Biden will nominate a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration
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Column-Holy Trinity for 2024 markets that requires some faith: Mike Dolan
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Major League Baseball takes over the Diamondbacks' game broadcasts from Diamond Sports
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Trump says he always had autoworkers' backs. Union leaders say his first-term record shows otherwise
When former President Donald Trump visits Detroit next week, he’ll be looking to blunt criticisms from a United Auto Workers union leadership that has said a second term for him would be a “disaster” for workers
2023-09-22 01:49
Hollywood AI backlash: What striking writers and actors fear about tech replacing roles
Hollywood’s actors and writers have both gone on strike for the first time since 1960 to protest against a number of decisions by major studios that include not just job cuts but also a potentially unsettling future in which they could be replaced by artificial intelligence. The leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood union representing 160,000 television and movie actors, went on strike on Thursday, joining the industry’s screenwriters who have already been picketing for over 70 days. Among the many issues flagged by both the writers and actors in the protests has been how generative AI tools could replace their roles in the industry. Over the last decade, AI has found several uses in the movie and television industry, from de-aging actors, analysing patterns and behaviours of viewers on streaming platforms, bringing back the voices of late actors and even helping stitch together entire movie trailers. One of the proposals, as explained by SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, feels like it is straight out of dystopian science fiction series Black Mirror. During a press conference on Thursday, Mr Crabtree-Ireland alleged that a proposal from Hollywood studios was to use “groundbreaking AI” to scan background performers and only offer them a day’s pay while the companies get to own the scans and use them for any project they want. “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation,” the executive said. “If you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again,” Mr Crabtree-Ireland said. A statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), that represents the studios, claims the “groundbreaking AI” proposal “protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members”. “We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise... The entire business model has been changed by streaming and AI If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in jeopardy,” the actors’ guild president Fran Drescher said on Thursday. Follow along here for real-time updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike Writers who have already been protesting since May have also sought assurances from studios that their jobs would not be threatened by AI. With the steady rise of online streaming services looking to rack up user subscriptions by churning out endless amounts of digital content, writers on strike have sought new pay structures, guaranteed periods of work as well as better discussions on the limits of AI use. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) shared concerns that producers may seek to use AI to write scripts or at least use the technology to complete unfinished screenplays, and have also urged production houses to agree to safeguards around its usage. Screenwriters fear AI could be used to churn out a rough first draft with a few simple prompts and writers may then be hired after this initial step to punch such drafts up – albeit at a lower pay rate. Without further dialogue with studios, writers have raised concerns there could be a number of new ways that AI could be used to craft outlines for stories, fill in scenes and even come up with mock-up drafts. “There are ways it can be useful. But too many people are using it against us and using it to create mediocrity. They’re also in violation of copyright. They’re also plagiarizing,” Michael Winship, president of the WGA East, said in May. With these risks in mind, the WGA seeks more safeguards on how AI can be applied to the screenwriting process. Read More Hollywood actors and writers strike after ‘disgusting’ studios turn down deal. Here’s what it means for you Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike: ‘The eyes of the world are upon us’ Cast of Oppenheimer walk out of UK premiere ahead of actors’ strike announcement What happens next as striking actors send Hollywood into meltdown? Issa Rae and Jamie Lee Curtis lead A-listers voicing support for actors strike Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike
2023-07-14 13:50
CNN head Chris Licht out at news network after brief, tumultuous tenure
Chris Licht is out after a year as chief executive at CNN, following a series of missteps and plunging ratings
2023-06-07 21:26
Travelers hoping to enjoy one last summer fling over Labor Day weekend should expect lots of company
If you're squeezing in one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend, expects lots of company
2023-08-31 12:20
Canadian regulators approve preliminary interim tolls on expanded Trans Mountain pipeline
By Nia Williams The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) on Thursday approved preliminary interim tolls for the expanded Trans
2023-12-01 07:53
Avanci Launches 4G Smart Meter patent licensing program
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 31, 2023--
2023-10-31 21:18
China’s CATL, BYD Dominate EV Battery Market as Demand Grows
Chinese companies are expanding their share of the US and European electric-car battery markets thanks to lower prices,
2023-10-11 13:48
United Natural Foods, Inc. Concludes Successful 2023 Conventional Winter Show
PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 10, 2023--
2023-08-10 19:19
Close Encounters With UFOs Described to Congressional Committee
Three former military officers told Congress they saw unexplained flying objects and one of them claimed the US
2023-07-26 23:29
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