philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

MEDIA CTOS REFLECT ON THE DISRUPTION CURVE AND AI

Phil Wiser, EVP and Global CTO, Paramount  ...

“In less than 10 years, most of music consumption was shifted to the new model,” said Wiser.

Print with its ad-based model had been “stickier”, he said, while in the case of video, the legacy model had been protected by the fact that it generated good revenue streams tied to physical infrastructure.

“We are just at a point where the erosion of that has really started,” he said, predicting an acceleration in the decline of the traditional pay TV model, from now on. ...

To support the economics of the business, broadcast and streaming need to be converged, said Wiser. ...

One part of the transformation was to partner aggressively with big scale players like AWS, which invested alongside Paramount in its cloud infrastructure. Paramount alone could not have invested the “hundreds of millions of dollars required”, said Wiser, adding that this lesson now applies even more to investment in AI. ...

Investment in AI

Nevertheless, investment in AI shows signs of paying off. With AI, he said, there is “no need to overinvest in data science or data teams”, even if it was important to have data capability.

“My data science team is probably going to shoot me [for that comment],” he said.

Wiser said media companies spend most time creating content and then marketing it. Production takes longer and it is hard to effect change in this area, he said. Now with AI, it is possible to create some change. However, it is unlikely to replace large parts of the creative process. ...

Girish Bajaj, VP, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Technology ...

Amazon has been using AI for over 20 years in video and is now extending that to tap into the potential of Generative AI. “We are definitely leaning into it. The important part is everyone is trying to find the chatbot that is going to work.”

Generative AI is now being used for personalisation.

However, using AI for practical use cases meant reskilling and retooling the entire Prime Video team. He said the technology could be used for customer facing features but also on the back end to help process media files and create cover art, for example. ...

See the full story here: https://www.ibc.org/features/media-ctos-reflect-on-the-disruption-curve-and-ai/12015.article

Trump’s Crypto Gamble Threatens Bitcoin Policy Progress

... The project, which ties Trump’s name to a crypto initiative rather than bitcoin, threatens to confuse and alienate his supporters — both bitcoiners and his conservative base. Worse yet, this misguided foray into the world of DeFi could reinforce dangerous misconceptions, leading his most ardent backers to miss out on the opportunity that bitcoin presents as a hedge against inflation and a pathway to long-term, generational wealth.

Bitcoin Is Not Crypto

The first and most critical point to understand here is that bitcoin is not crypto. This is a distinction that has become increasingly clear to those who study the space, yet it’s one that many still fail to grasp. Bitcoin stands alone as a decentralized, deflationary, and censorship-resistant store of value. It is not reliant on centralized governance, nor does it need constant tinkering with its monetary policy to maintain its integrity. Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins and its decentralized infrastructure make it sound money, fundamentally different from the speculative and often risky projects seen throughout the broader cryptocurrency space, especially in the world of DeFi.

DeFi platforms like World Liberty Financial are fueled by a completely different set of values and starting assumptions. These projects, which tend to be short lived and risky, have a track record of coding errors, hacks, and governance failures. The fact that Dough Finance, the precursor to World Liberty Financial, was hacked for almost $2 million in July further illustrates the risks inherent to this sector. Unlike bitcoin, which has proven its security and resilience over the past 15 years, DeFi projects often stumble, leaving investors exposed to catastrophic losses. ...

Confusing His Base and Losing Bitcoiners

Bitcoin is not just another asset; it represents a separation of money from state — a principle that aligns deeply with conservative values of individual liberty, limited government, and economic sovereignty. ...

In aligning himself with World Liberty Financial, Trump risks undermining not only his credibility with bitcoiners but also the long-term financial well-being of his supporters. Bitcoin is not crypto, and any attempt to conflate the two only serves to mislead those who are just beginning to understand the profound opportunity bitcoin offers. Trump’s venture into DeFi is a step in the wrong direction, one that could cause lasting damage to both the MAGA movement and the broader push for sound money. The hope among conservative bitcoiners now is that Trump will see the error of this path and, like others before him, come to fully understand that bitcoin — not crypto — is the future of finance. ..

See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbirnbaum/2024/09/13/trumps-crypto-gamble-threatens-bitcoin-policy-progress/

Boston Consulting Group unveils comprehensive evaluation of Artificial General Intelligence at Global AI Summit 2024

... The new report, “Artificial General Intelligence: Demystifying AI’s Next Frontier,” explores AGI's key concepts and future potential and examines how it differs from current AI technologies. The report provides an overview of AGI’s applications across industries, its technological and ethical challenges in development, and the governance frameworks necessary for its responsible implementation. It also highlights the need for stakeholder collaboration to guide AGI’s progress and ensure its benefits are realized safely and equitably. ...

Eight Focus Areas Shaping AI's Future

The Global AI Summit's program revolved around eight key focus areas that encompass the cutting edge of AI innovation and its far-reaching implications. These areas include AI Nation, addressing government roles in AI; Generative Times, exploring AI's path to AGI; Human – Is That Still a Thing?, examining human-AI interaction; Ethics that Work, investigating AI governance; Business Leaders, On Your Marks, guiding AI strategy; Silicon Matters, evaluating AI infrastructure; Data-Application Nexus, exploring practical AI uses; and AI in the City, considering AI's urban impact. Collectively, these focus areas represent the pivotal conversations and transformative forces shaping the field of artificial intelligence today, fostering discussions on everything from governance and ethics to practical applications and societal effects. ...

Read the whitepaper here: https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-Artificial-General-Intelligence-Whitepaper.pdf

See the full post here: https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-Artificial-General-Intelligence-Whitepaper.pdf

As quantum computing threats loom, Microsoft updates its core crypto library

Microsoft has updated a key cryptographic library with two new encryption algorithms designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers.

The updates were made last week to SymCrypt, a core cryptographic code library for handing cryptographic functions in Windows and Linux. The library, started in 2006, provides operations and algorithms developers can use to safely implement secure encryption, decryption, signing, verification, hashing, and key exchange in the apps they create. The library supports federal certification requirements for cryptographic modules used in some governmental environments. ...

The updates are the first steps in implementing a massive overhaul of encryption protocols that incorporate a new set of algorithms that aren’t vulnerable to attacks from quantum computers. 

In Monday's post, Microsoft Principal Product Manager Lead Aabha Thipsay wrote: "PQC algorithms offer a promising solution for the future of cryptography, but they also come with some trade-offs. For example, these typically require larger key sizes, longer computation times, and more bandwidth than classical algorithms. Therefore, implementing PQC in real-world applications requires careful optimization and integration with existing systems and standards."

Algorithms known to be vulnerable to quantum computing attacks include RSA, Elliptic Curve, and Diffie-Hellman. These algorithms have been widely used for decades and are believed to be virtually uncrackable with classical computers when implemented correctly. ...

Quantum computing makes a new approach to cracking keys possible based on these vulnerable algorithms. The approach, known as Shor’s algorithm, relies on properties of quantum physics, such as superposition and entanglement, that are impossible with today’s classical computers. The inability to implement Shor’s algorithm today means that this approach is still theoretical, but most, if not all, cryptography experts believe that it will be practical with sufficient quantum computing resources. ...

See the full story https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/microsoft-adds-quantum-resistant-algorithms-to-its-core-crypto-library/

Looking Glass Factory CEO Discusses 3D Spatial Monitors and the Accessiblity of AR wearables, VR Headsets

Shawn Frayne, CEO and Co-Founder of Looking Glass Factory speaks exclusively on the new rising tech trend

Looking Glass Factory is developing its spatial monitors with enterprise clients and consumers in mind. “We make the only commercially available way for more than one person to see something in 3D without a headset,” remarked Frayne.

Last month, Looking Glass unveiled new products to kick off its journey. The company is now distributing 16-inch and 32-inch XR displays for enterprise and rolling out the Looking Glass Go, a more straightforward consumer display device. ...

See the full story here: https://www.xrtoday.com/augmented-reality/looking-glass-factory-ceo-discusses-3d-spatial-monitors-and-the-accessiblity-of-ar-wearables-vr-headsets/

This Seattle theater company plans to use AI in its play

In Elmer Rice’s 1923 play “The Adding Machine,” an office drone is plunged into existential crisis when his accounting job is replaced by mechanical technology. A hundred years later, artificial intelligence promises (or threatens) to do much more: write all our emails, create all our spreadsheets. And maybe, perform in all our plays?

How might that work? Consider The Feast’s staging of Rice’s play, a production dubbed “The Adding Machine: A Cyborg Morality Play,” opening Sept. 14 (previews begin Sept. 12) at The Lee Center for the Arts on Seattle University’s campus. ...

The production will involve generative AI in its scenic and costume design and will employ chatbot tools, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, to create characters that interact with the play’s five human actors. Throughout the play, actors will prompt the AI tools onstage and receive responses via text or voice in real time. While the play’s structure and around 80% of its text will remain fixed from show to show, the rest will require the cast to improvise in these interactions. ...

See the full story here: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/theater/this-seattle-theater-company-plans-to-use-ai-in-its-play/

South Korea summit to target ‘blueprint’ for using AI in the military

South Korea convened an international summit on Monday seeking to establish a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the military, though any agreement is not expected to have binding powers to enforce it.

More than 90 countries including the United States and China have sent government representatives to the two-day summit in Seoul, which is the second such gathering.

At the first summit, held in Amsterdam last year, the United States, China and other nations endorsed a modest "call to action" without legal commitment. ...

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said discussions would cover areas such as a legal review to ensure compliance with international law and mechanisms to prevent autonomous weapons from making life-and-death decisions without appropriate human oversight. ...

The Seoul summit, co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya and the United Kingdom, aims to ensure ongoing multi-stakeholder discussions in a field where technological developments are primarily driven by the private sector, but governments are the main decision makers.

About 2,000 people globally have registered to take part in the summit, including representatives from international organizations, academia and the private sector, to attend discussions on topics such as civilian protection and AI use in the control of nuclear weapons. ...

See the full story here: https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-summit-to-target-blueprint-for-using-ai-in-the-military/7776624.html

Cinépolis Opens First MacroXE ScreenX Theatre

Cinépolis, the leading Mexican film exhibition company, and CJ 4DPlex have announced the opening of the first MacroXE ScreenX theatre at its Escala Morelia complex (Plaza Morelia), in the state of Morelia, Michoacán.

The opening at Cinépolis Escala Morelia is in addition to the two theatres already available in the country; and that, due to the characteristics of the format, becomes a truly differentiated experience that revolutionizes traditional cinema. ScreenX implements a 270º multi-projection system. The combining of MacroXE’s immersive sound and 19-meter center screen with ScreenX will create a unique premium experience for the Cinepolis movie goers. ...

See the full story here: https://www.digitalcinemareport.com/news/cinépolis-opens-first-macroxe-screenx-theatre

OpenAI searches for an answer to its copyright problems

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And OpenAI may lose because of the licensing deals it negotiated. Those deals created a market for the publishers’ data, and under copyright law, if you’re disrupting such a market, well, that’s not fair use. This particular line of argument most recently came up in a Supreme Court case about an Andy Warhol painting that was found to unfairly compete with the original photograph used to create the painting.

The legal questions aren’t the only ones, of course. There’s something even more basic I’ve been wondering about: do people want answer engines, and if so, are they financially sustainable? Search isn’t just about finding answers — Google is a way of finding a specific website without having to memorize or bookmark the URL. Plus, AI is expensive. OpenAI might fail because it simply can’t turn a profit. As for Google, it could be broken up by regulators because of that monopoly finding. ...

See the full story here: https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/30/24230975/openai-publisher-deals-web-search?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Mickey Mouse Smoking: How AI Image Tools Are Generating New Content-Moderation Problems

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A newly released AI image generator from Elon Musk’s xAI does. The startup was criticized by tech-industry watchdogs after it unveiled a large language model called Grok-2 with image-generating capabilities earlier in August. 

Musk, who has described himself as a free-speech absolutist, has criticized Google for the ahistoric images its AI tool produced.

His image generator, which is powered by a German startup called Black Forest Labs and only available to paying subscribers on the X social-media platform, has produced images of politicians in compromising or unsavory situations and others of copyrighted characters such as Mickey Mouse doing offensive things like saluting Adolf Hitler.  ...

A day before the Democratic National Convention began in August, Trump posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of Harris giving a speech in Chicago, where the convention was held, with a red flag with a hammer and sickle hanging in the background, implying Harris is a Communist.  ...

Another problem is that people quickly learn how to get around keywords that have been banned in an effort to keep certain content off platforms, said Pinar Yildirim, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. ...

See the full story here: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/mickey-mouse-smoking-how-ai-image-tools-are-generating-new-content-moderation-problems-da90148e