Latest news with #Chilean-American
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Hollywood's most bankable star has no solo hit, yet films worth $2.3B; beat Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr, Dwayne Johnson
The summer of 2025 is the summer of superheroes and blockbusters in Hollywood. A number of mega-budget films are releasing in theatres this year between May and August, raising hopes of a revival of theatrical cinema at the box office. And even as Marvel leads the charge, one man has been at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist over the last couple of years. And now, having become Hollywood's most bankable star, he has mega projects lined up over the next two years, too. (Also read: Made for $65M, earned $120K, Hollywood's biggest box office bomb ended careers, was called 'worst movie of 21st century') Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal is currently at the peak of his career. Having been around for three decades, the 50-year-old truly broke through only in the last decade, and is now in the busiest phase of his life. In 2025, he has already starred in the second season of HBO's successful video game adaptation, The Last of Us. But it is how the rest of the year pans out for him that makes him Hollywood's most bankable star. Pedro has three films lined up for release this year, and he is filming three more. The combined production budget of these films is over $2.3 billion, a staggering sum. Pedro will be first seen in Celine Song's romantic drama, Materialists. Also starring Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning, the film is said to be among the most anticipated rom-coms of the summer. Apart from this, he is also in Ari Aster's Western, Eddington. Then comes his biggest role on the big screen yet. Pedro will portray Reed Richards, aka Mr Fantastic, in Marvel Cinematic Universe's reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. Titled Fantastic Four: The First Steps, the film has been mounted on a $120 million budget, with millions more being spent on marketing. The film marks Pedro's MCU debut. But it is the movies Pedro is filming in 2025 that make him the top draw in Hollywood right now. First up is the film spinoff from the Star Wars universe - The Mandalorian and Grogu. Made on a budget of $167 million, the film takes forward Pedro's character from The Mandalorian series and is set to be the finale to the show. Then, Pedro will bring his Mr Fantastic to the Avengers-verse. He is part of the back-to-back productions - Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. According to ScreenRant, the two films are costing Marvel and Disney a staggering $2 billion in production and marketing. Funnily enough, Pedro's success comes on the back of his performances on television. He broke through with the guest appearance on Game of Thrones season 4 (2015), before getting his own series in The Mandalorian. The success of the latter, followed by The Last of Us, made him a global star. Yet, in cinema, Pedro has never been a top box office draw, with almost all his hits coming where he was a supporting character. Yet, he has films worth $2.3 billion lined up now. Even top Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson don't have $2.3 billion riding on them like Pedro Pascal. Some MCU regulars like Robert Downey Jr and Anthony Mackie, who are likely to be in both Avengers films, come close, but none of them have other big-budget films like Pedro has in other franchises. Pedro will likely sign more films before the release of Secret Wars in late 2027, which means the 'summer of Pedro Pascal' is likely to continue for two more years.
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Journalist Caught Using AI After Publishing Summer Reading List Full of Made Up Books
A Chicago-based freelance journalist was caught using AI after two prominent newspapers published a summer reading list filled with mostly made-up titles and summaries. The Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer published an AI-generated "Summer Reading List for 2025" this month, syndicated by King Features Syndicate, a Hearst Corporation company, according to reporting by 404 Media. Of the list's 15 book recommendations, just five exist, including "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury. Some of the made-up titles, credited to real writers, included "Tidewater Dreams" by prominent Chilean-American author Isabel Allende, "The Rainmakers" by Pulitzer-prize winning author Percival Everett, and "The Last Algorithm" by "The Martian" novelist Andy Weir. Ironically, "The Last Algorithm" is a real book available on Amazon, but, according to the book's sole review, it is also "AI created garbage." Freelance journalist Marco Buscaglia, who was hired to create a 64-page section, titled "Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer" for the syndicate company, took full responsibility for the list making it into the major newspapers. "Stupidly, and 100% on me, I just kind of republished this list that [an AI program] spit out," Buscaglia told the Sun-Times. "Usually, it's something I wouldn't do." "I mean, even if I'm not writing something, I'm at least making sure that I correctly source it and vet it and make sure it's all legitimate. And I definitely failed in that task," he continued. King Features wrote in a statement that Buscaglia violated a "strict policy" against using AI. As a result, it terminated its relationship with the freelance journalist. "We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement," a spokesman for King Features added, according to the Sun-Times. Originally published on Latin Times
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Séamas O'Reilly: We have elevated AI that almost never works as well as what it replaces
We all love a good summer read. How about Tidewater Dreams, a multi-generational family saga by Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende, blending elements of magical realism with the themes of environmental disaster? Or Nightshade Market by Min Jin Lee, which depicts the intersecting lives of three women working in Seoul's illegal underground economy? Or Rebecca Makkai's Boiling Point, about a climate scientist who must reckon with shifting family ties when her daughter becomes an eco-activist? I mention them because the Chicago Sun-Times recommended all three as part of the 'Summer Reading List' it included within its 120,000-circulation paper last Sunday. There was only one small snag: none of them exist. The authors do, of course. Each is an internationally renowned and best-selling name in fiction, but the novels themselves were hallucinations dreamed from the digital ether by AI. In fact, of the 15 books the list recommended, 10 were invented, including works by Hamnet scribe Maggie O'Farrell, Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Percival Everett, and The Martian author Andy Weir. Reaction was swift and, as you'd expect, mortifying. The Sun-Times issued a statement saying it was appalled. The list's author, Marco Buscaglia was quickly identified, and admitted he often used AI for background in his writing, but hadn't caught the errors this time. 'I can't believe I missed it because it's so obvious,' he apologised. 'I'm completely embarrassed.' I don't wish to heap more embarrassment on Mr Buscaglia, but one wonders what type of 'background writing' involves simply generating an entire article with AI and then not checking if the contents make any sense. In his defence, he does not bear this responsibility alone, since no one at any stage of the editing, design or printing process spotted these aberrations, at either the Sun-Times, or the Philadelphia Inquirer, where it also ran. Ten completely invented books, previewed in major broadsheet newspapers, which were either never checked by a single human being, or were checked exclusively by people who did not think to verify any of the ten world-exclusive literary scoops its fraudulent contents suggested. It's been two months since I wrote about AI which, as someone who detests having to write about AI, feels like not much time at all. A quick look at recent headlines, however, suggests that there is little else to talk about. Consider that the CEO of language-learning app Duolingo claimed AI was a better teacher than humans but schools will still remain open in future 'because you still need childcare'; a Finnish man was sentenced in Scottish court for using AI to create images of young girls being abused; Google unveiled Project Astra, an AI client that will sit inside your phone listening to everything you say so it can provide unprompted advice at any time; the United Nations' International Labour Organization said that AI poses a bigger threat to jobs traditionally held by women than those of men; Silicon Valley Bank reported that 40% of cash raised by venture funds last year was for companies focusing on artificial intelligence; Reuters reported that data centre plans in the US are far outpacing expected demand; and Italian researchers found that, despite all their aforementioned hallucinations, errors, and contradictions, AI chatbots were more persuasive in online debates than their human counterparts 64% of the time. If that sounds like a lot of news for two months, well, I wish this were true. Every one of those headlines is from Tuesday, May 20, the same day the Chicago Sun-Times' reading list became a major story, and the day I began writing this column. With a trickling sense of dread I realise that I could, therefore, write an article just like this one every single day, each filled with brand-new examples of AI's constant enshittification of the media we consume, factless posturing from its creators, marketing overhype from its torch-bearers, and bovine vapidity now normalised among those who use it. I will dispense with the usual throat-clearing about AI's benefits. We all know what they are at this stage, and any time some researchers make a medical breakthrough, or a genuinely humane AI tool relieves the drudgery that ordinary people face in their daily lives, I'll always be happy to commend it. But this. This new reality we have created, in all its deadening sprawl and intellect-devouring insipidity, is to be detested. Where each new day brings a dozen clear examples of Big AI's philosophical bankruptcy, societal danger, and financial fraudulence, alongside a dozen more articles offering breathless. descriptions of its magical brilliance. We have elevated to sentience a technology that almost never works as well as what it replaces, and is still intellectually, morally, and creatively redundant when it does. Cobbled together from guesswork and plagiarised material, via processes that scorch the environment as they enrich the worst people on this quickly dying planet, the craven psychopaths making billions of dollars on false claims of its future viability, borne by distinctly bubble-shaped bluster about its current, constant, ever-increasing profitability. It is this, AI's main swizz, that irks me the most. Because its packaging as a cure-all for everything is the surface flash of a cruise ship magician; its real function is being a limitless cash trap for credulous investors, and a replacement for labour in companies – and, yes, newspapers – who worry less about the quality of their product than the costs of paying humans to deliver it. If what we're left with is slop, who cares? The pigs will drink it down. It's an abhorrence, based on a lie, rapidly remaking the world in its own tedious image. It all puts me in mind of a novel I read about recently. It was featured in a summer reading supplement. It's called The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir. It is, apparently, 'about a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness and has been secretly influencing global events for years'. This book, like the consciousness it describes, does not exist. But at this point, does anyone care?
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
CEO breaks silence after Chicago Sun-Times shares AI-generated list of fake books: 'Unacceptable'
The CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times issued a clarification after the newspaper published a reading list over the weekend that was partially generated by artificial intelligence and featured made-up books by famous authors. The list, which was part of their 'Best of Summer' summer reading section, contained only five titles out of a total of fifteen, which were actual books; the rest were dreamed up by AI. The summer book guide featured a made-up book titled Tidewater Dreams by Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende, calling it the author's "first climate fiction novel." It also listed The Rainmakers, a book supposedly written by 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner Percival Everett. The list triggered outrage from Chicago Sun-Times subscribers who were shocked to see the fake book list printed prominently on the newspaper, without any verification by the editorial department. "Really incredible that a prominent paper in the third-largest city in the United States is shamelessly reprinting AI slop instead of asking a staffer to recommend a few books," said one Reddit user. Another angry user took to X and wrote, "A news outlet not checking their sources or their facts. And you question why no one takes you seriously." Others called out the increasing dependency on AI, even in newsrooms. "This is the inevitable outcome of decades of either eradicating local copy desks or consolidating them into national "hubs," then assuming AI can pick up the slack," said one of them. Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell clarified on behalf of the newspaper. She explained that the list was generated by King Features, a content partner who employed a freelancer to create it. "It was inserted into our paper without review from our editorial team, and we presented the section without any acknowledgement that it was from a third-party organization. This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it. It is unacceptable that this content was inaccurate, and it is equally unacceptable that we did not make it clear to readers that the section was produced outside the Sun-Times newsroom," she said, in a statement. She added that the newspaper is working on improving its content policies and will not charge subscribers for the edition. King Features stated that it had terminated its relationship with the freelancer who created the list using AI without disclosing it. Even though the list appeared without a byline, writer Marco Buscaglia claimed responsibility for it. In an email to NPR, he said, "Huge mistake on my part and has nothing to do with the Sun-Times. They trust that the content they purchase is accurate and I betrayed that trust. It's on me 100 per cent."
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Yes, Chicago Sun-Times published AI-generated 'summer reading list' with books that don't exist
Claim: The Chicago Sun-Times published a summer reading list generated by artificial intelligence that included books that do not exist. Rating: Context: While the Sun-Times published an AI-generated summer reading list, the newspaper's staff did not generate the list. A freelance writer for King Features, a company owned by media conglomerate Hearst, produced the content for distribution in various media outlets including the Sun-Times. In late May 2025, a rumor spread online that the Chicago Sun-Times used artificial intelligence to publish a "summer reading list" featuring books that don't exist. The claim spread on X, Reddit and Bluesky; many posts on social media expressed frustration at the Sun-Times, questioning its editorial and fact-checking process in the wake of mass layoffs at the daily newspaper. Chicago Sun Times used AI for its summer reading insert this Sunday... but the AI created fake books by u/xxxlovelit in chicago In short, it is accurate to say that the Sun-Times published a summer reading list filled with fake, AI-generated books. Thus, we rate this claim true. However, the content did not originate with the Sun-Times' editorial team, but with King Features, a media distribution company that is part of Hearst, a media conglomerate best known for owning magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Esquire. The Sun-Times confirmed that the reading list in question made it into its paper as part of a May 18, 2025, special summer section called "Heat Index," first in a post on Bluesky and then in a longer statement. "The special section was supplied by a nationally-recognized content partner and syndicated to the Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers," the statement read. "To our great disappointment, that list recommended books that do not exist. We are actively investigating the accuracy of other content in the special section." As first reported by 404 Media, while the summer reading list itself has no author byline, writer Marco Buscaglia took responsibility for generating it. Buscaglia confirmed to Snopes via email that he produced the list with the help of AI for King Features, which sells its content to different media outlets. "I did screw up and it was generated by AI and it's something that I absolutely usually check and verify, but for some reason I didn't this time and I feel incredibly stupid and embarrassed about that," Buscaglia wrote. King Features said the company "has a strict policy with our staff, cartoonists, columnist, and freelance writers against the use of AI to create content" and that it would be ending its relationship with Buscaglia. As 404 Media reported, the list attributes fake books that don't exist to real authors. For example, the first book it recommends is "Tidewater Dreams" by Isabel Allende, a "multigenerational saga set in a coastal town where magical realism meets environmental activism." Allende is a celebrated Chilean-American author who often writes stories in the magical realism genre. But the list of Allende's published works on her website makes no mention of any book called "Tidewater Dreams." The second and third books listed, "The Last Algorithm" by Andy Weir and "Hurricane Season" by Brit Bennett, also don't exist, although the authors do. In fact, only the last five of the 15 novels on the list are real: Ray Bradbury wrote "Dandelion Wine," Jess Walter composed "Beautiful Ruins," Françoise Sagan wrote "Bonjour Tristesse" and André Aciman penned "Call Me By Your Name" before it became a film. The last book on the list, "Atonement," really was written by Ian McEwan. The summary and title of a sixth book on the list, "Migrations," largely matches up with Australian author Charlotte McConaghy's debut novel. But the AI instead claimed the novel's writer is Maggie O'Farrell, an author from Northern Ireland who has not published a book titled "Migrations." As for which AI tool is responsible, Buscaglia said it's likely he used ChatGPT and Claude, a generative assistant built by startup tech company Anthropic, although he isn't "entirely sure." He also occasionally uses Google Gemini, he said. Generative artificial intelligence is known to "hallucinate," or produce false information. According to a support post from a Google Gemini community manager, "Gemini sometimes gets things wrong or says things that aren't true. These hallucinations can sound real, and Gemini might even say them confidently." Google also has a how-to on double-checking AI responses generated by Gemini. OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT, also acknowledges its AI model "will occasionally make up facts" in its FAQ and tells users to hit the "thumbs-down" button when the AI gets it wrong. According to Anthropic, "even the most advanced language models, like Claude, can sometimes generate text that is factually incorrect." The company offers ideas on how to reduce hallucinations. The Sun-Times wrote in its Bluesky post that the summer list "is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom." Meanwhile, the union that represents Sun-Times staff said in a statement on X that the syndicated content was "produced externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom." "We take great pride in the union-produced journalism that goes into the respected pages of our newspaper and on our website," the statement said. "We're deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work." The newspaper said it would remove the section and promised not to charge subscribers for the edition. It also plans to review its relationship with "this national content partner to ensure that mistakes of this nature no longer happen." King Features' statement said Buscaglia did not disclose his use of AI, but the company did not immediately return additional inquiries as to whether the list passed through a fact-checking or editorial process before being distributed. "We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement," King Features' statement said. Buscaglia told Snopes he was unaware of the company's policy against AI, but he's "sure it's out there." "They've been very good to me and great to work with, and I'm really sorry that it ends this way," he said. Snopes has previously reported on the environmental cost of artificial intelligence and confirmed an AI model lied to developers to avoid its shutdown. Chicago Sun-Times Guild. "The Sun-Times Guild Is Aware of the Third-Party 'Summer Guide' Content in the Sunday, May 18 Edition of the Chicago Sun-Times Newspaper. This Was a Syndicated Section Produced Externally without the Knowledge of the Members of Our Newsroom. 🧵👇." X (Formerly Twitter), 20 May 2025, Accessed 20 May 2025. André Aciman. Call Me by Your Name. Picador, 2007, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Andy Weir." Accessed 20 May 2025. Bell, Melissa. "Chicago Sun-Times Response to May 18 Special Section." Chicago Sun-Times, 20 May 2025, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Bonjour Tristesse." HarperCollins, Accessed 20 May 2025. Bradbury, Ray. "Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: 9780553277531 | Books." 2025, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Charlottemcconaghy." Charlottemcconaghy, 2015, Accessed 20 May 2025. Chicago Sun-Times. "We Are Looking into How This Made It into Print as We Speak. It Is Not Editorial Content and Was Not Created By, or Approved By, the Sun-Times Newsroom. We Value Your Trust in Our Reporting and Take This Very Seriously. More Info Will Be Provided Soon." Bluesky Social, Bluesky, 2025, Accessed 20 May 2025. Google. "What Are AI Hallucinations?" Google Cloud, 2024, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Isabel Allende." The Library of Congress, 2015, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Isabel Allende - Books." Accessed 20 May 2025. "Isabel Allende - Home." "Jess Walter - Beautiful Ruins." Accessed 20 May 2025. Koebler, Jason. "Chicago Sun-Times Prints AI-Generated Summer Reading List with Books That Don't Exist." 404 Media, 20 May 2025, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Maggie O'Farrell." Hachette UK, 8 Oct. 2019, Accessed 20 May 2025. McEwan, Ian. Atonement. National Geographic Books, 2002, Accessed 20 May 2025. OpenAI. "What Is ChatGPT? | OpenAI Help Center." OpenAI, 2023, Accessed 20 May 2025. "Reduce Hallucinations - Anthropic." Anthropic, 2025, Accessed 20 May 2025. "The Vanishing Half." Brit Bennett, Accessed 20 May 2025. "View Related Sources & Double-Check Responses from Gemini Apps - Computer - Gemini Apps Help." 2019, Accessed 20 May 2025.
