Tag Archives: celebrities

OpenAI rolls out advanced Voice Mode and no, it won’t sound like ScarJo

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OpenAI has started rolling out its advanced Voice Mode feature. Starting today, a small number of paying ChatGPT users will be able to have a tete-a-tete with the AI chatbot. All ChatGPT Plus members should receive access to the expanded toolset by the fall of this year.

In an announcement on X, the company said this advanced version of its Voice Mode "offers more natural, real-time conversations, allows you to interrupt anytime, and senses and responds to your emotions."

Support for voice conversations arrived last September in ChatGPT and the more advanced version got a public demo in May. ChatGPT-4o uses a single multimodal model for the voice capabilities rather than the three separate models used by its previous audio solution, decreasing the latency in conversations with the chatbot.

OpenAI drew a lot of criticism at the May demo for debuting a voice option that sounded uncannily like Scarlett Johansson, whose acting career included voicing AI character Samantha in Spike Jonze's film Her. The release date for advanced Voice Mode was delayed shortly after the backlash. Even though the company insisted that the voice actor was not imitating Johansson's performance, the similar-sounding voice was since taken out.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-rolls-out-advanced-voice-mode-and-no-it-wont-sound-like-scarjo-200426358.html?src=rss

What to read this weekend: Keanu Reeves wrote a book with ‘weird fiction’ author China Miéville

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New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention.

The cover for The Book of Elsewhere showing neon purple text on a space background with a link line drawing

A few years ago, Keanu Reeves took a dive into the world of comics with a series called BRZRKR, which he wrote with longtime comic creator Matt Kindt. The limited series, which played out over 12 issues, follows a half-mortal, half-God warrior known as B who lives a violent existence but cannot die. And after 80,000 years of being alive, he really wants to. Eventually, he ends up working as a killing machine for the US government.

Netflix has plans for a film and anime spinoff of the series, and the BRZRKR universe is still growing even beyond that. This week, Reeves and author China Miéville — known for his works of “weird fiction” that blend sci-fi, fantasy and other genres — released The Book of Elsewhere, a novel that returns to the story of B in a pulpy, blood-soaked epic. It’s written with a unique style, starting off choppy in the prologue before shifting into something else entirely. If there’s one thing reviewers seem to agree on, it’s that this book is not afraid to get weird.

The book cover for Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI

AI is all around us, and these days, conversations about the Big Tech race to build better and better systems sometimes feel almost escapable. But how often do we on the outside stop and take a look at how we got here in the technical sense, down to the math that made it all possible?

In Anil Ananthaswamy’s new book, Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI, the award-winning science journalist and author explains the history and mathematics underlying machine learning as we know it today. It’s not exactly light reading, but sometimes it’s nice to put your brain to work a little. You don’t need to be a math whiz to keep up with it — Ananthaswamy has said a basic understanding of calculus should be enough.

The cover for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, showing the brothers in black-and white with their face masks in color, against a city background that is tinted green

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in another new comic series from IDW, written by Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor, Scalped), with art by Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman). The first issue was released this week — and it finds Raphael behind bars.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the franchise that we as a society just cannot seem to get enough of (no complaints here). In it, the turtles have all split off on their own and left New York, and it looks like the first few issues will each focus on one of the brothers. But, they’ll eventually be brought back together to do what they do best — fight bad guys and eat pizza. It’s meant to be something that even people who haven’t kept up with the many series over the years will be able to get into without feeling lost.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-to-read-this-weekend-keanu-reeves-book-of-elsewhere-ai-math-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-173909519.html?src=rss

What to read this weekend: Keanu Reeves wrote a book with ‘weird fiction’ author China Miéville

Posted on by

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention.

The cover for The Book of Elsewhere showing neon purple text on a space background with a link line drawing

A few years ago, Keanu Reeves took a dive into the world of comics with a series called BRZRKR, which he wrote with longtime comic creator Matt Kindt. The limited series, which played out over 12 issues, follows a half-mortal, half-God warrior known as B who lives a violent existence but cannot die. And after 80,000 years of being alive, he really wants to. Eventually, he ends up working as a killing machine for the US government.

Netflix has plans for a film and anime spinoff of the series, and the BRZRKR universe is still growing even beyond that. This week, Reeves and author China Miéville — known for his works of “weird fiction” that blend sci-fi, fantasy and other genres — released The Book of Elsewhere, a novel that returns to the story of B in a pulpy, blood-soaked epic. It’s written with a unique style, starting off choppy in the prologue before shifting into something else entirely. If there’s one thing reviewers seem to agree on, it’s that this book is not afraid to get weird.

The book cover for Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI

AI is all around us, and these days, conversations about the Big Tech race to build better and better systems sometimes feel almost escapable. But how often do we on the outside stop and take a look at how we got here in the technical sense, down to the math that made it all possible?

In Anil Ananthaswamy’s new book, Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI, the award-winning science journalist and author explains the history and mathematics underlying machine learning as we know it today. It’s not exactly light reading, but sometimes it’s nice to put your brain to work a little. You don’t need to be a math whiz to keep up with it — Ananthaswamy has said a basic understanding of calculus should be enough.

The cover for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, showing the brothers in black-and white with their face masks in color, against a city background that is tinted green

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in another new comic series from IDW, written by Jason Aaron (Batman: Off-World, Thor, Scalped), with art by Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman). The first issue was released this week — and it finds Raphael behind bars.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the franchise that we as a society just cannot seem to get enough of (no complaints here). In it, the turtles have all split off on their own and left New York, and it looks like the first few issues will each focus on one of the brothers. But, they’ll eventually be brought back together to do what they do best — fight bad guys and eat pizza. It’s meant to be something that even people who haven’t kept up with the many series over the years will be able to get into without feeling lost.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-to-read-this-weekend-keanu-reeves-book-of-elsewhere-ai-math-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-173909519.html?src=rss

Amazon is giving The Boys the prequel treatment

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The Boys may be one season away from ending but it’s not done caking your screens with blood and torn muscle tissue. Cast member Jensen Ackles who plays Soldier Boy on The Boys revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con that Amazon will produce a prequel of the superhero show called Vought Rising.

The new prequel will take place in the 1950s during the early days of the evil Vought empire, the mega conglomerate that runs the entire superhero industry in The Boys’ universe. The new series will show the early exploits of characters like Soldier Boy and the almost-immortal Nazi supe Stormfront played by Aya Cash. The story will revolve around some kind of “twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought,” according to executive producer Eric Kripke and showrunner and executive producer Paul Grellong.

Vought Rising sounds like a reimagining of Watchmen without the brooding and self-importance. That’s not to say Watchmen is bad. Those things and its brutal honesty about the nature of its characters are what makes it great but would it kill Rorschach to make just one curse-laden pop culture reference?

The Boys has become Amazon’s Game of Thrones. Even when the main series ends, it won’t be the last we hear from it. The same Comic-Con panel also revealed its college themed spinoff Gen V is getting another season, according to GamesRadar+. There’s also another spinoff in development called The Boys: Mexico with Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal and Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, according to Deadline.

There’s also The Boys Presents: Diabolical, the animated anthology series in which some of the original series’ writers and producers like Garth Ennis and Seth Rogen and special guest stars like Awkwafina and Andy Samberg penned original stories about supes and presented them in different animation styles. Not to sound ungrateful but when are we gonna get another season of that?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-giving-the-boys-the-prequel-treatment-201058614.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. Discovery sues the NBA in a last-ditch effort to block Amazon’s new streaming package

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Warner Bros. Discovery followed through on its threat to “take appropriate action” against the NBA for rejecting its broadcasting rights offer. Variety reported on Friday that the media company sued the league in the New York State Supreme Court after the NBA turned down its bid to match Amazon’s streaming package that kicks in starting in the 2025-26 season.

The conflict stems from Warner’s belief that its current contract gives it the right to match any offer that would replace Warner’s TNT as a home for NBA games (and the iconic Inside the NBA) in the upcoming deal. As for the league’s stance, The Athletic reported that since the current agreements were signed when streaming was “on the horizon, but not part of the deals,” the NBA disagrees with Warner’s matching claim.

The lawsuit was expected as soon as the league announced its new broadcasting and streaming package, which also includes Disney (ABC and ESPN) and Comcast (NBC). The NBA reportedly told Warner it rejected its matching offer because it wanted to put all its games on its streaming service, Max, in addition to TNT. Amazon also allegedly offered to pay its first three years in full, whereas Warner offered a three-year line of credit. Finally, the NBA reportedly believed Amazon’s reach was simply greater.

“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA’s statement on Wednesday read.

Charles Barkley sitting in a studio chair, a look of disbelief on his face.
Charles Barkley
TNT / Warner Bros. Discovery

Unless Warner can force the NBA’s hand, the new agreement will almost certainly mean the end of Inside the NBA. The decades-old sports show, starring Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, has harnessed a rare blend of comedy, chemistry and (sometimes taking a backseat to the first two) sports analysis. The beloved program, which has won 19 Sports Emmy Awards, began in 1989 as a Johnson solo effort before fleshing out its tight-knit cast through the following years and (in the case of Shaq) decades.

Turner has partnered with the NBA since the 1984-85 season, which coincided with Barkley’s (and Michael Jordan’s) entrance into the league out of college.

Barkley lashed out at the NBA after hearing about the new rights package, accusing it of wanting to “break up with us from the beginning” in a statement on X. Adding, “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance,” the Hall of Famer described it as “a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans.”

“It just sucks,” Barkley wrote before thanking Turner’s fans for the last 24 years he’s been on the show. Inside the NBA will return next season, perhaps its last, along with the network’s standard lineup of NBA games, before the new deal begins in the 2025-26 season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/warner-bros-discovery-sues-the-nba-in-a-last-ditch-effort-to-block-amazons-new-streaming-package-183352404.html?src=rss

Video game performers will strike over AI concerns

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The SAG-AFTRA union today called for a strike against several major video game publishers after failing to reach an accord over AI use. The action will take effect at 12:01 am on July 26.

"We're not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said."Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live – and work – with, we will be here, ready to negotiate."

SAG-AFTRA performers working in games "deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies," said the union's National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

The union has been lobbying the video game industry to agree to protections against its members' likenesses and voices being recreated with AI. SAG-AFTRA entered negotiations with the companies for the Interactive Media Agreement in October 2022. Other studios, such as Replica Games, have agreed to the union's contract. The union also secured a similar deal for animated TV shows earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the gaming companies included in the Interactive Media Agreement, Audrey Cooling, provided a statement on behalf of the businesses. ​​“We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations," she said. "We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions. Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry."

The strike includes the following studios:

  • Activision Productions Inc.

  • Blindlight LLC

  • Disney Character Voices Inc.

  • Electronic Arts Productions Inc.

  • Formosa Interactive LLC

  • Insomniac Games Inc.

  • Llama Productions LLC

  • Take 2 Productions Inc.

  • VoiceWorks Productions Inc.

  • WB Games Inc.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/video-game-performers-will-strike-over-ai-concerns-201733660.html?src=rss

The US Senate unanimously passes a bill to empower victims of intimate deepfakes

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The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday designed to hold accountable those who make or share deepfake porn. The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE Act) would allow victims to sue those who create, share or possess AI-generated sexual images or videos using their likeness. The issue took root in the public consciousness after the infamous Taylor Swift deepfake that circulated among online lowlifes early this year.

The bill would let victims sue for up to $150,000 in damages. That number grows to $250,000 if it’s related to attempted sexual assault, stalking or harassment.

It now moves to the House, where a companion bill awaits. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sponsors the sister bill. If it passes there (which sounds likely, given the unanimous nature of the Senate’s vote), it will move to President Biden’s desk for final passage.

“There’s a shock to seeing images of yourself that someone could think are real,” Ocasio-Cortez told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “And once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. It parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault, [which] is about power, domination, and humiliation. Deepfakes are absolutely a way of digitizing violent humiliation against other people.”

The bill, sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), lets the victims of intimate digital forgeries (deepfakes) sue for damages. It would give victims a 10-year statute of limitations, beginning either from the discovery of the content or when they turn 18 in the (even more disturbing) case of minors.

“As we know, AI plays a bigger role in our lives than ever before, and while it has many benefits, it’s also easier than ever to create sexually explicit deep fakes without a person’s consent,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the Senate floor late Tuesday. “It is a horrible attack on someone’s privacy and dignity to have these fake images of them circulating online without recourse.”

Schumer cited Swift and Megan Thee Stallion in his floor speech as two celebrity examples who have fallen victim to the types of content the bill targets. However, The Verge notes online sexual deepfakes have affected those with much less clout (and money for lawyers) than A-list pop stars, like high school girls, some of whom have found out about contrived sexual images of them being passed around among their peers.

Fortunately, the bill stipulates that victims would have privacy protections during court proceedings and that they could recover legal costs. “It’s a grotesque practice and victims of these deep fakes deserve justice,” Schumer said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-senate-unanimously-passes-a-bill-to-empower-victims-of-intimate-deepfakes-201343557.html?src=rss

The live-action Halo show has been canceled at Paramount+

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Many moons ago, back in 2013, we learned that Hollywood royalty Steven Spielberg had teamed up with Microsoft to create a live-action Halo television series. It took about ten years for the vision to finally come to fruition, but the show has now been canceled by the Paramount+ streaming service after a mere seventeen episodes. The first season aired in 2022 and the second earlier this year. We had mixed feelings about the show's debut, but it's still a sad conclusion for the big-budget project.

According to an unnamed Variety source, the show creators plan to shop the project around and search for a new home for the chronicles of Master Chief and Cortana. "We deeply appreciate the millions of fans who propelled the Halo series to be a global success and we remain committed to broadening the Halo universe in different ways in the future," 343 Industries said. "We are grateful to Amblin and Paramount for their partnership in bringing our expansive sci-fi universe to viewers around the world."

This is the latest hurdle for fans of the UNSC to get more Halo action. Not only is the TV show gone, but last year's rounds of layoffs at Microsoft didn't leave 343 Industries unscathed. The studio reportedly had to restart its development of the series' next chapter, and we haven't heard much about the games since.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-live-action-halo-show-has-been-canceled-at-paramount-230612472.html?src=rss

Spotify’s AI music DJ can now speak Spanish

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AI seems to be seeping into every facet of society these days, but that may not be the case in communities where English isn’t the dominant language. Spotify is working to correct that by offering a Spanish-speaking version of its DJ feature.

Spotify announced the new Spanish speaking feature for its DJ mode also known as Xavier or “X” on Wednesday. The new DJ is named Livi and Spotify has even given its new DJ a backstory describing her as a “Senior Music Editor at Spotify based out of Mexico City” and “a music expert who has spent her entire career in the music industry.

It’s basically a cruder version of how Jon Hamm can digitally assign backgrounds and perspectives to “cookies” in Black Mirror’s Christmas episode. Does this mean X and Livia will start screaming if we play Wizzard’s “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” on an endless loop?

DJ is an AI generated list of curated songs based on a Spotify user’s listening history. The DJ feature also includes an AI voice introducing and commenting on some of the songs it picks just like a radio DJ would except this DJ plays songs you actually want to hear. The music streaming service launched DJ last year using OpenAI. Six months later, Spotify expanded DJ’s reach to 50 countries but only in English.

Spotify’s DJ is also starting to get some competition. YouTube Music just announced its own AI-generated conversational DJ radio generator for select users. If they don’t call him “YouGene,” then they are missing out on pure pun gold.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotifys-ai-music-dj-can-now-speak-spanish-180022156.html?src=rss

Fallout’s 16 Emmy nominations show that successful gaming adaptations are no longer a fluke

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Prime Video’s Fallout has followed The Last of Us in video-game adaptations making smashing freshman debuts at the Emmys. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences unveiled this year’s nominations on Wednesday, and Amazon’s adaptation of Bethesda’s franchise picked up an impressive 16 nods, including Best Drama, Best Actor - Drama (Walton Goggins) and Best Writing - Drama.

Fallout, which Amazon didn’t wait long to renew for a second season, follows Lucy (Ella Purnell), a vault dweller who ventures above-ground to try to rescue her father in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Walton Goggins scored the series’ only acting nomination for his scene-stealing performance as The Ghoul. Its writing nod went to Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner for the ironically (yet appropriately) titled premiere episode, “The End.”

Only Murders in the Building, Hulu’s popular comedy-mystery series, led all streaming-only series with 21 nominations. They include Best Comedy, two for Best Actor - Comedy (Steve Martin and Martin Short), Best Actress - Comedy (Selena Gomez) and Best Supporting Actress - Comedy (finally, Meryl Streep gets nominated for something!), Best Supporting Actor - Comedy (Paul Rudd), Comedy Guest Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Comedy Guest Actor (Matthew Broderick).

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth in the final season of The Crown. Closeup.
Imelda Staunton in The Crown
Netflix

Netflix’s The Crown followed close behind for streaming-only series with 18 noms for its final season, which recounted the passing of Princess Diana and the Royal Family’s transition into the 21st century. It picked up nods for Best Drama, Best Actress - Drama (Imelda Staunton), Best Actor - Drama (Dominic West), two for Best Supporting Actress - Drama (Elizabeth Debicki and Lesley Manville), Best Supporting Actor - Drama (Jonathan Pryce), Guest Actress - Drama (Claire Foy in a memorable return), Directing - Drama (Stephen Daldry for the episode “Sleep, Dearie Sleep”) and Writing - Drama (Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare for “Ritz”).

In other streaming nominations, Amazon Prime’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Apple TV+’s The Morning Show each snagged 16 nods. Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, described as based on a true stalking story by series creator and lead actor Richard Gadd, received 11 nominations.

Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses. Standing in front of storefronts, wearing frumpy clothes.
Apple TV+

Netflix had the most total nominations of any platform, with a staggering 107. Among streaming-only ones, Apple TV+ came in second with 70. (In addition to The Morning Show, Apple’s Palm Royale, Lessons in Chemistry and Slow Horses all charted.) Amazon Prime Video landed 37 total noms, Hulu got 26 and Disney+ received 19.

Zooming out from streaming-only to the broader field, FX’s Shogun led all series with 25 nominations, followed by The Bear with 23 (it was a good day for FX) as it broke the record for most nods for a comedy. HBO’s True Detective: Night Country landed 19, a new sketch-comedy show you may have heard of called Saturday Night Live received 17 and HBO’s Hacks got 16.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fallouts-16-emmy-nominations-show-that-successful-gaming-adaptations-are-no-longer-a-fluke-175555108.html?src=rss