philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

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

...

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

...

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

‘Get to know your enemy.’ How Hollywood workers are learning to use AI

...

Curious Refuge burst onto the scene in April 2023 when it released an AI-generated trailer for a fake “Star Wars” movie in the vibrant, symmetrical style of director Wes Anderson that went viral on social media, inspiring awe in some — and inducing dread among others.

“It’s natural to see something new and to feel a sense of fear,” said Caleb Ward, co-founder and chief executive of Curious Refuge.

“I would encourage them to check out the tools and see what they’re capable of doing. ... These are not automatic processes of just typing in a prompt, clicking a button, and then you get something amazing. This is a storytelling process ... and it requires really good taste and storytelling [skills] to make something interesting.” ...

Ward said that his company guides hundreds of people through its AI training each month. Their AI Filmmaking course costs $749, with scholarships available depending on circumstances. ...

See the full story here: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2024-09-02/hollywood-workers-artificial-intelligence-ai-training

Tech titans target OpenAI deal, including Nvidia

Some of the biggest players in the tech sector are getting together with ChatGPT developer OpenAI. ...

"I think it was definitely a surprise for all of us how much people began using it," Agarwal said. "We work on these models so much, we forget how surprising they can be for the outside world sometimes."

Within five days of its release, the chatbot had attracted over one million users.

By comparison, it took Instagram about 2.5 months to reach one million downloads, while Netflix had to wait around 3.5 years to reach one million users, according to Exploding Topics, which cited Statista, Reuters, and Similarweb. ...

In June, Apple  (AAPL) named OpenAI the first official partner for its AI platform, Apple Intelligence. Apple's new AI will feature an improved Siri voice assistant, text proofreading, and custom emoji creation. ...

Llama models have been downloaded almost 350 million times since Meta began releasing them publicly last year, an increase from the 300 million downloads the company announced when it released the biggest version of its latest Llama 3 model in late July. ...

Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Google and rolled out last year. ...

See the full story here: https://www.thestreet.com/technology/nvidia-isnt-the-only-tech-titan-targeting-openai-deal

‘A tech firm stole our voices – then cloned and sold them’

...

This particular podcast had a unique hook – they interviewed an AI-powered chat bot, equipped with text-to-speech software, to ask how it thought the use of AI would affect jobs in Hollywood.

But, when it spoke, it sounded just like Mr Lehrman.

"We needed to pull the car over," he said.

"The irony that AI is coming for the entertainment industry, and here is my voice talking about the potential destruction of the industry, was really quite shocking."

That night they spent hours online, searching for clues until they came across the site of text-to-speech platform Lovo. Once there, Ms Sage said she found a copy of her voice as well.

"I was stunned," she said. "I couldn't believe it."

"A tech company stole our voices, made AI clones of them, and sold them possibly hundreds of thousands of times."

They have now filed a lawsuit against Lovo. The firm has not yet responded to that or the BBC's requests for comment. ...

In their lawsuit, the couple set out how they say Lovo obtained just such a recording from them.

They allege anonymous Lovo employees contacted them to record audio assets on Fiverr, the popular freelance talent website, where they were selling their services to provide audio for television, radio, video games, and other media. ...

See the full story here: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d9zv50955o

Anchorage police to incorporate virtual reality into training with emphasis on de-escalation

... The Anchorage Assembly approved the federally funded contract on Tuesday for up to $202,000. The vendor is a Toronto-based startup called ChimeraXR. It markets its products as “modern, realistic and immersive tactical training systems.” ...

The federal grant for APD’s VR system was created as a result of federal legislation stemming from George Floyd's killing at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020. ...

The Justice Department says the system can’t be used solely for tactical firearms training or use-of-force training. It must fit into a larger program that covers de-escalation, implicit bias and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force. Patzke said those elements are continually reinforced in training for new and experienced officers. ...

See the full story here: https://alaskapublic.org/2024/08/30/anchorage-police-to-incorporate-virtual-reality-into-training-with-emphasis-on-de-escalation/

Ant Digital’s Zan Aims to Lead in Global Web3 with Hong Kong Expansion

... Zan was initiated by Ant in September of the previous year, with a clear goal of establishing itself as a critical technology provider at the heart of the emerging Web3 landscape. The CEO of Zan, Cobe Zhang Chenguang, explained in a recent interview that the company intends to bring the extensive technology services that Ant Group has developed over the years, particularly in areas such as blockchain and financial compliance, to Web3 developers worldwide. The goal is to become a central figure in the Web3 industry by offering a comprehensive suite of technical solutions, including node provider services and know-your-customer (KYC) verification. Zan aims to capture the largest market share in the Asia-Pacific region within the next two to three years. ...

Ant Group, known for its affiliation with the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, operates AntChain, which is currently the largest enterprise-facing blockchain platform in China. ... Despite its dominance in mainland China, Ant recognized the need to establish Zan in Hong Kong to further expand its blockchain services on a global scale. ...

See the full story here; https://www.cointrust.com/market-news/ant-digitals-zan-aims-to-lead-in-global-web3-with-hong-kong-expansion

Artificial Intelligence ‘Must Serve Humanity Equitably, Safely’, Secretary-General Stresses, in Message for International Day of Democracy

...

This year’s Democracy Day focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for good governance.

Left unchecked, the dangers posed by artificial intelligence could have serious implications for democracy, peace and stability.  This can start with the proliferation of mis- and disinformation, the spread of hate speech and the use of so-called deepfakes. 

Yet, AI has the potential to promote and enhance full and active public participation, equality, security and human development.  It can boost education on democratic processes, and shape more inclusive civic spaces where people have a say in decisions and can hold decision-makers to account. ...

This month’s Summit of the Future offers a crucial opportunity to strengthen international cooperation, build trust, and safeguard current and future generations. ...

See the full story here: https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22347.doc.htm

Magic Raises $320 Million to Develop AI Coworker for Coding

Magic raised $320 million from a group of investors that includes former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to build an artificial intelligence coworker for AI research and code generation, the company said in a Thursday (Aug. 29) blog post.

The investment brings the total amount the company has raised to $465 million, according to the post.

...

“We believe the most promising path to safe [artificial general intelligence (AGI)] is to automate AI research and code generation to improve models and solve alignment more reliably than humans can alone,” Magic said on its website. 

Magic also said in its blog post that it will build its next two supercomputers on Google Cloud. ... 

See the full story here: https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2024/magic-raises-320-million-dollars-develop-ai-coworker-coding/