philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

(HBS) The Cybernetic Teammate: A Field Experiment on Generative AI Reshaping Teamwork and Expertise(HBR)

... Even more interesting: AI broke down professional silos. R&D people with AI produced more commercial work and commercial people with AI had more technical solutions. ...

See the paper here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5188231

See the substack description here: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-cybernetic-teammate

PhilNote: The substack comments are equally interesting

Netflix’s Reed Hastings Donates $50M to Launch AI and Humanity Initiative at Bowdoin College

... Initial priorities include hiring 10 new faculty members in a range of disciplines; supporting current faculty who want to incorporate and interrogate AI in their teaching, research and other work; and conversations about the uses of AI and the changes and challenges it will bring, including workshops, symposia and support for student research. ...

“Bowdoin is ideally positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities of AI,” she said. “Our deep commitment to the liberal arts and the common good position us to think together about what we are going to value in human cognition, and what we will want our AI systems to do — or not do — going forward in service to humanity.” ...

See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-reed-hastings-donation-ai-humanity-bowdoin-college-1236171130/

Revolutionary experiment concludes that light exists in 37 dimensions

... Everyday experiences follow clear, sensible rules. For example, if you find a letter in your mailbox, someone obviously delivered it there. This simple logic—called local realism—assumes objects exist clearly and events happen predictably, influenced solely by immediate surroundings. ...

But quantum mechanics rejects such straightforward reasoning. In this bizarre quantum world, particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously until someone observes them. The GHZ paradox illustrates how this idea mathematically breaks classical rules, even suggesting absurd outcomes like one equaling negative one. ...

Photons—the tiny particles making up light—were controlled in ways requiring 37 separate points of reference. Handling quantum states at this scale allowed researchers to deeply explore how quantum mechanics diverges from common sense and classical physics. ...

One of the key takeaways from the experiment is that quantum mechanics does not conform to classical expectations. By creating a GHZ-type paradox in 37 dimensions, the researchers demonstrated a breakdown of local realism in ways previously unexplored. ...

The research team mathematically confirmed that their experiment achieved the strongest recorded manifestation of quantum nonlocality.  ...

See the full story here: https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/revolutionary-experiment-concludes-that-light-exists-in-37-dimensions/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

How to Write Your First AI Agent (Even If You Don’t Know What That Means Yet)

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writing your first agent doesn’t require deep technical skill—it requires a mindset shift. Think of it as a new way to delegate. 

This post is a practical starting point: what agents are, how they work, and how to build one today using tools you already know. ...

1. Sense: Gather information from the environment
2. Think: Process that information against goals or rules
3. Act: Take action based on the processing

Every agent—from the simplest email filter to the most advanced autonomous system—follows this pattern. ...

Importantly, this agent didn’t replace or displace anyone. When we originally built it, we did not have the resources to stand-up the team required to do the work. Today, we could easily justify the human resources, but it would not be a good use of anyone’s time. The function is fully automated — as it should be. ...

Leading the Agent Revolution

The best agent implementations start with leadership, not technology. As you work with your team:

1. Focus on outcomes, not features. What business problem are you solving?
2. Start small and iterate. Build one capability that works well before adding complexity.
3. Involve end users early. The people who will use the agent should help design it.
4. Measure and refine. Set clear success metrics and continuously improve.
5. Build for augmentation, not replacement. The best agents make people more effective, not redundant.

...

See the full story here: https://shellypalmer.com/2025/03/how-to-write-your-first-ai-agent-even-if-you-dont-know-what-that-means-yet/?mc_cid=c14727bb2b&mc_eid=116e9f337b

Square Enix to wind down its Web3 venture Symbiogenesis in July

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The project was launched when the non-fungible token (NFT) market’s fatigue reached its peak in 2023, failing to meet the low expectations of players in the sector. The project began as a game where players could purchase NFT-based characters and travel across a mystery multi-chapter fantasy. The growing fatigue in the market was another factor, with the usual players burnt out from other projects.

While the project promised excitement with its 10,000 NFT characters and promise of utility, the underwhelming reception it received was a surprise, especially considering the fact that it came from a renowned publisher like Square Enix.

Square Enix to shutter Symbiogenesis in July

According to reports, Symbiogenesis did not offer users any financial incentives for playing, nor did it offer much in terms of gameplay. The project was supposed to follow legendary projects like Axie Infinity or Off The Grid but refused to adopt their mechanism. Aside from allowing players to sell and buy characters and items in the games, it offered little return on investment. Players mentioned at the time that even at their peak, most of these items sold for a couple of thousand dollars. ...

See the full story here: https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-713288-20250322

The Maya Angelou Immersive Experience

... Professor Travis Cloyd of FIU’s D.R.E.A.M.S. program is proud of the university’s role in this educational AI experience. “By integrating AI, augmented reality, and spatial experiences, we are creating a new standard for location-based entertainment, one that enhances learning, retention, empathy and connection for the next generation. Immersive experiences aren’t just seen—they’re felt. By blending digital and physical worlds, we create deeper connections to stories that matter.” ...

See the full story here: https://www.shootonline.com/spw/the-maya-angelou-immersive-experience/

OpenAI takes its pitch to Hollywood creatives after launching controversial video tool

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This week, the ChatGPT maker screened 11 short films made with Sora on the big screen at Brain Dead Studios, a movie theater on Fairfax Avenue. The event, called Sora Selects, aimed to showcase filmmakers using Sora while also marketing the technology. The company’s first such event was held in New York in January, followed by L.A. The next stop is Tokyo. 

The movies shown on Wednesday featured various themes and AI-generated environments, including medieval times, dreams and sunsets — with scenes showing AI-produced humans, animals and landscapes. ...

Sahai said at peak traffic, there are 10 Sora videos generated every second. The four top cities using Sora are all abroad — Seoul, Paris, Tokyo and Madrid, OpenAI said. New York ranks fifth. ...

See the full story here: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-03-21/openai-hollywood-filmmakers-sora

Bob Iger Says AI May Be “Most Powerful Technology That Our Company Has Ever Seen”

... “Given the speed that it is developing, we’re taking precautions to make sure of three things: One, that our IP is being protected. That’s incredibly important,” Iger said. “Second, that our creators are being respected, and last, that our customers are being considered and valued, particularly as this technology emerges rapidly.” ...

Iger noted throughout the meeting that Disney has always embraced new technologies, and featured some of Disney Imagineering’s tech, like the BDX droids, in a prerecorded segment. AI will likely be technology that plays a role in the company’s future, in pursuit of those creative endeavors. ...

See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bob-iger-disney-ai-use-comments-1236169173/

(Shelly Palmer) Anthropic Claude

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Anthropic has finally given Claude what it's been missing: the ability to search the web. This may seem like a minor feature update, but it's not—it's huge.

If you're a paid Claude 3.7 Sonnet user, go to your profile settings and toggle on "web search." It's that simple. When Claude uses web search, it provides inline citations, allowing users to verify sources and dig deeper if needed. This brings Claude to feature parity with competitors like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Mistral's Le Chat. ...

Amazing New Technology Can ‘Bend’ Sounds Into Your Ears Only

... We use two ultrasound beams at different frequencies that are completely silent on their own. But when they intersect in space, nonlinear effects cause them to generate a new sound wave at an audible frequency that would be heard only in that specific region. ...

Crucially, we designed ultrasonic beams that can bend on their own. Normally, sound waves travel in straight lines unless something blocks or reflects them. However, by using acoustic metasurfaces – specialized materials that manipulate sound waves – we can shape ultrasound beams to bend as they travel.

Similar to how an optical lens bends light, acoustic metasurfaces change the shape of the path of sound waves. By precisely controlling the phase of the ultrasound waves, we create curved sound paths that can navigate around obstacles and meet at a specific target location.

The key phenomenon at play is what's called difference frequency generation. When two ultrasonic beams of slightly different frequencies, such as 40 kHz and 39.5 kHz, overlap, they create a new sound wave at the difference between their frequencies – in this case 0.5 kHz, or 500 Hz, which is well within the human hearing range.

Sound can be heard only where the beams cross. Outside of that intersection, the ultrasound waves remain silent. ...

This isn't something that's going to be on the shelf in the immediate future. For instance, challenges remain for our technology. Nonlinear distortion can affect sound quality. And power efficiency is another issue  ...

See the full story here: https://www.sciencealert.com/amazing-new-technology-can-bend-sounds-into-your-ears-only?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email