literary lightsThe author of Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby, is penning his first TV drama, based on the memoirs of a nanny who worked for some of the leading... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Patterson remains the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the eighth year running, according to data released today (13th February) by the Public Lending Right (PLR). Daisy Meadows holds firm in second place, while fellow children’s authors Julia Donaldson and Francesca Simon remain... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In popular genres such as sci-fi and fantasy, fan fiction based on the Wattpad model could easily disrupt the publishing industryFor a few years in the mid 2000s, I was the young librarian who got sent to schools to convince kids they really did want to read books. The truth of my experience was... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One of Peru's fledgling publishers, Colmena Editores, is making room for edgy new generation of authors, while also offering classics and criticism. The post Peru’s Colmena Editores Gives Edgy Debut Authors a Voice appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yellow Kite is to publish The 22-Day Revolution, a book about the benefits of a plant-based diet, with a foreword written by Beyoncé. Founded on the principle that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, The 22-Day Revolution by exercise physiologist and nutrition expert Marco Borges is a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David and Jason Benham, authors of 'Whatever the Cost: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully' (W Publishing Group/HarperCollins, 9780718032999), will appear on 'Fox & Friends' on Tuesday, February 10. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It was recently announced that 'To Kill a Mockingbird' writer Harper Lee, who famously only released her classic novel, will publish a second book this summer. 'If you read the book ... only Harper Lee could have written this novel,' said Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher of... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The AP reports that Harper Lee will publish her second novel this summer, a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird. The book, entitled Go Set a Watchman was completed in... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More than 80 writers will participate in the Tuesday and Wednesday evening author receptions (February 10 and 11). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Drawing on her panoramic reading and her experiences of the authorly life cycle, Atwood surveys her trade with a mix of seriousness and gentle fun“You may find the subject a little peculiar,” warns Margaret Atwood, before she discusses the writer’s relationship with mortality. “It is a little... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If we're honest, there isn't enough money in monochrome erotica and Benedict Cumberbatch GIFs to sustain a billion-dollar website. That's why Tumblr is doing its very best to become more of a publishing platform that can attract the sort of writing (... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meredith is soon going to have to be designated the best magazine company in the country. The post Meredith Rises and AMI Recedes With the Acquisition of Shape appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The robust children’s market in 2014 has been the main theme of The Bookseller’s Review of the Year features, and it is driven home in our look at last year’s bestselling authors. The top 50 writers are once again eclipsed by the shadow of the Gruffalo, with the mighty Julia Donaldson taking... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Schoolchildren’s increased interest in books attributed to school campaigns and better targeting by publishersDespite a myriad of new media competing for their attention, Danish children are bucking the trend and reading more books today than they did 14 years ago.A survey of 1,999... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veteran author Warren Adler offers a reality check for would-be authors who believe fame and fortune is just a book away. The post So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Research shows median income for all authors is now below $5,000, though ‘hybrid’ authors who use both traditional and self-publishing are doing bestAlmost a third of published authors make less than $500 (£350) a year from their writing, according to a new survey, with around a half of writers... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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