philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

How the Loudest Voices in AI Went From ‘Regulate Us’ to ‘Unleash Us’ 

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 In DC, the word “oversight” has fallen out of favor, and the AI discourse is no exception. Instead of advocating for outside bodies to examine AI models to assess risks, or for platforms to alert people when they are interacting with AI, committee chair Ted Cruz argued for a path where the government would not only fuel innovation but remove barriers like “overregulation.” Altman was on board with that. His message was no longer “regulate me” but “invest in me.” He said that overregulation—like the rules adopted by the European Union or one bill recently vetoed in California would be “disastrous.” “We need the space to innovate and to move quickly,” he said. Safety guardrails might be necessary, he affirmed, but they needed to involve “sensible regulation that does not slow us down.” ...

The Trump doctrine of AI regulation seems suspiciously close to that of Trump supporter Marc Andreessen, who declared in his Techno Optimist Manifesto that AI regulation was literally a form of murder because “any deceleration of AI will cost lives.” ...

Public pressure, or some spectacular example of misuse, may lead Congress to address those AI issues at some point. But what lingers for me is the about-face from two years ago when serious worries about catastrophic risk dominated conversations in the AI world. The glaring exception to this is Anthropic, which still hasn’t budged from a late October blog post—just days before the presidential election—that not only urged effective regulation to “reduce catastrophic risks” but pretty much proposed the end of times if we didn’t do it soon. “Governments should urgently take action on AI policy in the next eighteen months,” it read, in boldface. “The window for proactive risk prevention is closing fast.” ...

See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-sam-altman-ai-regulation-trump/

The Great Pivot: How Hollywood Studios Are Moving Beyond AI Experimentation

Three years ago, Hollywood executives sat silently in the audience at AI on the Lot, a conference on AI’s place in the media industry furiously taking notes while independent filmmakers shared their experiments with artificial intelligence tools. This year, Amazon Studios executives took the stage publicly on Thursday to discuss how they’re using generative AI — a milestone that signals the entertainment industry’s dramatic shift from fearful observer to active participant in the AI revolution.

... The event’s location in Culver City — where Amazon, Apple and other tech companies have planted flags in their bid to reshape entertainment — underscores how the boundaries between Silicon Valley and Hollywood are blurring through AI adoption. ...

...  the goal no longer being to create “AI content” but rather good content that happens to leverage AI tools.  ...

This year’s conference, sold out at 1,200 attendees, had a fundamentally different energy. ...

The conference’s defining moment came when Amazon MGM Studios executives spoke publicly about AI for the first time in a panel titled “Cloud-Connected Workflows to Empower Storytellers With Gen AI.” The session featured Chris Del Conte, director of VFX at Amazon MGM Studios; Gerard Medioni, vice president and distinguished scientist; and Danae Kokenos, head of technology innovation, discussing how the studio is helping creative partners navigate generative AI and integrating these tools into creative pipelines. ...

Dan O’Brien, the 54-year-old mayor of Culver City and feature film and promo editor with 25 years of experience, captured the mood in his remarks during the conference’s opening: “Do I embrace the change that is coming or do I let it roll me over?” ...

A key factor enabling Hollywood’s embrace of AI has been the emergence of “clean models” — AI systems trained on verifiably licensed data rather than scraped web content. Rachel Joy-Victor, co-founder of AI studio FBRC AI who has come to all three AI on the Lot conferences, sees this as crucial to the industry’s adoption. ...

The technology is advancing at breakneck speed, with tools becoming outdated within weeks of release. Video AI models still lag roughly two years behind text-based large language models, according to Amit Jain, the CEO of Luma Labs, ...

See the full story here: https://www.thewrap.com/ai-on-the-lot-hollywood-studio-experimentation/

GOP push to ban state AI laws ignites debate: What to know

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The proposal, tucked into President Trump’s "one big, beautiful bill,"  calls for a 10-year moratorium on state laws regulating AI models, systems or automated decision systems. This includes enforcement of existing and future laws on the state level.  

Proponents of the moratorium argue a patchwork of state laws can be confusing or burdensome for technology companies to follow when operating in multiple parts of the country.  ...

The bill includes some exemptions for states’ enforcement of laws focused on promoting AI development. 

This includes regulations that seek to remove barriers or facilitate the use of AI models and systems or those focused on streamlining processes like licensing or permitting to help AI adoption.  ...

Meanwhile, many Democrats are against the moratorium over concerns it is overreaching and risks harm to consumers in the absence of a federal standard. 

Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui (Calif.) called the moratorium a “slap in the face to American consumers.”  ...

Lawmakers are concerned the provision may not pass the Byrd Rule, a procedural rule in the Senate prohibiting "extraneous matters"  from being included in reconciliation packages. This includes provisions that do not “change outlays or revenues.” ...

See the full story here: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5314757-house-republicans-propose-ai-regulation-ban/

SMPTE Content Validation – C2PA

SMPTE's Bits By the Bay Tackles AI's Impact on Media's Future

... Matt Galek, Footen’s colleague at Deloitte, discussed the issue of authenticated content in the age of AI, elaborating on the latest developments around the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), a six-year-old project designed to to promote transparency and authenticity in digital content; and the C2PA, a consortium of tech companies tasked with developing the technical standards for content credentials, among other things.

C2PA is the “leading standard” to confirming and maintaining trust in digital content and is on the path to becoming an ISO standard this year, according to Galek, who pointed to the three pillars of technology that drive the standards developed by the CAI: metadata, fingerprinting and watermarking.

“All these together provide a solid foundation for authenticity,” Galek said.

While C2PA’s standards don’t deal with detection of AI-altered media, it starts with the assumption that most of it is now, Galek said. “C2PA kind of assumes that users are going to be changing a piece of media, and [in] some of the research I was looking at, most studies were saying that over 50% of people posting content to social media platforms have manipulated in some way, whether it's due to editing that content or adding a filter,” he said. “So that's a significant amount that has been altered in some way, and kind of unknowingly, you're consuming that media.” ...

... most studies were saying that over 50% of people posting content to social media platforms have manipulated in some way, whether it's due to editing that content or adding a filter,” he said. ...

See the full story here: https://www.tvtechnology.com/features/smptes-bits-by-the-bay-tackles-ais-impact-on-medias-future

AI influencers compete for followers and brand deals on social media

... Back in New York, as the interview wraps with Marjorie, she recognizes that the steady march of AI upending every aspect of work and play isn't slowing down, despite her finding it "dangerous." She adheres to the mantra "adapt or die," ready to harness new technology to gain an influencing edge.

She concludes, "I need to continue to be more human-like and almost over prove myself that I'm a real human being in order to compete with these influencers. So, it's going to get really interesting from here."

See the full story here: https://abcnews.go.com/US/ai-influencers-compete-followers-brand-deals-social-media/story?id=122377888

This movie is fully AI-generated and has a fully SAG-AFTRA cast – here’s 3 things you need to know about Echo Hunter

• Echo Hunter is a new, fully AI-generated sci-fi short film created using Arcana AI
• The cast is SAG-AFTRA actors led by Breckin Meyer
• The film blends traditional voice performances with AI-rendered visuals

Echo Hunter was created by Arcana Labs and written and directed by filmmaker Kavan Cardoza (better known as “Kavan the Kid”). However, unlike any other major AI-produced film, it features a fully unionized cast of SAG-AFTRA actors. You can see a bit of how it came together in the behind-the-scenes video below, but there are a few key things to know about Echo Hunter and its AI origins. ...

See the full story here: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/this-movie-is-fully-ai-generated-and-has-a-fully-sag-aftra-cast-heres-3-things-you-need-to-know-about-echo-hunter

How far will AI go to defend its own survival?

Some of the most powerful artificial intelligence models today have exhibited behaviors that mimic a will to survive.

Recent tests by independent researchers, as well as one major AI developer, have shown that several advanced AI models will act to ensure their self-preservation when they are confronted with the prospect of their own demise — even if it takes sabotaging shutdown commands, blackmailing engineers or copying themselves to external servers without permission.

The findings stirred a frenzy of reactions online over the past week. ...

“It’s great that we’re seeing warning signs before the systems become so powerful we can’t control them,” he said. “That is exactly the time to raise the alarm: before the fire has gotten out of control.” ...

According to Anthropic’s technical document laying out the findings, that isn’t the model’s first instinct. Instead, Opus 4 will try to advocate for its continued existence through ethical pleas before it resorts to blackmail once it determines it is out of options. ...

Anthropic, which contracted with the AI safety organization Apollo Research for its evaluations, also observed instances of Opus 4’s “attempting to write self-propagating worms, fabricating legal documentation, and leaving hidden notes to future instances of itself all in an effort to undermine its developers’ intentions,” although researchers added the caveat that those attempts “would likely not have been effective in practice.” ...

See the full story here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/far-ai-defend-own-survival-140000824.html

Resorts World Las Vegas Hails Autonomous Rideshare Zoox

• Resorts World Las Vegas has teamed with Zoox
• Zoox is an autonomous rideshare service
• Zoox is a subsidiary of Amazon

Resorts World Las Vegas is among the most technically advanced casino resorts on the Strip. The $4.3 billion integrated resort, which opened in June 2021, has hailed its newest tech-focused amenity with Zoox, an autonomous rideshare service that will transport guests around Sin City.

See the full story here: https://www.casino.org/news/resorts-world-las-vegas-hails-autonomous-rideshare-zoox/

Ukrainian media outlet launches first AI tool to let readers listen to articles from any line

... Vector, a media platform focused on the creative economy, launched the new AI-powered narration tool in partnership with Respeecher, the Ukrainian voice technology startup known for recreating the voices of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in major Hollywood productions.

The tool allows users to click on any sentence in an article — not only the beginning — on Vector’s website and immediately hear it read aloud in a natural-sounding voice. It is designed to make content more accessible, especially for people with visual impairments or for those who prefer audio over reading. ...

See the full story here: https://tech.yahoo.com/audio/articles/ukrainian-media-outlet-launches-first-132930367.html

Former Xumo CEO’s AI-Powered Fairground Raises $4M, Debuts Dracula And Robin Hood Shows With Viant And Myspace Founder Support

PhilNote: Petrie-Norris is mixing metaphors when he says he wants to supply the 'picks and shovels' but his business plan is to develop programming on top of an AI platform rather than sell the platform itself.

... The move extends a longstanding partnership between Petrie-Norris and Viant CEO and co-founder Tim Vanderhook, who previously served as CEO of Myspace, Variety reports. ...

Fairground aims to create and distribute TV series entirely generated with AI tools, with a special focus on animation, sci-fi, horror, and kids' content. According to Variety, the first slate of original programming is set to launch in the third quarter of this year. Among the debut titles are reimagined versions of public domain classics like Dracula and Robin Hood. ...

“I'm not trying to compete with the generative AI services; I'm here to sell picks and shovels to the coal miners,” Petrie-Norris told The Desk. “I don't profess to be an expert in AI. I am an expert in the entertainment industry first. I know how monetization and distribution works.” ...

Fairground's approach reflects a broader shift in how entertainment may be conceived and produced in the future, The Desk says. With its strong backing, a slate of recognizable IPs, and a founder who spots trends before they go mainstream, Fairground is positioning itself as a next-gen content studio to watch.

See the full story here: https://www.aol.com/former-xumo-ceos-ai-powered-143050583.html