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Scotsman
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
‘Significant challenges' in use of AI within UK screen sector
Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Scottish researchers were among those to create the report Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the UK screen sector raises 'significant legal, ethical, and practical challenges' such as the use of copyrighted material being used without the permission of the rights holders, a report has warned. Other issues highlighted by the British Film Institute (BFI) report include the safeguarding of human creative control, the fear of jobs being lost as positions are replaced through the use of AI, and investment in training in new skills. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad High energy consumption and carbon emissions, and the risks to creative content around biased data, are also described as being of concern. The report, which has been carried out in partnership with CoSTAR universities Goldsmiths, Loughborough and Edinburgh, analyses how the screen sector is using and experimenting with rapidly evolving generative AI technologies. It warned that the 'primary issue' was the use of copyrighted material – such as hundreds of thousands of film and TV scripts – in the training of generative AI models, without payment or the permission of rights-holders. 'This practice threatens the fundamental economics of the screen sector if it devalues intellectual property creation and squeezes out original creators,' the report said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But it added that the UK's strong foundation in creative technology – as it is home to more than 13,000 creative technology companies – means that the UK screen sector is well positioned to adapt to the technological shift. Getty Images The report – titled AI in the Screen Sector: Perspectives and Paths Forward – said generative AI promises to democratise and revolutionise the industry, with the BBC, for example, piloting AI initiatives. Meanwhile, projects such as the Charismatic consortium, which is backed by Channel 4 and Aardman Animations, aim to make AI tools accessible to creators regardless of their budget or experience. It said this could empower a new wave of British creators to produce high-quality content with modest resources, though concerns about copyright and ethical use remain significant barriers to full adoption. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The report sets out nine key recommendations it suggests should be addressed within the next three years to enable the UK screen sector to thrive in using AI. These include establishing the UK as a world-leading market of IP licensing for AI training, and embedding sustainability standards to reduce AI's carbon footprint. It also calls for structures and interventions to pool knowledge, develop workforce skills and target investments in the UK's creative technology sector, while it urges support for independent creators through accessible tools, funding and ethical AI products. The BFI's director of research and innovation, Rishi Coupland, said: 'AI has long been an established part of the screen sector's creative toolkit, most recently seen in the post-production of the Oscar-winning The Brutalist, and its rapid advancement is attracting multimillion investments in technology innovator applications. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'However, our report comes at a critical time and shows how generative AI presents an inflection point for the sector and, as a sector, we need to act quickly on a number of key strategic fronts. 'Whilst it offers significant opportunities for the screen sector such as speeding up production workflows, democratising content creation and empowering new voices, it could also erode traditional business models, displace skilled workers, and undermine public trust in screen content. 'The report's recommendations provide a roadmap to how we can ensure that the UK's world-leading film, TV, video games and VFX industries continue to thrive by making best use of AI technologies to bring their creativity, innovations and storytelling to screens around the globe.' Professor Jonny Freeman, director of CoSTAR Foresight Lab, said: 'This latest CoSTAR Foresight Lab report, prepared by the BFI, navigates the complex landscape of AI in the screen sector by carefully weighing both its transformative opportunities and the significant challenges it presents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The report acknowledges that while AI offers powerful tools to enhance creativity, efficiency, and competitiveness across every stage of the production workflow – from script development and pre-production planning, through on-set production, to post-production and distribution – it also raises urgent questions around skills, workforce adaptation, ethics, and sector sustainability.' CoSTAR is a £75.6 million national network of laboratories that are developing new technology to maintain the UK's world-leading position in gaming, TV, film, performance, and digital entertainment.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Madleen aid ship under threat: Can it deliver vital supplies to Gaza?
Sign with the slogan All Eyes On Deck, depicting the humanitarian ship Madleen on its way to Gaza during a demonstration organized by political, trade union and community organizations in support of the Palestinian people in the face of Israel s blockade of the Gaza Strip in Toulouse, southwest France. Image: Pat Batard / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP A humanitarian vessel that is on course for Gaza is under drone surveillance and facing threats of seizure from Israeli authorities, raising alarm among international observers and human rights organisations. The Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail earlier this week carrying food, medical supplies, and 12 international activists, including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan. While we associate Thunberg with climate change, she and her crew are on a new and crucial mission: to break Israel's more than 90-day-long total blockade of Gaza and deliver critical aid to a population facing catastrophic shortages. There are 12 activists on board the Madleen: Greta Thunberg – Swedish climate activist Rima Hassan – French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Yasemin Acar – Germany Omar Faiad – France Pascal Maurieras – France Marco van Rennes – The Netherlands Reva Viard – France Yanis Mhamdi – France Suayb Ordu – Turkiye Sergio Toribio – Spain Baptiste Andre – France Thiago Avila – Brazil As the boat approached the eastern Mediterranean, the crew reported being repeatedly shadowed by a Heron UAV, which is a high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance drone manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. The drone is believed to be operated by the Greek coastguard under a bilateral agreement with Israel. According to Ávila, the drone passed directly above the boat. 'This is a critical threat, especially considering a Freedom Flotilla vessel was bombed under similar circumstances last month off the coast of Malta.' Tensions escalated further on Wednesday, when Israeli media reported that senior defence officials were preparing to intercept the Madleen and potentially arrest the crew. 'We are prepared,' said Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin in an interview with The Times, adding that they "will act accordingly.' Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz is expected to announce a formal decision regarding the ship's fate within days. The Jerusalem Post reported that the vessel will be barred from entering Gazan waters, regardless of its civilian and humanitarian nature. Where is the Madleen ship now? At the time of publishing, the Madleen is located south of Crete, where it made a temporary diversion to rescue four Sudanese asylum seekers from a distressed vessel. The ship's crew includes trained rescue personnel and is operating in communication with search-and-rescue NGOs. The rescued individuals, who fled violence in Sudan, are at risk of being returned to Libya — a move the FFC says would be illegal under international refugee protections. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and several UN special rapporteurs, have called for the Madleen's safe passage, warning that any attempt to sabotage or intercept the vessel could amount to a violation of international humanitarian law. 'This is a civilian-led mission delivering life-saving aid,' Amnesty International France stated. 'Any attack or interference would be a knowing and unlawful assault on civilians.' Humanitarian organisations are not the only ones speaking out. An online campaign organised by the FFC has generated nearly 500,000 letters demanding that Israel allow the ship to proceed unimpeded. Despite the growing threats, the crew insists the mission will continue. 'We are carrying food, not weapons,' said Ávila. 'But we are being tracked as if we are a military target. This is about saving lives — and we are being threatened for that.' IOL NEWS
Toronto Sun
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
McCAUGHEY: New York City facing threat of an antisemitic mayor
Zohran Mamdani speaks enthusiastically into the microphone at a rally at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn New York on May 4 2025. Photo by Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images The surest way to trigger the collapse of New York City is to elect an antisemitic mayor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Throughout history, rising antisemitism has been a bellwether of societal ruin. When attacks on Jews are tolerated or encouraged, the dissolution of everyone's rights and the abandonment of basic freedoms follow. See the Spanish Inquisition, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union for examples. It could happen here. Electing a mayor who turns a blind eye to antisemitic crime will drive out huge numbers of city residents — including some of its wealthiest — while eroding the real estate market, hollowing out cultural institutions and leading to moral implosion. Everyone who can leave, Jews and non-Jews alike, will flee. Being Jewish in NYC is already getting uncomfortable. We see swastikas scrawled on walls and desks in some public schools, students elsewhere casually referring to high performers in math as 'the Jew table,' a Queens community garden posting a ban on Zionists and a 13-year-old Jewish boy slapped in the face while riding his bike through his neighbourhood. Such incidents are no longer shocking. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since the beginning of the year, 60% of the confirmed hate crimes in Gotham have been anti-Jewish, although Jews make up just 10% of the city's population. All the top contenders for mayor claim to deplore antisemitism. Don't believe it. We need to scrutinize the candidates' records. The most dangerous wolf in sheep's clothing is Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman currently polling second in the Democratic primary, behind former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani is making the rounds at Jewish events. In the last month, he's attended at least seven public and private meetings and meals with Jewish leaders. On Friday, he posted an official campaign video proclaiming himself a defender of the Jewish people, promising an '800% increase' in city spending to 'combat antisemitism.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'In this election, we're seeing … the pain of Jewish New Yorkers being weaponized as a talking point,' he moaned. Don't fall for his new guise. Mamdani has backed the odious Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, calls Israel's actions against Gaza 'genocide' and recently refused to co-sponsor two Assembly resolutions to condemn the Holocaust and recognize the state of Israel. His campaign claims are just not credible. 'Mamdani has been fanning the flames of antisemitism and now he wants us to believe he's the firefighter,' warns David Greenfield of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, a major Jewish charity. The New York Times calls Mamdani's stance on Jews and Israel 'nuanced.' Nonsense. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Meanwhile, Cuomo is betting big on Jewish voters, relying on a track record of supporting Israel and promoting its business ties with New York, as well as signing an anti-BDS bill in 2016. But his outreach appears to be inch-deep. After leaving the governor's office in shame, Cuomo launched the group Never Again NOW! at the tony Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton, promising a lecture series and a paid media campaign to combat anti-Jewish hate. But nothing followed — and not even the website has been updated. Was it merely a convenient way for a disgraced former governor to reconnect with the donor class? Probably. Maybe Mayor Eric Adams' newly announced Office to Combat Antisemitism will produce real results. Adams, who is not competing in the June 24 primary, hopes to appear on November's general election ballot as an independent candidate on two lines — including one called 'EndAntiSemitism.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's outright pandering, but there's no question Adams has been a staunch ally of the Jewish community and a backer of Israel's military campaign against Hamas. Even so, almost all New York City's problems require a fix in Albany — antisemitism included — but the statewide Democratic Party has been AWOL. New York State saw more antisemitic incidents in 2024 than any other state, the Anti-Defamation League reported, in large part because attackers here face few criminal consequences. Yet last week, Democratic lawmakers in Albany defeated a bill that would have defunded campuses allowing terrorist activities. The 'radical left is no longer willing to stand up to anti-Israel terrorists and antisemites,' lamented state Senate Minority Leader Rob G. Ortt. The Democratic majority also refused to ban public mask-wearing, keeping Jew-hating criminals from being identified and held accountable. At least in Gotham, the mayoral wannabes have recognized antisemitism as a major issue. Now it's the voters' job to parse the candidates' promises and determine who's for real and who's the trombenik — that's Yiddish for 'faker.' Betsy McCaughey is a former Lt. Governor of New York State Toronto Maple Leafs Music Toronto Maple Leafs Celebrity Music
Extra.ie
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
French Government at centre of Perrier water scandal
The French government have found themselves in the centre of a huge scandal after it was revealed they covered up the illegal filtering treatments of premium water brands such as Perrier. A new report released by the senate discovered that Swiss food giant Nestlé, who acquired the brand in the early 90s, had used filtering treatments which were not authorised for 'natural mineral water' products. The revelation highlights Nestlé and the French Government's lack of transparency towards local and European authorities, the report stated. The French government have found themselves in the centre of a huge scandal after it was revealed they covered up the illegal filtering treatments of premium brands such as Perrier. Pic: VINCENT FEURAY/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Here's what we know… The report, which was released on Monday, came following more than 70 hearings over a six-month-long inquiry by the Senate. In the report, it was revealed that the concealment had been first addressed in October 2021 during a meeting on natural mineral waters. The senate said the 'highest levels' of the French Government were aware of the filtering treatments but failed to act on the matter. The office of President Emmanuel Macron was also aware of the 'cheating' since 'at least' 2022, according to the report. The President has since denied any knowledge of the scandal. The office of President Emmanuel Macron was also aware of the 'cheating' since 'at least' 2022, according to the report. Pic: LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images While there is no proven health risk to consumers, senators noted that they had still been misled as a result of the lack of transparency. The Guardian explains that there are strict EU regulations on the treatment of water marketed as 'natural mineral water.' The water cannot be disinfected or treated in a way which modify its characteristics. These methods are typically used on tap water. Nestlé Waters, earlier this year, confirmed they had used banned filters but defended the safety of their products. They added that they were always transparent to the authorities and never put pressure on the government. Pic: VINCENT FEURAY/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Nestlé Waters, earlier this year, confirmed they had used banned filters but defended the safety of their products. They added that they were always transparent to the authorities and never put pressure on the government. In a statement to Politico, they said the use of the treatment methods in the past was due to 'sporadic bacterial or chemical contamination' which was caused by 'faecal contaminations.' The organisation paid a €2m fine in order to avoid legal action. A complaint has been filed against the company by Foodwatch (a European advocacy group focusing on the protection of consumer rights in relation to food quality).
Scotsman
20-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Gyms and hospitals can 'request birth certificates' to prove sex, watchdog says
The verdict will see demands for verification Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hospitals, sports clubs and leisure centres will be allowed to request birth certificates following the Supreme Court ruling on gender, Britain's equality regulator has announced. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) explained 'justified' inquiries could be made about someone's birth sex or legal changes to their gender, though admitted this could be discriminatory if not done sensitively. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Women's rights campaigners had welcomed last month's Supreme Court verdict saying it provided clarity, but now face being asked more questions in certain spaces. Services will be allowed to ask about a person's sex at birth, including demanding to see a birth certificate or Gender Recognition Certificate if it is 'necessary and proportionate'. The EHRC has launched a consultation on its updated guidance, which aims to set out how public buildings such as shops, hospitals and sports clubs should interpret the equality act. The regulator said the consultation has been extended 'in light of the level of public interest, as well as representations from stakeholders in Parliament and civil society'. Commission chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner said there has been an 'obvious' demand since the court's ruling for 'authoritative guidance' for a range of providers from businesses to hospitals to sports clubs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Consultation to run over next six weeks She said: 'It is important that our code is both an accurate interpretation of the law and clear to those who use it. 'So we want to hear views on the clarity of these updates and urge all interested parties to respond to the consultation over the next six weeks. We will consider every response carefully and amend the draft code where necessary. 'People with protected characteristics should never be discriminated against or harassed when using a service. Where services are provided on a single-sex basis, that needs to be done in a way which is consistent with the law, which protects the rights of all service users and which ensures everyone is treated with respect and dignity. 'It's vital that service providers know what they need to do to comply with the law, and that service users have confidence that every provider is doing so.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A transgender flag flies during a demonstration (photo by Matthieu Delaty / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP). The IFA is being called on to ban 'transwomen' from female teams in NI More detailed draft guidance was published on Tuesday, with a consultation period running until June 30, as the regulator appealed for feedback as to whether its content 'could be clearer or more helpful'. The guidance covers various areas of life including use of single-sex spaces and sport. It says trans people can be excluded from competitive sport 'when necessary for reasons of safety or fair competition', and gives an example of how some services might be able to adapt to 'offer toilets in individual lockable rooms to be used by both sexes'. The code states that a service provided only to women and trans women or only to men and trans men 'is not a separate-sex or single-sex service' under the Equality Act and could amount to unlawful sex discrimination against those of the opposite sex who are not allowed to use it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some trans rights groups have raised concerns about the practical implications of the Supreme Court ruling. 'Complex area' Baroness Falkner acknowledged this is a 'complex area' of law and 'bears on the rights of people with the protected characteristics of sex, sexual orientation and gender reassignment'. She added: 'We know that there are strongly held views across our society, both about how the law should be interpreted and whether it reflects the right balance between those rights. So, if everybody's rights are to be protected – as the Supreme Court confirmed the law intends – service providers and their legal advisers need help to navigate these challenges. 'The consultation launched today will help ensure our services Code of Practice is a useful and authoritative guide. Please tell us if you think it could be clearer or more helpful. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That way, whether you're a shop owner or the chair of a local sports club, the manager of a hotel or a hospital, an HR professional or a solicitor, you will have guidance to follow so you can be confident that you're upholding the law.'
