Latest news with #ErnestHemingway
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Will AI doom the last of us? As a writer, I don't feel safe
But I have a more down-to-earth worry: How much longer will I have a job as a writer, which I feel lucky to hold as my vocation? AI seemed to happen gradually, then suddenly (to quote Ernest Hemingway, one of my favorite human authors). In recent months, I've noticed that no matter what I'm doing online - writing a column in Google Docs, an email in Outlook, a note to a friend on Instagram - an AI bot will pop in to ask if I would like "help" crafting my message. As someone who makes my living with words and enjoys using them, I find AI's uninvited intrusions into my day not just annoying, but alarming. I'll admit, as an opinion columnist, I had thought that my skills were safe from robot replacement - at least in my lifetime. Aren't reason and persuasion uniquely human abilities? What does it mean if they aren't? Opinion: Dems are mad about Biden book. Jake Tapper must be a deep undercover MAGA agent. Hot takes from an artificial 'mind'? No thanks. Lest you think I'm overreacting, real-world newspapers in the United States already are turning to AI to craft news and opinion for their readers. For instance, the Los Angeles Times has started offering online readers the option to read AI-generated counterpoints to the opinion columns it runs. The "Insights" feature judges the piece's point of view and then spits out an opposing argument. That was the brainchild of Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who wants the opinion pages to reflect a broader range of views. "If you just have the one side, it's just going to be an echo chamber," Soon-Shiong told Fox News about the project, saying he thinks it's important "that all voices be heard." Now, as a conservative writer in a liberal media world, I respect Soon-Shiong's quest for balance. And I appreciate that my newspaper has crafted an opinion team with many different points of view - something that wasn't always the case. But robots? Is that where we want other perspectives to come from? Opinion: NPR has a right to exist. That doesn't mean it has a right to my tax dollars. The Times, as you might expect, has already run into some awkward AI offerings. It isn't alone, though. This month, several newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, ran a syndicated summer book list that included books ... that don't exist. Only five of the 15 recommended books were real, although I'll acknowledge that some of the made-up titles sounded interesting. The writer who "created" the list has admitted to using AI, and has since been fired. The idea of news and commentary coming from a bot is unsettling, and not just because of my job security. Plenty of Americans feel the same way. New research from the Poynter Institute and the University of Minnesota found nearly half of those surveyed don't want news from generative artificial intelligence. And 20% said the media shouldn't use AI at all. I decided to take AI for a test drive. What do you think of the result? Given my fear of being replaced by a robot, I've stayed away from sites like ChatGPT, although I've received many examples from friends and family of what it can do. But I decided to give it a simple prompt: "Write a column in the style of Ingrid Jacques of USA TODAY." Opinion: Not funny, John Oliver - Standing for religious liberty doesn't equate to 'hate.' In mere seconds, it "wrote" a 675-word column, complete with a headline and byline. I'll share the first few lines of what popped up: The Uncomfortable Truth About Wokeism By Ingrid Jacques The American cultural landscape is being shaped by a force so pervasive, so influential, that it seems to touch every corner of our lives. I'm not talking about the rise of artificial intelligence, nor the latest social media craze. No, I'm referring to the ideology of "wokeism," which, like a slow-moving storm, is now fully entrenched in our schools, workplaces, and public discourse. Not bad, right? And I thought the nod to AI was apropos, given the topic of this column. It's still creepy, though. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. With the current political divisions in our country, I believe that sharing different points of view in a civil way is more important than ever, and I worry about the implications if those "thoughts" are coming from something nonhuman. So, while this may come as a disappointment to some of you, you're stuck with the "real" me. For now. Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@ or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques
USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Is it me or ChatGPT? As AI grows smarter, I have a down-to-earth worry: my job.
Is it me or ChatGPT? As AI grows smarter, I have a down-to-earth worry: my job. | Opinion As someone who makes my living with words and enjoys using them, I find AI's uninvited intrusions into my day not just annoying, but alarming. Show Caption Hide Caption How to use AI rewriting tools Artificial Intelligence can instantly proofread your writing and make suggestions to tweak the tone of a message, paper or presentation. Problem Solved Many have commented lately about the supersonic rise of artificial intelligence and what it means for our future – and our very existence. The questions that AI poses for our society, economy and democracy are valid and challenging. But I have a more down-to-earth worry: How much longer will I have a job as a writer, which I feel lucky to hold as my vocation? AI seemed to happen gradually, then suddenly (to quote Ernest Hemingway, one of my favorite human authors). In recent months, I've noticed that no matter what I'm doing online – writing a column in Google Docs, an email in Outlook, a note to a friend on Instagram − an AI bot will pop in to ask if I would like 'help' crafting my message. As someone who makes my living with words and enjoys using them, I find AI's uninvited intrusions into my day not just annoying, but alarming. I'll admit, as an opinion columnist, I had thought that my skills were safe from robot replacement – at least in my lifetime. Aren't reason and persuasion uniquely human abilities? What does it mean if they aren't? Opinion: Dems are mad about Biden book. Jake Tapper must be a deep undercover MAGA agent. Hot takes from an artificial 'mind'? No thanks. Lest you think I'm overreacting, real-world newspapers in the United States already are turning to AI to craft news and opinion for their readers. For instance, the Los Angeles Times has started offering online readers the option to read AI-generated counterpoints to the opinion columns it runs. The 'Insights' feature judges the piece's point of view and then spits out an opposing argument. That was the brainchild of Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who wants the opinion pages to reflect a broader range of views. 'If you just have the one side, it's just going to be an echo chamber,' Soon-Shiong told Fox News about the project, saying he thinks it's important "that all voices be heard.' Now, as a conservative writer in a liberal media world, I respect Soon-Shiong's quest for balance. And I appreciate that my newspaper has crafted an opinion team with many different points of view – something that wasn't always the case. But robots? Is that where we want other perspectives to come from? Opinion: NPR has a right to exist. That doesn't mean it has a right to my tax dollars. The Times, as you might expect, has already run into some awkward AI offerings. It isn't alone, though. This month, several newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, ran a syndicated summer book list that included books ... that don't exist. Only five of the 15 recommended books were real, although I'll acknowledge that some of the made-up titles sounded interesting. The writer who 'created' the list has admitted to using AI, and has since been fired. The idea of news and commentary coming from a bot is unsettling, and not just because of my job security. Plenty of Americans feel the same way. New research from the Poynter Institute and the University of Minnesota found nearly half of those surveyed don't want news from generative artificial intelligence. And 20% said the media shouldn't use AI at all. I decided to take AI for a test drive. What do you think of the result? Given my fear of being replaced by a robot, I've stayed away from sites like ChatGPT, although I've received many examples from friends and family of what it can do. But I decided to give it a simple prompt: "Write a column in the style of Ingrid Jacques of USA TODAY." Opinion: Not funny, John Oliver – Standing for religious liberty doesn't equate to 'hate.' In mere seconds, it 'wrote' a 675-word column, complete with a headline and byline. I'll share the first few lines of what popped up: The Uncomfortable Truth About Wokeism By Ingrid Jacques The American cultural landscape is being shaped by a force so pervasive, so influential, that it seems to touch every corner of our lives. I'm not talking about the rise of artificial intelligence, nor the latest social media craze. No, I'm referring to the ideology of 'wokeism,' which, like a slow-moving storm, is now fully entrenched in our schools, workplaces, and public discourse. Not bad, right? And I thought the nod to AI was apropos, given the topic of this column. It's still creepy, though. With the current political divisions in our country, I believe that sharing different points of view in a civil way is more important than ever, and I worry about the implications if those 'thoughts' are coming from something nonhuman. So, while this may come as a disappointment to some of you, you're stuck with the 'real' me. For now. Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@ or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques
Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
Istanbul's Foreign Literary History: 5 Must-See Spots For Literature Lovers
Exterior view of Pera Palace building which located in beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey. Most travelers think of Paris or London when conjuring up visions of the golden age of the literary scene in Europe—but Istanbul has equally deep roots when it comes to being a safe-haven for writers and creatives from around the world. Major writers, including the likes of Ernest Hemingway and James Baldwin, have famously called Istanbul home, and the city is plenty with former literary hang-outs that every literary lover or aspiring writer should add to their itinerary. Here are five must-see spots for literature fiends in Istanbul: Pera Palace is most well-known for literature lovers as the hotel where Agatha Christie allegedly wrote Murder on the Orient Express. The hotel has still preserved room 411 as a memorial to the author. Authors Ernest Hemingway and Graham Greene also include the Pera Palace in The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Travels with My Aunt, respectively. French writer Pierre Loti first came to Istanbul in 1876 and called the city home—at least for part of the time—for over four decades. The writer frequently visited a cafe on what is now called Pierre Loti Hill, where he completed his novel Aziyadé. Now the hill is home to a cafe that overlooks the Golden Horn as well a a museum dedicated to the writer. James Baldwin lived in Istanbul for a decade, between 1961 and 1971, when he was suffering from writer's block and looking for seclusion. Baldwin, like many authors, took to the Pera Palace Hotel, but he also famously arrived in Istanbul and went straight to Taksim Square, where he was staying with Turkish actor Engin Cezzar. Ernest Hemingway worked as a correspondent for the Toronto Star in Istanbul in 1922. He took the train from Paris to Istanbul and allegedly stayed at the still-standing (and budget-friendly) Grand Hotel De Londres after someone recommended the property to him on the train from Paris. Ernest's Bar is a contemporary address just around the corner from Pera Palace Hotel—but it aims to evoke a sense of the golden age of travel and literature from the 1920s. Named after Ernest Hemingway, it boasts a bit of a speakeasy vibe with live jazz and Thai bites from sister restaurant Çok Çok Pera.
Bloomberg
21-05-2025
- Bloomberg
The Newly Renovated £300 Million French Riviera Building Drawing Rich Americans
The French Riviera needs little introduction. It's long been beloved as a vacation destination, with the jet-set flocking to the Cannes film festival in May, partying at the beach clubs of St Tropez and staying in storied resorts like Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. But on some parts of the coast, the glamor has faded. Take the striking white art deco Hôtel Provençal on the western end of Cap d'Antibes, built for American railway heir Frank Jay Gould, which opened its doors in 1927. It had drawn names like Charlie Chaplin, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso as guests before closing for good in 1977 and sitting vacant ever since. Billionaire British mobile phone mogul John Caudwell, a frequent visitor to the area, says he'd often pass the empty building on his cycle route and admire it.
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Try the 10-question quiz that only 1% of Brits get full marks in
Do you want to test your brain power against the rest of the country? We all enjoy a bit of a quiz to test our mettle. If we can prove ourselves against friends and family, then all the better. But what about comparing your brain capacity to the rest of the country? Well, we have a 10-question quiz that can do just that. The questions, designed by London's Twist Museum, test our all-round brain capacity, as they are a mix of general knowledge, problem solving, cryptic challenges, and optical illusions. When creating the quiz, 2,000 people across the country were tested - with less than one per cent being able to get a 10 out of 10 score. When breaking the responses down by generation, Gen Z and Millenials produced the highest proportion of perfect scores, with Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation failing to get a single ace. However, when it came to some of the general knowledge questions, only 54 per cent of Gen Z members knew which author wrote 1984 and Animal Farm, compared to 91 per cent of the Silent Generation. There was a vast array of answers, with the highest proportion of people getting four right out of 10 (23 per cent). This was closely followed by five correct answers (21 per cent) and three (17 per cent). And more people came away with no correct answers (1.1 per cent) compared to those acing all the answers (0.95 per cent). See how you rank against the nation by taking the test and comparing yourself to the results of the Twist Museum quiz. QUESTIONS Q1. Which, if any, of these authors wrote 1984 and Animal Farm? Ernest Hemingway; Aldous Huxley; George Orwell; J.K. Rowling; None of the Above Q2. What is the square root of 144? 10; 11; 12; 13 Q3. You have a 3-litre jug, a 5-litre jug, and an unlimited water supply. How do you measure exactly 4 litres? You can't; Fill the 5l, pour into the 3l, leaving 2l; Fill the 3l, pour into the 5l; Fill the 5l and pour it out Q4. Which one of these is the odd one out? Broccoli; Carrot; Cucumber; Lettuce; None of the above Q5. If all bloops are razzies, and all razzies are lazzies, are all bloops definitely lazzies? Yes; No; Only sometimes; Cannot be determined Q6. You're shown a sealed envelope containing a card. You're told: "If the card is red on one side, then it has a circle on the other." Which, if any, of the following cards must you turn over to test this rule? A red card; A card with a circle; A card with a square; A blue card; None of the above Q7. Which, if any, of the following words connects these three: "Pine", "Crab", and "Sauce"? Apple; Claw; Meat; Shell; Spice; Sweat; Tree; None of the above Q8. What can you see in this image? Q9. How many triangles are there? Q10. Can you find the hidden spade in this picture? ANSWERS Q1. George Orwell Q2. 12 Q3. Fill the 5l, pour into the 3l, leaving 2l. You would then pour that into the empty 3l, fill up the 5l again and pour 1l into the 3l, making it full and leaving you with 4l in the bigger jug Q4. Carrot. It is a root vegetable, while the others are all leady or flowering parts of the plant Q5. Yes. Classic logic reasoning: If A = B and B = C, then A - C Q6. A card with a square. To test the rule, you must check whether a square could be on the back of a red card, falsifying the statement Q7. Apple. Pineapple, crabapple, apple sauce Q8. Q9. Q10. How did you get on? Did you manage a perfect score? Even if you didn't quite get 10/10, you may have outperformed the average for your generation. Gen Z responders got an average of 4.37, which was exactly the same as Gen X. Millenials only manage 4.23, which was the lowest score. Baby Boomers scored 4.42 and The Silent Generation came out on top with 4.83. However, there were far fewer of those aged 80+ that took part, meaning it was a smaller sample size.
