philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Trump’s AI Action Plan Is a Crusade Against ‘Bias’—and Regulation

... The Office of Science and Technology Policy drafted the plan, which focuses on three key “pillars” for AI strategy: accelerating AI innovation, building infrastructure, and leading international diplomacy and security. ...

...encouraging the Federal Communications Commission to “evaluate whether state AI regulations interfere with the agency’s ability to carry out its obligations and authorities under the Communications Act of 1934.” ...

Shortly after Trump took office, Vice President JD Vance gave a speech at a major AI meeting in Paris where he laid out the new administration’s priorities. “We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off, and we'll make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies,” Vance said, adding, “we feel strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias, and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.”

The AI Action Plan continues this crusade against “woke” AI, recommending that federal procurement guidelines are updated so that only AI companies that “ensure that their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias” are given contracts. ...

Last week, the US government reversed restrictions on certain cutting-edge Nvidia and AMD chip sales to China, apparently shifting its focus towards helping US companies compete globally.

A variety of tech, consumer protection, and civil society organizations are already speaking out with concerns about the action plan. Sarah Myers West and Amba Kak, the co-executive directors of the AI Now Institute, characterized the plan in a statement to WIRED as “written by Big Tech interests invested in advancing AI that's used on us, not by us.”

See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/trumps-ai-action-plan-crusade-against-bias-regulation/

Amazon Buying Startup Bee, Maker of the Pioneer AI Bracelet

Amazon has agreed to purchase AI wearables firm Bee, it was announced via a LinkedIn post by the San Francisco-based startup. Bee’s principal product is a $50 wrist device called the Pioneer that records all audio within range unless manually muted. Combined with a $19 per month subscription the device records and transcribes “daily memories” to create to-do lists and reminders based on what it hears. It can also answer questions. Bee’s website says the product is backordered due to “high demand” with shipments resuming in September. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. ...

See the full story here: https://www.etcentric.org/amazon-buying-startup-bee-maker-of-the-pioneer-ai-bracelet/

and

Amazon acquires Bee, the AI wearable that records everything you say

Sony Pictures Television Leaning Into Creator Economy With Hire Of Digital Boss Matt Ford

The International Production group has hired ex-BBC Studios exec Matt Ford in a newly-created digital role to “engage with UK content creators, create digital originals and build creator partnerships.” He will “supercharge the group’s work on creating digital-first original content for streaming, digital, social, and audio platforms,” Sony said.

Rather than working for specific Sony-owned indies, the  VP, Commercial, Digital role is a centralized one and Ford is reporting into EVP, UK & Europe Matthew Justice. He will work closely with Hannah Smith (VP, Operations, SPT) and President, International Production, Wayne Garvie. ...

See the full story here: https://deadline.com/2025/07/sony-pictures-television-hires-matt-ford-digital-role-1236466982/

Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China’s Controversial ‘996’ Work Schedule

... These companies are embracing an intense schedule, first popularized in mainland China, known as “996,” or 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. In other words, it’s a 72-hour work week.

The 996 phenomenon in China gave rise to  major protests and accusations of “modern slavery,” with critics blaming the schedule for a spate of worker deaths. Despite the negative connotations overseas, US firms, many of them working on artificial intelligence, are adopting both the schedule and  its nickname as they race to compete against each other—and with China. Adrian Kinnersley, a serial entrepreneur who runs both a staffing and recruitment company and an employment compliance startup, has been surprised by how many startups are going all-in on 996. “It's becoming increasingly common,” he says. “We have multiple clients where a prerequisite for screening candidates before they go for an interview is whether they are prepared to work 996.” ...

It echoes Elon Musk’s "extremely hardcore" ultimatum to X employees, which encouraged them to work punishing hours. ...

Companies aren’t having trouble finding willing employees, and some frame it as core to their work culture. ...

See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/silicon-valley-china-996-work-schedule/

Teens say they are turning to AI for friendship

... Arkansas teen Bruce Perry, 17, says he relates to that and relies on AI tools to craft outlines and proofread essays for his English class.

“If you tell me to plan out an essay, I would think of going to ChatGPT before getting out a pencil,” Perry said. He uses AI daily and has asked chatbots for advice in social situations, to help him decide what to wear and to write emails to teachers, saying AI articulates his thoughts faster.

Perry says he feels fortunate that AI companions were not around when he was younger.

“I’m worried that kids could get lost in this,” Perry said. “I could see a kid that grows up with AI not seeing a reason to go to the park or try to make a friend.” ...

See the full story here: https://apnews.com/article/ai-companion-generative-teens-mental-health-9ce59a2b250f3bd0187a717ffa2ad21f

AI Isn’t Hollywood’s First Script Doctor. But It May Be Its Last

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Writers, producers and directors across the United States and the United Kingdom are already seeing the shift. Those I work with describe being handed machine-generated materials — character breakdowns, first drafts, pitch outlines — then being asked to develop them into something usable. One of my clients, a showrunner with multiple global hits, was recently asked to rewrite a pilot generated by ChatGPT. The terms were explicit. No credit. No disclosure. Just a polish pass — then back to the shadows. ...

During the McCarthy era, entire productions relied on pseudonyms and stand-ins to get scripts by blacklisted writers onto the screen. ...

Today, it is not political ideology that drives invisibility. It is convenience. ...

See the full editorial here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/artificial-intelligence-hollywood-script-doctor-1236326141/

LORA – how to use a Low Ranked Adaptation

Conclusion

A LoRA is a powerful and approachable way to take control of how AI shows up in your creative work. Whether you're concepting a product line, exploring lighting looks, or trying to keep things on-brand, a LoRA lets you bring your own data to the table and make AI feel a little more like part of your team.

It’s not just about aesthetics—it’s about authorship.

https://3dartist.substack.com/p/wtf-is-a-lora

[A Lora] flips the power dynamic. You’re not asking the model to do something in your style. You’re teaching it your style directly.

China’s renewable energy push in Tibet Autonomous Region a worry for India, warns new study

... According to a new study, China is systematically harnessing the renewable energy potential of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) for both civilian and military purposes. ...

Nithyanandam argues that "China's sustained investments in TAR's renewable energy sector reflect its commitment to achieving its net neutrality goal and its intention to drive economic development in one of its most remote regions. This energy push has added strategic depth to the region’s importance, especially given its proximity to India." ...

"Though officially positioned within China's 2060 carbon neutrality roadmap, the dual-use character of many renewable, especially solar installations is evident. Large-scale and tactical systems alike serve civilian demands while also meeting the logistical requirements of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), revealing a deeper strategic calculus," he observes in his study, which is based on open-source information and image processing of remotely sensed data. ...

Interestingly, Tibet ranks among the sunniest regions globally, with more than 3,000 hours of annual sunshine across many western areas and an average of 8,160 MJ/m² annually in Lhasa alone. This has enabled the development of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure, such as the 1.1 GW Yangbajing solar farm, building on long-standing traditions of passive solar design in Tibetan architecture. ...

See the full story here: https://www.newindianexpress.com/web-only/2025/Jul/19/chinas-renewable-energy-push-in-tibet-autonomous-region-a-worry-for-india-warns-new-study

AI Is Making Us Dumber, MIT Researchers Find

... The study... consisted of three cohorts: one group that used only their brain, one that used a search engine, and one that used a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT. ...

The measurements consisted of electroencephalography (EEG) to measure participants’ brain activity and to see how their neurons activated during the essay writing task. ...

Critically, use of the AI tools correlated with poorer results, both in brain activity and the other tests. ...

Study subjects who went from the LLM to the brain-only group showed weaker neural connectivity and “under-engagement of alpha and beta networks,” the researchers write. Subjects who went the other way, from the brain-only group to the LLM group, showed higher memory recall and re-engagement of activity in certain parts of the brain. ...

The English teachers reported that it was obvious which essays were written by AI because they were “near-perfect” in their use of language and structure, and for how devoid they were of any personal touch. “We, as English teachers, perceived these essays as ‘soulless’, in a way, as many sentences were empty with regard to content and essays lacked personal nuances,” they wrote, according to the study. ...

See the full story here: https://www.hpcwire.com/2025/07/19/ai-is-making-us-dumber-mit-researchers-find/

The Well-Traveled Path

It feels like every Harvard student has the exact same dream. And it’s not just about the money.

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And this is the real tragedy. It isn’t that so many students go into consulting or finance, but how many do it by default. When the most talented, resourced, and socially mobile students in the country are quietly surrendering their self-direction, it’s not just a loss of imagination, but a failure of nerve. ...

No one is asking students to throw away security in the name of self-actualization. But we should, at the very least, be able to distinguish between a real safety net and a misguided desire for control. The former gives you room to risk things. The latter tempts you into never trying.

The real privilege—the one that we Ivy League students like to avoid—isn’t in landing the offer, but deciding if we want it in the first place. That kind of decision requires self-respect that goes beyond a paycheck or job title. It demands the capacity to live with your choices—not because they’re safe or prestigious, but because you know, deeply and privately and in a way that no one else can really understand, that they’re yours.

See the full story here: https://slate.com/life/2025/07/harvard-ivy-league-careers-consulting-finance-tech.html