Hits in the headlines #81
Hold onto your controllers, gamers! The world of video games is about to get a whole lot more interesting (or maybe complicated?) thanks to AI. Warner Bros. is diving headfirst into the future, experimenting with artificial intelligence in their upcoming titles. This could mean anything from smarter enemies to more realistic characters. But let's be honest, it also raises a ton of questions about the future of voice actors and motion capture artists. Is this the beginning of a beautiful AI-human collaboration, or are we heading towards a dystopian future where robots replace our favourite gaming personalities?
Google's got a shiny new AI toy called Gemini, and they were so excited to show it off during the Olympics that they slapped it on a commercial. But hold your horses! The internet wasn't having it. Backlash rained down faster than a gold medalist's victory lap. It seems people are starting to get a little wary of AI being shoved in our faces without a clear explanation of what's going on. This whole situation is a pretty clear reminder that even the biggest tech giants need to tread carefully when it comes to AI.
The video is about a funny internet hoax that went undetected for a very long time. The man who invented the electric toaster, seems like it would be a simple thing to verify. And it was. However, with a bit of time and attention, two friends were able to create a wikipedia page for the man that didn’t exist. Despite being completely made-up, there were news stories that referenced the “inventor”, schools which celebrated his birthday, and even a proposal to put his face on a bank note. While the story itself is not particularly harmful, it does validate the ideas that some popular information sources are not to be trusted. Have you ever been told not to trust wikipedia? Is there a better source that is just as freely available? What lessons can we learn from this rather funny story?
Why not use this as a chance to learn some new language?
Try to note some new language that you see or hear in the articles or video and bring it to the class.
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/02/1198912993/video-games-ai-artificial-intelligence-warner-bros-strike
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/2/24212078/google-gemini-olympics-ad-backlash
Remember, I always encourage you to send in your interesting articles, videos, or podcasts. You can message me directly, or email me here.
Have a great week.
See you in class!