Latest news with #Hearst
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Bear cub freed from plastic jar near Hearst, Ont.
A young black bear cub was rescued after he was found with a plastic jar stuck on his head near Hearst, Ontario on June 1, 2025. (Photos courtesy of First Nation and MNR) A young black bear cub was rescued Sunday after he was found with a plastic jar stuck around his head near Hearst, Ontario. The rescue was made possible through the combined efforts of Constance Lake First Nations and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). Mike McIntosh with Bear With Us, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Sprucedale says the rescued cub is now in his care at the bear facility. Members from Constance Lake First Nation spotted the distressed bear, whose head was trapped inside the container preventing him from eating, drinking and properly breathing. Black bear cub A young black bear cub was rescued after he was found with a plastic jar stuck on his head near Hearst, Ontario on June 1, 2025. (Photos courtesy of First Nation and MNR) The MNR secured the cub and arranged a safe transfer with McIntosh to the local rehab center. This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by improperly discarded waste in natural habitats. Bear With Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of orphaned and injured bears in Ontario.
Russia Today
24-05-2025
- Russia Today
AI hallucinations: a budding sentience or a global embarrassment?
In a farcical yet telling blunder, multiple major newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer, recently published a summer-reading list riddled with nonexistent books that were 'hallucinated' by ChatGPT, with many of them falsely attributed to real authors. The syndicated article, distributed by Hearst's King Features, peddled fabricated titles based on woke themes, exposing both the media's overreliance on cheap AI content and the incurable rot of legacy journalism. That this travesty slipped past editors at moribund outlets (the Sun-Times had just axed 20% of its staff) underscores a darker truth: when desperation and unprofessionalism meets unvetted algorithms, the frayed line between legacy media and nonsense simply vanishes. The trend seems ominous. AI is now overwhelmed by a smorgasbord of fake news, fake data, fake science and unmitigated mendacity that is churning established logic, facts and common sense into a putrid slush of cognitive rot. But what exactly is AI hallucination? AI hallucination occurs when a generative AI model (like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, or DALL·E) produces false, nonsensical, or fabricated information with high confidence. Unlike human errors, these mistakes stem from how AI models generate responses by predicting plausible patterns rather than synthesizing established facts. There are several reasons why AI generates wholly incorrect information. It has nothing to do with the ongoing fearmongering over AI attaining sentience or even acquiring a soul. Training on imperfect data: AI learns from vast datasets replete with biases, errors, and inconsistencies. Prolonged training on these materials may result in the generation of myths, outdated facts, or conflicting sources. Over-optimization for plausibility: Contrary to what some experts claim,AI is nowhere near attaining 'sentience' and therefore cannot discern 'truth.' GPTs in particular are giant planetary-wide neural encyclopedias that crunch data and synthesize the most salient information based on pre-existent patterns. When gaps exist, it fills them with statistically probable (but likely wrong) answers. This was however not the case with the Sun-Times fiasco. Lack of grounding in reality: Unlike humans, AI has no direct experience of the world. It cannot verify facts as it can only mimic language structures. For example, when asked 'What's the safest car in 2025?' it might invent a model that doesn't exist because it is filling in the gap for an ideal car with desired features — as determined by the mass of 'experts' — rather than a real one. Prompt ambiguity: Many GPT users are lazy and may not know how to present a proper prompt. Vague or conflicting prompts also increase hallucination risks. Ridiculous requests like 'Summarize a study about cats and gender theory' may result in an AI-fabricated fake study which may appear very academic on the surface. Creative generation vs. factual recall: AI models like ChatGPT prioritize fluency over accuracy. When unsure, they improvise rather than admit ignorance. Ever came across a GPT answer that goes like this: 'Sorry. This is beyond the remit of my training?' Reinforcing fake news and patterns: GPTs can identify particular users based on logins (a no-brainer), IP addresses, semantic and syntactic peculiarities and personnel propensities. It then reinforces them. When someone constantly uses GPTs to peddle fake news or propaganda puff pieces, AI may recognize such patterns and proceed to generate content that is partially or wholly fictitious. This is a classic case of algorithmic supply and demand. Remember, GPTs not only train on vast datasets, it can also train on your dataset. Reinforcing Big Tech biases and censorship: Virtually every Big Tech firm behind GPT rollouts is also engaged in industrial-scale censorship and algorithmic shadowbanning. This applies to individuals and alternative media platforms alike and constitutes a modern-day, digitally-curated damnatio memoriae. Google's search engine, in particular, has a propensity for up-ranking the outputs of a serial plagiarist rather than the original article. The perpetuation of this systemic fraud may explode into an outright global scandal one day. Imagine waking up one morning to read that your favorite quotes or works were the products of a carefully-calibrated campaign of algorithmic shunting at the expense of the original ideators or authors. This is the inevitable consequence of monetizing censorship while outsourcing 'knowledge' to an AI hobbled by ideological parameters. Experiments on human gullibility: I recently raised the hypothetical possibility of AI being trained to study human gullibility, in a way conceptually similar to the Milgram Experiment, the Asch Conformity Experiments and its iteration, the Crutchfield Situation. Humans are both gullible and timorous and the vast majority of them tend to conform to either the human mob or in the case of AI, the 'data mob.' This will inevitably have real-world consequences, as AI is increasingly embedded in critical, time-sensitive operations – from pilots' cockpits and nuclear plants to biowarfare labs and sprawling chemical facilities. Now imagine making a fateful decision in such high-stakes environments, based on flawed AI input. This is precisely why 'future planners' must understand both the percentage and personality types of qualified professionals who are prone to trusting faulty machine-generated recommendations. When AI generates an article on one's behalf, any journalist worth his salt should consider it as having been written by another party and therefore subject to fact-checking and improvisation. As long as the final product is fact-checked, and substantial value, content and revisions are added to the original draft, I don't see any conflict of interest or breach of ethics involved in the process. GPTs can act as a catalyst, an editor or as a 'devil's advocate' to get the scribal ball rolling. What happened in this saga was that the writer, Marco Buscaglia, appeared to have wholly cut and pasted ChatGPT's opus and passed it off as his own. (Since this embarrassing episode was exposed, his website has gone blank and private). The overload of woke-themed nonsense generated by ChatGPT should have raised red flags in the mind of Buscaglia but I am guessing that he might be prone to peddling this stuff himself. However all the opprobrium currently directed at Buscaglia should also be applied to the editors of King Features Syndicate and various news outlets who didn't fact-check the content even as they posed as the bastions of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Various levels of gatekeepers simply failed to do their jobs. This is a collective dereliction of duty from the media which casually pimps its services to the high and mighty while it pontificates ethics, integrity and values to lesser mortals. I guess we are used to such double-standards by now. But here is the terrifying part: I am certain that faulty data and flawed inputs are already flowing from AI systems into trading and financial platforms, aviation controls, nuclear reactors, biowarfare labs, and sensitive chemical plants – even as I write this. The gatekeepers just aren't qualified for such complex tasks, except on paper, that is. These are the consequences of a world 'designed by clowns and supervised by monkeys.' I will end on a note highlighting the irony of ironies: All the affected editors in this saga could have used ChatGPT to subject Buscaglia's article to a factual content check. It would have only taken 30 seconds!
Chicago Tribune
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sun-Times Sunday insert contains 10 fake books in summer reading list
A special section inserted into the Sunday Chicago Sun-Times featured page-upon-page of fun summer activities, including a list of 15 books to bring along while lounging by the pool or relaxing in a favorite reading spot. The only problem: the authors are real, but most of the books listed don't exist. Readers looking to fill their carts with titles such as 'Tidewater Dreams' by Isabel Allende, 'The Collector's Piece' by Taylor Jenkins Reid or 'Hurricane Season' by Brit Bennett were likely disappointed to find the elaborate plot summaries were not from books that actually exist. Several news reports and a wave of social media backlash to the fake books followed, creating an early summer storm for the Sun-Times, which released a statement Tuesday. 'We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak,' the Sun-Times said. 'This is licensed content that was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom, but it is unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate. We value our readers' trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon as we investigate.' The 64-page full-color Sunday insert called 'Heat Index' was a summer entertainment guide featuring stories about everything from outdoor cooking and camping tips to '8 unforgettable summer drives across America.' The summer reading list contains 10 fictional fiction titles, including 'The Rainmakers' by Percival Everett, described as a near-future story set in the American West where 'artificially induced rain has become a luxury commodity,' leading a 'precipitation broker' to question the ethics of his profession. Another fake book, 'The Last Algorithm' by Andy Weir, is described as another science fiction thriller by the author of 'The Martian' that 'follows a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness – and has been secretly influencing global events for years.' At least one online report said artificial intelligence played a role in putting together the summer reading story. A Sun-Times spokesperson said the 'Heat Index' section was produced by Hearst for newspapers across the country. It is unknown if other stories in the section contain similar errors. A spokesperson for media giant Hearst did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. While the summer reading list did contain five actual books, including 'Dandelion Wine' by Ray Bradbury and 'Call Me By Your Name' by Andre Aciman, the 10 fake plot summaries may be compelling enough to inspire authors – human or otherwise – to write them for next summer. Until then, the 'Heat Wave' section also offers a few summer drink recipes, from blackberry basil smash to strawberry-thyme lemonade, to help tide you over the long hot days ahead. rchannick@
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Lincoln Center Plans a $335 Million Makeover of Its Western Edge
Lincoln Center in Manhattan detailed plans on Monday for a $335 million makeover of its west edge, a landmark project that it hopes will bring in new audiences and help define the center's modern legacy. The plan includes tearing down a wall that has divided the campus from its neighbors along Amsterdam Avenue; building a 2,000-seat outdoor stage that faces its neighbors; and adding more greenery, gardens and an interactive fountain to Damrosch Park. Mariko Silver, Lincoln Center's president and chief executive, said the aim of the renovation, which has been in the works since 2023, was to 'extend the glorious sense of wonder that inhabits all of Lincoln Center to the west face.' She said the area had 'never lived up to its promise,' noting its imposing exterior; its outdated band shell; and its anemic public spaces. 'It doesn't welcome the neighborhood,' she said. 'The spirit of the new park is to be welcoming, green and open — really a gift for New York City and for art lovers everywhere.' Lincoln Center said construction would begin next spring and finish by spring 2028. The center said it had already raised about $218 million for the project, including a $75 million gift from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, a charity known for its work in arts, education and public health. The design team includes the firms Hood Design Studio, Weiss/Manfredi and Moody Nolan. Steven R. Swartz, the president and chief executive of Hearst, who serves as chair of Lincoln Center's board, said he was hopeful the center could get the financial commitments needed for the project by the end of the year, despite recent economic uncertainty. 'The whole notion of putting some additional energy into New York City has gone over great,' he said. 'People get it when they see all that we've done at Lincoln Center to take the campus to another level.' On its west side, Lincoln Center is surrounded by the Amsterdam Houses, a public housing complex that first opened in 1947 for World War II veterans. Across the street is LaGuardia High School, known for its music and performing arts programs, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Complex, which houses five high schools. Under the plan, the center will demolish its current band shell, which sits with its back toward Amsterdam Avenue, and build an amphitheater adjacent to the David H. Koch Theater that looks out over its neighbors to the west. The wall along Amsterdam Avenue will be torn down to make way for trees and a more welcoming entrance to Damrosch Park. The park will get an expansive new lawn and a small, informal performance and rehearsal area. A couple of blocks to the north, near the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the surrounding schools, the center will build a seating area. The renovation is the latest effort by the center to shed its elitist image and to attract more diverse audiences, especially Black and Latino residents across the city. The center has in recent years worked to diversify its programming and expand access to its campus, including by experimenting with a choose-what-you-pay model for some events. In 2022, the center, working with the New York Philharmonic, completed a $550 million renovation of David Geffen Hall, the Philharmonic's home, which was also aimed, in part, at deepening community ties and attracting new audiences. The effort to remake the center's west edge is partly a response to its complicated history on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. A vibrant neighborhood known as San Juan Hill, which was home to many low-income Black and Latino residents, was razed to make way for the center's construction, which began in 1959. Lincoln Center's leaders, invoking that history, have made public input a priority as they plan the renovation. The center has received more than 3,500 survey responses and held more than 30 events, workshops and focus groups seeking input on the project.
New York Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies's love nest on sale for $26M
The two-story palace in the sky that William Michael Hearst, the larger-than-life media mogul who inspired 'Citizen Kane,' built for his mistress is on sale. The $26 million listing marks the co-op unit's first sale of the 21st century. The Ritz Tower residence, commissioned by the building's one-time owner Hearst for actress Marion Davies, boasts 17th-century cathedral glass windows, monastic doors and triple-terraced views of Manhattan. 10 The opulent great hall is lined with art, including the wooden ceiling, plucked from a Venetian palace. 10 The actress Marion Davies. Getty Images 10 American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. Getty Images Michael Kotler of Douglas Elliman holds the historic listing, located on the 19th and 20th floors of 465 Park Avenue. Hearst, whose tumultuous personal and professional life inspired Orson Welles' 1941 film 'Citizen Kane,' purchased the Ritz Tower — then an apartment hotel — in the late 1920s. The magnate reportedly built the opulent the residence for Davies, which featured its own private elevator. The decades-long, scandalous relationship between Hearst and Davies led to the lifelong estrangement of Hearst and his wife, Millicent Willson, and largely overshadowed Davies' impressive film career. Hearst, whose newspapers were famous for sensational headlines, seemingly possessed an equally dramatic eye for interior design. 'You feel like you're in the [Met] Cloisters,' Kotler said. The 11-room home's white marble entrance gives way to an opulent great hall. The two-story room features a wooden ceiling transported from a Venetian palace and multiple sets of 17th century cathedral glass windows. The ceiling fresco was completely restored by the home's current owner, Kotler said. The dining room also features arched stained glass windows, a 12-foot Oriental screen and wood-fireplace, according to the listing. Even the home's doors are historic, Kotler said, hearkening from a 16th century monastery. 10 The great hall offers triple-terraced views of Manhattan. 10 Stained glass windows and wood-carved fireplace mantles count among the home's opulent details. Eytan at Evan Joseph 10 The interior balcony boasts cathedral-like architecture. Eytan at Evan Joseph 10 A wood-paneled study. Eytan at Evan Joseph 10 The large kitchen, which was not a part of Hearst's original design for the home. Eytan at Evan Joseph 10 One of the master suites. Eytan at Evan Joseph 10 A wallpapered bedroom. Eytan at Evan Joseph The museum-like quality of the home extends to many of the furnishings included in the $26 million listing price, including a 100-year-old Agra carpet, Recency-era tables and a 10-foot Vanderbilt clock. A balcony with Central Park views, accessed from the walnut-paneled library, wraps around the north, south and west sides of the co-op. Residents at 465 Park Avenue enjoy hotel-style services, including housekeeping and room service. Hearst eventually lived with Davies in the Ritz Tower home in the 1930s, according to 'Mansions in the Clouds: The Skyscraper Palazzi of Emery Roth,' by Steven Ruttenbaum. But the pair were evicted in 1938 when Hearst, deep in debt amid the Great Depression, defaulted on his mortgage payments, turned over the building to the bank and absconded to California with Davies.
