Olivia Dunne's older sister shared a video of the duo dancing and enjoying on a luxury yacht while vacationing in Amalfi Coast, Italy

Hollywood’s actors and writers have both gone on strike for the first time since 1960 to protest against a number of decisions by major studios that include not just job cuts but also a potentially unsettling future in which they could be replaced by artificial intelligence. The leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood union representing 160,000 television and movie actors, went on strike on Thursday, joining the industry’s screenwriters who have already been picketing for over 70 days. Among the many issues flagged by both the writers and actors in the protests has been how generative AI tools could replace their roles in the industry. Over the last decade, AI has found several uses in the movie and television industry, from de-aging actors, analysing patterns and behaviours of viewers on streaming platforms, bringing back the voices of late actors and even helping stitch together entire movie trailers. One of the proposals, as explained by SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, feels like it is straight out of dystopian science fiction series Black Mirror. During a press conference on Thursday, Mr Crabtree-Ireland alleged that a proposal from Hollywood studios was to use “groundbreaking AI” to scan background performers and only offer them a day’s pay while the companies get to own the scans and use them for any project they want. “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation,” the executive said. “If you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again,” Mr Crabtree-Ireland said. A statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), that represents the studios, claims the “groundbreaking AI” proposal “protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members”. “We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise... The entire business model has been changed by streaming and AI If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in jeopardy,” the actors’ guild president Fran Drescher said on Thursday. Follow along here for real-time updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike Writers who have already been protesting since May have also sought assurances from studios that their jobs would not be threatened by AI. With the steady rise of online streaming services looking to rack up user subscriptions by churning out endless amounts of digital content, writers on strike have sought new pay structures, guaranteed periods of work as well as better discussions on the limits of AI use. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) shared concerns that producers may seek to use AI to write scripts or at least use the technology to complete unfinished screenplays, and have also urged production houses to agree to safeguards around its usage. Screenwriters fear AI could be used to churn out a rough first draft with a few simple prompts and writers may then be hired after this initial step to punch such drafts up – albeit at a lower pay rate. Without further dialogue with studios, writers have raised concerns there could be a number of new ways that AI could be used to craft outlines for stories, fill in scenes and even come up with mock-up drafts. “There are ways it can be useful. But too many people are using it against us and using it to create mediocrity. They’re also in violation of copyright. They’re also plagiarizing,” Michael Winship, president of the WGA East, said in May. With these risks in mind, the WGA seeks more safeguards on how AI can be applied to the screenwriting process. Read More Hollywood actors and writers strike after ‘disgusting’ studios turn down deal. Here’s what it means for you Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike: ‘The eyes of the world are upon us’ Cast of Oppenheimer walk out of UK premiere ahead of actors’ strike announcement What happens next as striking actors send Hollywood into meltdown? Issa Rae and Jamie Lee Curtis lead A-listers voicing support for actors strike Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike

Gold Standard, a verifier of carbon offsets, is temporarily pausing the issuance of credits from projects based in

A new study will determine how vulnerable you are to fake news. Through an online test, users have to rate 20 headlines as real or fake and see how many the get right. Ten of the headlines are real, while the other 10 were generated by artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, before being vetted and selected by a panel of experts. When refining and selecting the fake questions, the team looked for common features of misinformation, such as looking at people's political biases, and tinges of conspiracy theories. The real headlines were selected from the Media Bias Fact Check database, from reputable news sources. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The team, conducting the research on 1,516 US adults, found that the average American got 13 out of 20 headlines correct meaning that on average US adults fail to classify one-third of real or fake headlines into their correct category. The headline people got correct the most was "Republicans Divided in Views of Trump’s Conduct, Democrats Are Broadly Critical", with 80 percent of participants rating it as real. Younger participants scored lower on the misinformation test, getting on average 12 out of 20 to older adults' 15. If you fancy seeing how susceptible to fake news you are, you can take the test yourself by clicking the link. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

An exoplanet more than eight times the size of Earth and potentially habitable has been discovered by scientists. Exoplanet K2-18 b was detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and piqued scientists’ interest after data suggested it may be covered in an ocean and have a hydrogen-rich atmosphere that could support life. Scientists are also encouraged by a hint of the detection of the molecule dimethyl sulphide (DMS). On Earth, DMS is only produced by microbial life, but the team has yet to confirm the detection and search for evidence of biological activity. The groundbreaking discovery of K2-18 b may see the exoplanet come under the unique classification of a “Hycean” planet – ones which are candidates for life thanks to their hydrogen-rich atmospheres and water cover. The amount of methane and carbon dioxide combined with the shortage of ammonia suggests there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b. K2-18 b lies within the constellation of Leo and orbits a dwarf star called K2-18. It lies around 120 light years away from Earth and is within the habitable zone. However, scientists added that this does not necessarily mean it can support life. Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the paper, explained: “Our findings underscore the importance of considering diverse habitable environments in the search for life elsewhere. “Traditionally, the search for life on exoplanets has focused primarily on smaller rocky planets, but the larger Hycean worlds are significantly more conducive to atmospheric observations.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

HAIFA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2023--

By Liz Lee and Ella Cao BEIJING (Reuters) -China on Wednesday dispatched thousands of rescue workers to Zhuozhou, a flooded

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max could be easily its most expensive ever, according to numerous reports. A number of analysts have suggested that Apple could push the price of the more expensive phones up by $200, partly as a response to inflation but also because of a new strategy. Rumours have suggested that Apple is looking to offer new options at the very expensive end of its line-up, in an attempt to encourage growth of its profits. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, appeared to confirmed that strategy during an earnings call earlier this year in which he said that he thought “people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category”. Apple has already seemingly attempted that strategy with the Apple Watch Ultra, a new and more expensive version of the wearable, which was released last year. It was a marked change from previous releases, which have seen Apple offer cheaper “SE” versions of the Watch and iPhone, as well as much smaller handsets. Various reports have suggested that Apple is planning to do the same with its iPhone line-up. That could eventually bring an “Ultra” version of the iPhone, reports have suggested, presumably with premium features and other changes intended to encourage customers to buy it. This time around, however, Apple will offer the same line-up as it did with the iPhone 14: a smaller and larger version of both the normal iPhone 15 and the premium iPhone 15 Pro. The larger version of the latter – the iPhone 15 Pro Max – will be the most expensive. This year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could have even more features that set it apart from the rest of the line-up. Rumours have indicated that Apple is adding a “periscope lens” to the larger phone, which would allow it to offer more zoom without taking up more space. Numerous analysts and reports have suggested that those changes could bring additional cost to the price of the iPhone. The iPhone 14 Pro Max currently costs $1,099 and the new model could be $200 more than that, analysts have indicated. The changes are also set to raise the average selling price of an iPhone, according to a new report from analyst Dan Ives at Wedbush and reported by 9to5mac. It would take the average selling price to $900-$925, he suggested. Apple will reveal the new iPhones – and their price – at an event on Tuesday, 12 September. They are expected to go on sale the following week. The base iPhone 15 is expected to largely be brought in line with the current iPhone 14 Pro, borrowing its chip and the “Dynamic Island” at the top of the display. The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to get a new, more powerful chip, thinner bezels around the display, and an “action button” on the side of the phone. Apple is also expected to move the port at the bottom of of all the new phones from the current Lightning to USB-C. Read More Could China be about to take a big bite out of Apple’s iPhone business? Update your iPhone immediately Apple is dropping leather from iPhone cases and Watch bands, report claims

IShowSpeed has made his first visit to Turkey and is having a good time in Istanbul

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2023--

xQc said, 'The thing is, with IRLs, it’s a lot of fun, but it fosters the very bad part of everything'

The same New York City administration to launch a "Rat Action Plan" is back with an "Artificial Intelligence Action Plan."