‘Where does the bot end and human begin?’: what the legendary @Horse_ebooks can teach us about AI

By reusing and repurposing existing writing into viral fragments on Twitter, the account functioned like today’s chatbots. The Guardian spoke to Jacob Bakkila, the human behind the accountMore than a decade before an AI-powered chatbot could do your homework, help you make dinner or pass the bar exam, there was @Horse_ebooks. The primitive predecessor to today’s chatbot renaissance began as a Twitter account in 2010, tweeting automated excerpts from ebooks that, decontextualized, took on unexpected and strangely poetic meanings.Purportedly a spambot, the account surfaced quotes from ebooks that went viral for their absurdist fragments – phrases like “Hello saxophone,” “COULD THIS BE THE”, and “Today we are lucky to be talking”. It amassed more than 200,000 followers at its peak and now, despite being inactive for a decade, the account still holds 131,000 followers. Its most memorable quip – “everything happens so much” – still resonates today. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-03 15:00:04 UTC ]
News tagged with: #ebooks

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Ending Censorship Applies to Prison, Too: A Prison Banned Book Week News Roundup, 2023

U.S. prisons have banned tens of thousands of books and remain the largest purveyors of censorship. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-30 10:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #banned book


Academic Publishing: Springer Nature Acquires Slimmer AI’s Science Division

The Dutch Slimmer AI's science division moves to Springer Nature in a partnership intended to support editors and research writers. The post Academic Publishing: Springer Nature Acquires Slimmer AI’s Science Division appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-10-27 11:34:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #academic publishing #research writers #springer nature


Scholastic Apologizes, Will End Controversial Book Fair Offering

After a public outcry, Scholastic this week said it will discontinue its optional diverse stories collection and pledged to "redouble" its efforts to "combat the laws restricting children’s access to books." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public outcry #scholastic #book fair


Marianne Moore and AI Helped Make Sean Michaels' New Novel

The author of 'Do You Remember Being Born?' explains how he created a "Moorebot" to generate the verse in the novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘The potential to undermine democracy’: European publishing trade bodies call for action on generative AI

Three organisations argue that more transparency is needed after research found AI models have been trained using pirated works by authors such as Zadie Smith and Stephen KingThree major European publishing trade bodies have urged the EU to “act now” on transparency over artificial intelligence... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-19 13:53:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #generative ai #zadie smith #artificial intelligence #book chain #largest book #european publishing


Arnold Intelligence: Schwarzenegger Spoofs AI to Promote His New Book

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been many things: bodybuilder, movie star, governor of California-and now a self-help guru. This month, Schwarzenegger released a self-help book titled, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life. Since he's no ordinary star, publisher Penguin Press knew it couldn't promote the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-10-18 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book titled #arnold schwarzenegger #movie star #publisher penguin #self-help book


The Past Is Messy and Repeats Itself: The Trap of Fairytale Victory Endings in Historical Fiction

This essay isn’t about World War II. But like any historical fiction writer publishing in 2023, it’s impossible to ignore the recent wave of WWII novels that fill bookstore shelves at the moment. As someone who reads and enjoys many of these books but has no desire to write one, I have a theory... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 08:45:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #recent wave #bookstore #historical fiction


From ancient Jewish texts to AI, a sequence of figures turns matter into meaning

Computer languages are ultimately rendered in ones and zeros, even AI programs. Though this technology is new, the concept it’s hinged on is not. Isaac Asimov’s iconic science fiction collection I, Robot, tells the story of androids created at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Inc. The androids... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-10-17 06:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ai programs #isaac asimov #science fiction


Hitting the Books: Voice-controlled AI copilots could lead to safer flights

Siri and Alexa were only the beginning. As voice recognition and speech synthesis technologies continue to mature, the days of typing on keyboards to interact with the digital world around us could be coming to an end — and sooner than many of us anticipated. Where... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-10-15 14:30:20 UTC ]
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Talking AI at Frankfurt: A Look at Some of the Programming Ahead

The upcoming Frankfurter Buchmesse has programming looking at many aspects of artificial intelligence and related issues. The post Talking AI at Frankfurt: A Look at Some of the Programming Ahead appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-10-10 16:46:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #artificial intelligence #frankfurter buchmesse


The Messenger Pens AI Partnership to Verify Its Reporting Quality

The general interest news publisher The Messenger, which launched in May with an ambitious vision for its reach and revenue, has penned a multiyear, multimillion-dollar partnership with the artificial intelligence company Seekr, according to president Richard Beckman. Among other elements of the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-10-04 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The Fall: The End of the Murdoch Empire by Michael Wolff review – Succession without a sense of humour

No one emerges with much credit in Wolff’s second study of Rupert Murdoch and his family – a gossipy story of power and greed peppered with endless layers of psychological insightFifteen years ago, Michael Wolff wrote a study of Rupert Murdoch entitled The Man Who Owns the News. It benefited... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-02 06:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fox news #murdoch empire #rupert murdoch #media mogul #large chunk #recently announced #news corp


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... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-09-29 17:30:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #missed opportunity #big screen #comic book


Hands-on: Windows 11’s new AI tools aren’t ready for prime time

AI will change the way that we work. Or so says the most fervent purveyors of the tech, which now includes Microsoft. But after seeing ChatGPT, Dall-E, and other AI systems integrated into the latest versions of Windows 11, Office, and the company’s Microsoft 365 platform, I can’t say that... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-09-26 17:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #purse strings #save money #product team #science fiction


Judge orders trial for copyright case between Thomson Reuters Westlaw, AI rival

Thomson Reuters has accused Ross Intelligence of improperly copying data from its Westlaw legal-research division to train an AI-powered competitor. A jury will decide the case, a judge ruled this week. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2023-09-26 12:13:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #copyright case #judge ruled #thomson reuters


Publishing execs express concern over generative AI’s impact on traffic and IP protections

Publishing executives shared their honest and unfettered opinions on the rise of generative artificial intelligence technology and its impact on traffic, IP protections, content production and jobs at the Digiday Publishing Summit last week. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-09-25 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #generative ai #content production #publishing summit


An AI Game of Thrones prequel? No wonder George RR Martin’s raining ice and fire on ChatGPT | Tim Adams

Authors have entered a war over words with OpenAI for using their books as ‘training’ feedstockBattles between human and artificial intelligence are no longer science fiction. The strikes in Hollywood led by the united guilds of actors and screenwriters have a common, intangible enemy: the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-23 15:03:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american novelists #jodi picoult #jonathan franzen #software company #novelists


Generative AI vs. Copyright

Publishing attorney Lloyd J. Jassin examines what artificial intelligence will mean for the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #generative ai #artificial intelligence #publishing industry


Amazon restricts authors from self-publishing more than three books a day after AI concerns

The company announced the new limitations after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale but said that ‘very few’ publishers will be affectedAmazon has created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:22:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company announced #recent months #kindle #self-publish


‘It could have me read porn’: Stephen Fry shocked by AI cloning of his voice in documentary

Actor warns about dangers of artificial intelligence after discovering version of his voice based on Harry Potter audiobooksStephen Fry has issued a warning about the potential dangers of AI, after claiming that a history documentary faked his voice without his knowledge. Speaking at the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:05:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #potential dangers #artificial intelligence #harry potter