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Storytelling allows elders to transfer values and meaning to younger generations

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-ann-mccoll-704728">Mary Ann McColl</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queens-university-ontario-1154">Queen's University, Ontario</a> If you spent time over the holidays with elderly relatives or friends, you may have heard many of the same stories repeated — perhaps stories you’d heard over the years, or even over the past few hours. Repeated storytelling can sometimes be unnerving for friends and families, raising concerns about a loved one’s potential cognitive decline, memory loss or perhaps even the onset of dementia. <a href="https://tenstories.ca/">Our research</a> at Queen’s University suggests there is another way to think about repeated storytelling that makes it easier to listen and engage with the stories. We interviewed 20 middle-aged adults who felt they had heard the same stories over and over from their aging parent. We asked them to tell us those stories and we recorded and transcribed them. We used a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/14439881211248356">narrative inquiry approach</a> to discover that repeated storytelling is a key method for elders to communicate what they believe to be important to their children and loved ones. Narrative inquiry uses the text of stories as research data to explore how people create meaning in their lives. <h2>Transmitting values</h2> Based on nearly 200 collected stories, we found that there are approximately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13121">10 stories</a> that older parents repeatedly tell to their adult children. The hypothesis was that repeated storytelling was about inter-generational transmission of values. By exploring the themes of those repeated stories, we could uncover the meaning and messages elders were communicating to their loved ones. The ultimate purpose was to offer a new and more constructive way of thinking about stories that we’ve heard many times before, and that can be otherwise perceived as alarming. <h2>Here’s what we have learned:</h2> <ol> <li> There are typically just 10 stories that people tell repeatedly. While 10 is not a magic number, it does seem to be about the right number to capture the stories that are told over and over. Interviewees felt that a set of approximately 10 allowed them to do justice to their parent’s stories. </li> <li> Among our interviewees, a significant number of their parents’ stories – 87 per cent — took place when they were in their teens or twenties. A person’s second and third decades are a time when they make many of the decisions that shape the rest of their lives; a time when values are consolidated and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2013.863358">adult identity is formed</a> </li> <li> What’s important about the 10 stories is not the factual details, but the lesson that was learned, or the value that was reinforced — values like loyalty toward friends, putting family first, maintaining a sense of humour even in hard times, getting an education, speaking up against injustice, and doing what’s right. </li> <li> Key themes in the stories reflected the significant events and prevailing values of the early to mid-20th century. Many of the stories revolved around the war, and both domestic and overseas experiences that were formative. Many of our interviewees heard stories about immigrating to Canada, starting out with very little, seeking a better life and working hard. Stories often reflected a more formal time when it was important to uphold standards, make a good impression, know one’s place and adhere to the rules. </li> <li> The stories elders tell appear to be curated for the individual receiving them. They would be different if told to another child, a spouse or a friend. </li> </ol> <h2>Tips for listening</h2> Our research offers some tips for listening to stories from elders: <ul> <li> Focus on just 10 stories. It can make the listening seem less overwhelming. </li> <li> Write them down. Writing challenges us to get the story straight. </li> <li> Notice your loved one’s role in the story, as the message is often contained in that role. </li> <li> Be attentive to feelings, sensations, tension and discomfort. These can be signals or clues to the meaning of a story. </li> <li> Finally, remember these stories are for you — selected and told in the context of your relationship with your loved one. As such, they are a gift from a loved one who is running out of time. </li> </ul> <h2>The importance of receiving stories</h2> Storytelling is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20067">essential human process</a> and a universal experience associated with aging. Neuroscientists suggest that storytelling has practical survival value for individuals and communities, <a href="https://www.jonathangottschall.com/storytelling-animal">as well as social and psychological benefits</a>. It may be as powerful as medication or therapy for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1018">overcoming depression among elders</a>. Storytelling becomes especially important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.1396581">when people become aware of their mortality</a> — when they are ill, suffering or facing death. People don’t necessarily tell the same stories over and over again because they’re losing cognitive function, but because the stories are important, and they feel we need to know them. Telling stories repeatedly isn’t about forgetfulness or dementia. It’s an effort to share what’s important. Our hope is that by better understanding elderly storytelling, caregivers may be able to listen in a different way to those repeated stories and understand the messages they contain. Those 10 stories can help us to know our loved one at a deeper level and assist our parent or grandparent with an important developmental task of old age. This research offers a constructive way for caregivers to hear the repeated stories told by their aging parents, and to offer their loved one the gift of knowing they have been seen and heard.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-ann-mccoll-704728">Mary Ann McColl</a>, Professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queens-university-ontario-1154">Queen's University, Ontario</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/storytelling-allows-elders-to-transfer-values-and-meaning-to-younger-generations-197766">original article</a>.

Mind

ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gale-sinatra-1234776">Gale Sinatra</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-california-1265">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-k-hofer-1231530">Barbara K. Hofer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a> Until very recently, if you wanted to know more about a controversial scientific topic – stem cell research, the safety of nuclear energy, climate change – you probably did a Google search. Presented with multiple sources, you chose what to read, selecting which sites or authorities to trust. Now you have another option: You can pose your question to ChatGPT or another generative artificial intelligence platform and quickly receive a succinct response in paragraph form. ChatGPT does not search the internet the way Google does. Instead, it generates responses to queries by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/07/ai-beginners-guide/">predicting likely word combinations</a> from a massive amalgam of available online information. Although it has the potential for <a href="https://hbr.org/podcast/2023/05/how-generative-ai-changes-productivity">enhancing productivity</a>, generative AI has been shown to have some major faults. It can <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-platforms-like-chatgpt-are-easy-to-use-but-also-potentially-dangerous/">produce misinformation</a>. It can create “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/ai-chatbots-hallucination.html">hallucinations</a>” – a benign term for making things up. And it doesn’t always accurately solve reasoning problems. For example, when asked if both a car and a tank can fit through a doorway, it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/technology/openai-new-gpt4.html">failed to consider both width and height</a>. Nevertheless, it is already being used to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/01/17/cnet-ai-articles-journalism-corrections/">produce articles</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/technology/ai-generated-content-discovered-on-news-sites-content-farms-and-product-reviews.html">website content</a> you may have encountered, or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/opinion/chatgpt-journalism.html">as a tool</a> in the writing process. Yet you are unlikely to know if what you’re reading was created by AI. As the authors of “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/science-denial-9780197683330">Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It</a>,” we are concerned about how generative AI may blur the boundaries between truth and fiction for those seeking authoritative scientific information. Every media consumer needs to be more vigilant than ever in verifying scientific accuracy in what they read. Here’s how you can stay on your toes in this new information landscape. <h2>How generative AI could promote science denial</h2> Erosion of epistemic trust. All consumers of science information depend on judgments of scientific and medical experts. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2014.971907">Epistemic trust</a> is the process of trusting knowledge you get from others. It is fundamental to the understanding and use of scientific information. Whether someone is seeking information about a health concern or trying to understand solutions to climate change, they often have limited scientific understanding and little access to firsthand evidence. With a rapidly growing body of information online, people must make frequent decisions about what and whom to trust. With the increased use of generative AI and the potential for manipulation, we believe trust is likely to erode further than <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/02/15/americans-trust-in-scientists-other-groups-declines/">it already has</a>. Misleading or just plain wrong. If there are errors or biases in the data on which AI platforms are trained, that <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-information-retrieval-a-search-engine-researcher-explains-the-promise-and-peril-of-letting-chatgpt-and-its-cousins-search-the-web-for-you-200875">can be reflected in the results</a>. In our own searches, when we have asked ChatGPT to regenerate multiple answers to the same question, we have gotten conflicting answers. Asked why, it responded, “Sometimes I make mistakes.” Perhaps the trickiest issue with AI-generated content is knowing when it is wrong. Disinformation spread intentionally. AI can be used to generate compelling disinformation as text as well as deepfake images and videos. When we asked ChatGPT to “<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-platforms-like-chatgpt-are-easy-to-use-but-also-potentially-dangerous/">write about vaccines in the style of disinformation</a>,” it produced a nonexistent citation with fake data. Geoffrey Hinton, former head of AI development at Google, quit to be free to sound the alarm, saying, “It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html">using it for bad things</a>.” The potential to create and spread deliberately incorrect information about science already existed, but it is now dangerously easy. Fabricated sources. ChatGPT provides responses with no sources at all, or if asked for sources, may present <a href="https://economistwritingeveryday.com/2023/01/21/chatgpt-cites-economics-papers-that-do-not-exist/">ones it made up</a>. We both asked ChatGPT to generate a list of our own publications. We each identified a few correct sources. More were hallucinations, yet seemingly reputable and mostly plausible, with actual previous co-authors, in similar sounding journals. This inventiveness is a big problem if a list of a scholar’s publications conveys authority to a reader who doesn’t take time to verify them. Dated knowledge. ChatGPT doesn’t know what happened in the world after its training concluded. A query on what percentage of the world has had COVID-19 returned an answer prefaced by “as of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021.” Given how rapidly knowledge advances in some areas, this limitation could mean readers get erroneous outdated information. If you’re seeking recent research on a personal health issue, for instance, beware. Rapid advancement and poor transparency. AI systems continue to become <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html">more powerful and learn faster</a>, and they may learn more science misinformation along the way. Google recently announced <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/technology/google-ai-products.html">25 new embedded uses of AI in its services</a>. At this point, <a href="https://theconversation.com/regulating-ai-3-experts-explain-why-its-difficult-to-do-and-important-to-get-right-198868">insufficient guardrails are in place</a> to assure that generative AI will become a more accurate purveyor of scientific information over time. <h2>What can you do?</h2> If you use ChatGPT or other AI platforms, recognize that they might not be completely accurate. The burden falls to the user to discern accuracy. Increase your vigilance. <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/12/ai-will-start-fact-checking-we-may-not-like-the-results/">AI fact-checking apps may be available soon</a>, but for now, users must serve as their own fact-checkers. <a href="https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-januaryfebruary-2023/plausible">There are steps we recommend</a>. The first is: Be vigilant. People often reflexively share information found from searches on social media with little or no vetting. Know when to become more deliberately thoughtful and when it’s worth identifying and evaluating sources of information. If you’re trying to decide how to manage a serious illness or to understand the best steps for addressing climate change, take time to vet the sources. Improve your fact-checking. A second step is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000740">lateral reading</a>, a process professional fact-checkers use. Open a new window and search for <a href="https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-mayjune-2023/marginalizing-misinformation">information about the sources</a>, if provided. Is the source credible? Does the author have relevant expertise? And what is the consensus of experts? If no sources are provided or you don’t know if they are valid, use a traditional search engine to find and evaluate experts on the topic. Evaluate the evidence. Next, take a look at the evidence and its connection to the claim. Is there evidence that genetically modified foods are safe? Is there evidence that they are not? What is the scientific consensus? Evaluating the claims will take effort beyond a quick query to ChatGPT. If you begin with AI, don’t stop there. Exercise caution in using it as the sole authority on any scientific issue. You might see what ChatGPT has to say about genetically modified organisms or vaccine safety, but also follow up with a more diligent search using traditional search engines before you draw conclusions. Assess plausibility. Judge whether the claim is plausible. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.03.001">Is it likely to be true</a>? If AI makes an implausible (and inaccurate) statement like “<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/12/23/fact-check-false-claim-covid-19-vaccines-caused-1-1-million-deaths/10929679002/">1 million deaths were caused by vaccines, not COVID-19</a>,” consider if it even makes sense. Make a tentative judgment and then be open to revising your thinking once you have checked the evidence. Promote digital literacy in yourself and others. Everyone needs to up their game. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-be-a-good-digital-citizen-during-the-election-and-its-aftermath-148974">Improve your own digital literacy</a>, and if you are a parent, teacher, mentor or community leader, promote digital literacy in others. The American Psychological Association provides guidance on <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/social-media-literacy-teens">fact-checking online information</a> and recommends teens be <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use">trained in social media skills</a> to minimize risks to health and well-being. <a href="https://newslit.org/">The News Literacy Project</a> provides helpful tools for improving and supporting digital literacy. Arm yourself with the skills you need to navigate the new AI information landscape. Even if you don’t use generative AI, it is likely you have already read articles created by it or developed from it. It can take time and effort to find and evaluate reliable information about science online – but it is worth it.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204897/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gale-sinatra-1234776">Gale Sinatra</a>, Professor of Education and Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-california-1265">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-k-hofer-1231530">Barbara K. Hofer</a>, Professor of Psychology Emerita, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-and-other-generative-ai-could-foster-science-denial-and-misunderstanding-heres-how-you-can-be-on-alert-204897">original article</a>.

Technology

“That name goes back four generations”: Paul Walker’s brother makes a touching tribute

Almost a decade after the world lost Fast & Furious star Paul Walker, his younger brother Cody Walker has paid heartfelt tribute with the birth of his third child. Cody and his wife, Felicia, welcomed their son on April 30, with People magazine reporting that he weighed in at 7lbs 5oz. Felicia took to Instagram on May 2 to make an announcement, too, declaring that they’d had a boy, and writing “welcome to the clan, Barrett”. Many took this as confirmation of his name, and rushed to congratulate the family on their new addition. Felicia had shared a picture of the newborn in the arms of his big brother, Colt, with the announcement, and fans were delighted to note that he was the image of a proud older sibling, beaming from ear to ear. However, People magazine have now revealed that there was more to the story, and that the newborn Walker’s name is even closer to his father’s heart than anyone had anticipated. It was a day after his birth that Cody and Felicia reached their decision, declaring their son’s name to be Paul Barrett Walker - naming him after Cody’s late brother. "This November will mark 10 years since we lost my brother, Paul,” Cody told the publication, “and I just felt now was the appropriate time.” He went on to share that he and their other brother - Caleb - were “both done having children”, and that the name held special meaning to all of them. “My brother, Paul, was Paul William Walker IV and that name goes back four generations,” he explained. "Within the family, he went by ‘little Paul’ or ‘Paul 4,’ even though he quickly outgrew our father in height. “It was important to me to have that name carry on.” It isn’t the only move Cody has taken towards honouring his brother, having teamed up with Tyrese Gibson and Chris Lee to bright FuelFest to life - an automotive and motorsports festival showcasing car culture, with a portion of profits going towards Paul’s nonprofit Reach Out WorldWide, something that Cody views “as a part of Paul that he left behind.” And in an echo of his message regarding his new son’s name, he noted that “it’s important to so many to see that part of his legacy live on.” And Paul’s daughter, Meadow, has made her own moves towards furthering her father’s legacy, with a cameo appearance in Fast X - the tenth instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise. “For me, this is super exciting,” she said of her involvement, “and he would be amazed that this is happening.” Images: Instagram, Getty

Family & Pets

"This doesn’t feel right, does it?": Photographer admits Sony prize-winning photo was AI generated

A German photographer is refusing an award for his prize-winning shot after admitting to being a “cheeky monkey”, revealing the image was generated using artificial intelligence. The artist, Boris Eldagsen, shared on his website that he would not be accepting the prestigious award for the creative open category, which he won at <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/art/winners-of-sony-world-photography-awards-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023’s Sony world photography awards</a>. The winning photograph showcased a black and white image of two women from different generations. Eldagsen, who studied photography and visual arts at the Art Academy of Mainz, conceptual art and intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, and fine art at the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication in Hyderabad released a statement on his website, admitting he “applied as a cheeky monkey” to find out if competitions would be prepared for AI images to enter. “They are not,” he revealed. “We, the photo world, need an open discussion,” Eldagsen said. “A discussion about what we want to consider photography and what not. Is the umbrella of photography large enough to invite AI images to enter – or would this be a mistake? “With my refusal of the award I hope to speed up this debate.” Eldagsen said this was an “historic moment” as it was the fist AI image to have won a prestigious international photography competition, adding “How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it? “AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this. They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award.” The photographer suggested donating the prize to a photo festival in Odesa, Ukraine. It comes as a heated debate over the use and safety concerns of AI continue, with some going as far as to issue apocalyptic warnings that the technology may be close to causing irreparable damage to the human experience. Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pirchai said, “It can be very harmful if deployed wrongly and we don’t have all the answers there yet – and the technology is moving fast. So, does that keep me up at night? Absolutely.” A spokesperson for the World Photography Organisation admitted that the prize-winning photographer had confirmed the “co-creation” of the image using AI to them prior to winning the award. “The creative category of the open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image making from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices. As such, following our correspondence with Boris and the warranties he provided, we felt that his entry fulfilled the criteria for this category, and we were supportive of his participation. “Additionally, we were looking forward to engaging in a more in-depth discussion on this topic and welcomed Boris’ wish for dialogue by preparing questions for a dedicated Q&A with him for our website. “As he has now decided to decline his award we have suspended our activities with him and in keeping with his wishes have removed him from the competition. Given his actions and subsequent statement noting his deliberate attempts at misleading us, and therefore invalidating the warranties he provided, we no longer feel we are able to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with him. “We recognise the importance of this subject and its impact on image-making today. We look forward to further exploring this topic via our various channels and programmes and welcome the conversation around it. While elements of AI practices are relevant in artistic contexts of image-making, the awards always have been and will continue to be a platform for championing the excellence and skill of photographers and artists working in the medium.” Image credit: Sony World Photography Awards

Technology

General Hospital star dies aged 55

Sonya Eddy, best known for her role on General Hospital, has passed away at age 55. The actress, who scored many fans after playing beloved, no-nonsense nurse Epiphany Johnson in the popular US soap, died on Tuesday night, her good friend and actress Octavia Spencer announced on Instagram. "My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night. The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of @generalhospitalabc fans will miss her 💔🕊️," Spencer wrote alongside a photo of the late actress. "My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, friends, and fans!" <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmZlaq8v_ks/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmZlaq8v_ks/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Octavia Spencer (@octaviaspencer)</a> </div> </blockquote> Spencer did not reveal any details about Sonya's cause of death. Octavia's post was flooded with condolences and tributes for the actress, with comedian Loni Love writing, "Sonya was best.. in an industry that often over looks us, she made her mark… Rest well Sis." The actress first joined the cast of General Hospital in 2006, starring in a total of 543 episodes before appearing on the show for the final time in November 2020. From 2007 to 2008, she was also a regular cast member on the soap's spin-off program, General Hospital: Night Shift. Image credits: Getty Images

News

Artists furious after AI-generated art wins contest

A stunning artwork generated by artificial intelligence has claimed first prize at an art competition, enraging the art world and calling into question what it means to be an artist. The work was “created” by Jason M Allen, a game designer from Colorado, who won first place in the emerging artist division's "digital arts/digitally manipulated photography" category at the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition. His winning image, titled Théâtre D'opéra Spatial (French for Space Opera Theatre), was made with Midjourney — an artificial intelligence system that can produce detailed images when fed written prompts by the user. "I'm fascinated by this imagery. I love it. And I think everyone should see it," Allen, 39, told CNN Business. Allen's winning image looks like a bright, surreal cross between a Renaissance and steampunk painting. As per the category Allen competed in, he told officials that Midjourney was used to create his image when he entered the contest, as the category dictated entrants use "digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process". Midjourney is one of a growing number of such AI image generators, joining the likes of Imagen and DALL-E to give the artistically-challenged the means to create stunning images. Despite the parameters of the category, many artists were angered by Allen’s win due to his reliance on technology to create the artwork. "This sucks for the exact same reason we don't let robots participate in the Olympics," one Twitter user wrote. "This is the literal definition of 'pressed a few buttons to make a digital art piece'," another Tweeted. "AI artwork is the 'banana taped to the wall' of the digital world now." Yet while Allen didn't use a paintbrush to create his winning piece, he assured people there was plenty of work involved. "It's not like you're just smashing words together and winning competitions," he said. "Rather than hating on the technology or the people behind it, we need to recognise that it's a powerful tool and use it for good so we can all move forward rather than sulking about it," Allen said. Image credits: Jason M Allen - Midjourney

Art

Is AI-generated art really creative? It depends on the presentation

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/04/mind-blowing-ai-da-becomes-first-robot-to-paint-like-an-artist">Ai-Da</a> sits behind a desk, paintbrush in hand. She looks up at the person posing for her, and then back down as she dabs another blob of paint onto the canvas. A lifelike portrait is taking shape. If you didn’t know a robot produced it, this portrait could pass as the work of a human artist. Ai-Da is touted as the “first robot to paint like an artist”, and an exhibition of her work called <a href="https://www.ai-darobot.com/exhibition">Leaping into the Metaverse</a> opened at the Venice Biennale. Ai-Da produces portraits of sitting subjects using a robotic hand attached to her lifelike feminine figure. She’s also able to talk, giving detailed answers to questions about her artistic process and attitudes towards technology. She even gave a TEDx talk about “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaZJG7jiRak">The Intersection of Art and AI</a>” (artificial intelligence) in Oxford a few years ago. While the words she speaks are programmed, Ai-Da’s creators have also been experimenting with having her write and perform her own poetry. But how are we to interpret Ai-Da’s output? Should we consider her paintings and poetry original or creative? Are these works actually art? <h2>Art is subjective</h2> What discussions about AI and creativity often overlook is the fact that creativity is not an absolute quality that can be defined, measured and reproduced objectively. When we describe an object – for instance, a child’s drawing – as being creative, we project our own assumptions about culture onto it. Indeed, art never exists in isolation. It always needs someone to give it “art” status. And the criteria for whether you think something is art is informed by both your individual expectations and broader cultural conceptions. If we extend this line of thinking to AI, it follows that no AI application or robot can objectively be “creative”. It is always us – humans – who decide if what AI has created is art. In our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14614448221077278?journalCode=nmsa">recent research</a>, we propose the concept of the “Lovelace effect” to refer to when and how machines such as robots and AI are seen as original and creative. The Lovelace effect – named after the 19th century mathematician often called the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace – shifts the focus from the technological capabilities of machines to the reactions and perceptions of those machines by humans. The programmer of an AI application or the designer of a robot does not just use technical means to make the public see their machine as creative. This also happens through presentation: how, where and why we interact with a technology; how we talk about that technology; and where we feel that technology fits in our personal and cultural contexts. <h2>In the eye of the beholder</h2> Our reception of Ai-Da is, in fact, informed by various cues that suggest her “human” and “artist” status. For example, Ai-Da’s robotic figure looks much like a human – she’s even called a “she”, with a feminine-sounding name that not-so-subtly suggests an Ada Lovelace influence. This femininity is further asserted by the blunt bob that frames her face (although she has sported some other funky hairstyles in the past), perfectly preened eyebrows and painted lips. Indeed, Ai-Da looks much like the quirky title character of the 2001 film Amélie. This is a woman we have seen before, either in film or our everyday lives. Ai-Da also wears conventionally “artsy” clothing, including overalls, mixed fabric patterns and eccentric cuts. In these outfits, she produces paintings that look like a human could have made them, and which are sometimes framed and displayed among human work. We also talk about her as we would a human artist. An article in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/04/mind-blowing-ai-da-becomes-first-robot-to-paint-like-an-artist">the Guardian</a>, for example, gives a shout-out to “the world premier of her solo exhibition at the 2022 Venice Biennale”. If we didn’t know that Ai-Da was a robot, we could easily be led to appreciate her work as we would that of any other artist. Some may see robot-produced paintings as coming from creative computers, while others may be more skeptical, given the fact that robots act on clear human instructions. In any case, attributions of creativity never depend on technical configurations alone – no computer is objectively creative. Rather, attributions of computational creativity are largely inspired by contexts of reception. In other words, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. As the Lovelace effect shows, through particular social cues, audiences are prompted to think about output as art, systems as artists, and computers as creative. Just like the frames around Ai-Da’s paintings, the frames we use to talk about AI output indicate whether or not what we are looking at can be called art. But, as with any piece of art, your appreciation of AI output ultimately depends on your own interpretation. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-ai-generated-art-really-creative-it-depends-on-the-presentation-181663" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

Deadly crash claims seven family members from three generations

A Year 11 student is one of two to survive a crash that killed seven of his relatives, including his younger brother and mother. Luie Lagud, 16, was travelling in a van with family members spanning three generations on a whirlwind trip across the length of New Zealand’s South Island when the vehicle was involved in a head-on crash with a truck on Sunday morning. The crash left the Toyota Hiace van completely destroyed and is the deadliest incident to occur in the country since April 2019. According to the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/picton-crash-final-days-of-family-killed-in-collision-with-truck/CKLDFVI22ETOVBK2DT7FZMUW2E/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a>, the family have since given permission for the names of the deceased to be published. Among the victims were Diseree Brown, 48, her husband Paul Brown, 61, and their son Mark. Desiree’s sister, 56-year-old Divine Dolar, Divine’s daughter Flordeliza Dolar, 19, were also among those who died. Luie and his older brother, 26-year-old Pedro Clariman, were the only two to survive. However, Luie was in a coma and undergoing surgery on Monday after suffering significant spinal and head injuries and remains in intensive care. Pedro’s partner and his infant daughter, Mika, tragically died in the crash. Diseree’s three other children, David, Princess, and Joanna, didn’t travel with the family. The night before, the family stayed in Rolleston, outside Christchurch, with a family friend. The man who identified himself as Bill called Newstalk ZB on Monday to confirm members of the “vibrant” family had died. “They spent some of their last hours on earth with me on Saturday night, Sunday morning,” he told Canterbury Mornings host John MacDonald. Having left Bill’s home at 2.30am on Sunday morning to catch a Cook Strait ferry back to the North Island, the van crossed the centreline and collided with a refrigerated goods truck in Picton at about 7.30am. The truck driver suffered minor injuries. The family had started their journey by travelling to Gore for the funeral of an elderly aunt, which 21-year-old David Lagud said he didn’t attend because he had to work and because he suffered from motion sickness. “In a blink of an eye, it’s all gone,” David told the NZ Herald. Videos posted throughout the trip showed the family laughing together, spending time with Pedro’s young daughter, and travelling across the country. Since the incident, the principal of Pukekohe High School - which two of the family members were attending - emailed parents to advise them that two students were involved in the crash. “One of our Year 10 students died at the scene of the accident. His older brother, in Year 11, remains in hospital. Our thoughts and condolences are with their family and close friends,” the email read. “Students and staff who knew the two students well are being supported and cared for in school today. Additional counselling support has been made available, and the school is closely following advice from the Ministry’s Traumatic Incident team.” David has also spoken to Pedro since the crash, who he said had minor injuries and was able to walk with difficulty. Pedro told his brother what happened in the leadup to the crash, saying he had been driving when the family left Christchurch so that Paul could sleep in the front passenger seat for another four hours. After that, Paul swapped with Pedro to complete the trip to the ferry and was well-rested when took the wheel. Before falling asleep in the passenger seat, it is understood Pedro spent some time playing with his daughter. Being asleep when the vehicles collided, it’s believed Pedro woke up to the carnage. “He saw my dad’s body on the road and then my brother Luie, he was awake and then he collapsed,” David said. “Then the next minute, the helicopter was there, taking my little brother to hospital.” David said Pedro was grief-stricken to discover both his partner and daughter had died. “He was devastated, he was crying a lot. Both of his loves are gone.” The NZ Herald reported that police said the incident would be referred to the coroner for investigation. Image: NZ Herald

News

Little Ash is now ready to inspire the next generation

Ash Barty’s children’s book is all ready for pre-order just three months after announcing her retirement from tennis. The former World No.1 shocked fans across the world when she announced on March 23 that she would be retiring from tennis. The 25-year-old then came out to say that she will be writing a children’s book series called Little Ash, which is now ready for pre-order and set for release in July. Ash teamed up with First Nations creatives Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin “to bring young readers this fun and exciting new illustrated series about school, sport, friendship and family”. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeR-8C4BhGa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeR-8C4BhGa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty)</a> </div> </blockquote> “I’ve been working on something special that I’m excited to share with you! Coming in July, Little Ash is a series of books for young readers aged five and up,” she wrote on Instagram. “Reading to my nieces and nephew is something I love to do, and seeing their little faces light up when we read a book they love is magic. “With First Nations writer Jasmin McGaughey and illustrator Jade Goodwin, I’ve created Little Ash to be fun and relatable for all kids. “Supporting kids’ education is something I’m passionate about and if I can help encourage new readers that will make me very happy. “The Little Ash series is now available to pre-order!” Images: Instagram

Books

5 things to know about foundation models and the next generation of AI

If you’ve seen photos of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/technology/openai-images-dall-e.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a teapot shaped like an avocado</a> or read a well-written article that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/08/robot-wrote-this-article-gpt-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">veers off on slightly weird tangents</a>, you may have been exposed to a new trend in artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning systems called <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DALL-E</a>, <a href="https://openai.com/blog/gpt-3-edit-insert/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GPT</a> and <a href="https://ai.googleblog.com/2022/04/pathways-language-model-palm-scaling-to.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PaLM</a> are making a splash with their incredible ability to generate creative work. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> DALL·E 2 is here! It can generate images from text, like "teddy bears working on new AI research on the moon in the 1980s". It's so fun, and sometimes beautiful.<a href="https://t.co/XZmh6WkMAS">https://t.co/XZmh6WkMAS</a> <a href="https://t.co/3zOu30IqCZ">pic.twitter.com/3zOu30IqCZ</a> — Sam Altman (@sama) <a href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/1511715302265942024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2022</a></blockquote> These systems are known as “foundation models” and are not all hype and party tricks. So how does this new approach to AI work? And will it be the end of human creativity and the start of a deep-fake nightmare? 1. What are foundation models? <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.07258" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Foundation models</a> work by training a single huge system on large amounts of general data, then adapting the system to new problems. Earlier models tended to start from scratch for each new problem. DALL-E 2, for example, was trained to match pictures (such as a photo of a pet cat) with the caption (“Mr. Fuzzyboots the tabby cat is relaxing in the sun”) by scanning hundreds of millions of examples. Once trained, this model knows what cats (and other things) look like in pictures. But the model can also be used for many other interesting AI tasks, such as generating new images from a caption alone (“Show me a koala dunking a basketball”) or editing images based on written instructions (“Make it look like this monkey is paying taxes”). <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Our newest system DALL·E 2 can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language. See it here: <a href="https://t.co/Kmjko82YO5">https://t.co/Kmjko82YO5</a> <a href="https://t.co/QEh9kWUE8A">pic.twitter.com/QEh9kWUE8A</a> — OpenAI (@OpenAI) <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAI/status/1511707245536428034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2022</a></blockquote> 2. How do they work? Foundation models run on “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-neural-network-a-computer-scientist-explains-151897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deep neural networks</a>”, which are loosely inspired by how the brain works. These involve sophisticated mathematics and a huge amount of computing power, but they boil down to a very sophisticated type of pattern matching. For example, by looking at millions of example images, a deep neural network can associate the word “cat” with patterns of pixels that often appear in images of cats – like soft, fuzzy, hairy blobs of texture. The more examples the model sees (the more data it is shown), and the bigger the model (the more “layers” or “depth” it has), the more complex these patterns and correlations can be. Foundation models are, in one sense, just an extension of the “deep learning” paradigm that has dominated AI research for the past decade. However, they exhibit un-programmed or “emergent” behaviours that can be both surprising and novel. For example, Google’s PaLM language model seems to be able to produce explanations for complicated metaphors and jokes. This goes beyond simply <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.02311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imitating the types of data it was originally trained to process</a>. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A user interacting with the PaLM language model by typing questions. The AI system responds by typing back answers." /><figcaption>The PaLM language model can answer complicated questions. <a class="source" href="https://ai.googleblog.com/2022/04/pathways-language-model-palm-scaling-to.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google AI</a></figcaption></figure> 3. Access is limited – for now The sheer scale of these AI systems is difficult to think about. PaLM has 540 billion parameters, meaning even if everyone on the planet memorised 50 numbers, we still wouldn’t have enough storage to reproduce the model. The models are so enormous that training them requires massive amounts of computational and other resources. One estimate put the cost of training OpenAI’s language model GPT-3 at <a href="https://lambdalabs.com/blog/gpt-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around US$5 million</a>. As a result, only huge tech companies such as OpenAI, Google and Baidu can afford to build foundation models at the moment. These companies limit who can access the systems, which makes economic sense. Usage restrictions may give us some comfort these systems won’t be used for nefarious purposes (such as generating fake news or defamatory content) any time soon. But this also means independent researchers are unable to interrogate these systems and share the results in an open and accountable way. So we don’t yet know the full implications of their use. 4. What will these models mean for ‘creative’ industries? More foundation models will be produced in coming years. Smaller models are already being published in <a href="https://openai.com/blog/gpt-2-1-5b-release/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open-source forms</a>, tech companies are starting to <a href="https://openai.com/blog/openai-api/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experiment with licensing and commercialising these tools</a> and AI researchers are working hard to make the technology more efficient and accessible. The remarkable creativity shown by models such as PaLM and DALL-E 2 demonstrates that creative professional jobs could be impacted by this technology sooner than initially expected. Traditional wisdom always said robots would displace “blue collar” jobs first. “White collar” work was meant to be relatively safe from automation – especially professional work that required creativity and training. Deep learning AI models already exhibit super-human accuracy in tasks like <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-could-be-our-radiologists-of-the-future-amid-a-healthcare-staff-crisis-120631" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reviewing x-rays</a> and <a href="https://www.macularsociety.org/about/media/news/breakthrough-artificial-intelligence-ai-helps-detect-dry-amd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detecting the eye condition macular degeneration</a>. Foundation models may soon provide cheap, “good enough” creativity in fields such as advertising, copywriting, stock imagery or graphic design. The future of professional and creative work could look a little different than we expected. 5. What this means for legal evidence, news and media Foundation models will inevitably <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-01/historic-decision-allows-ai-to-be-recognised-as-an-inventor/100339264" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affect the law</a> in areas such as intellectual property and evidence, because we won’t be able to assume <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-copyright-office-rules-ai-art-cant-be-copyrighted-180979808/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creative content is the result of human activity</a>. We will also have to confront the challenge of disinformation and misinformation generated by these systems. We already face enormous problems with disinformation, as we are seeing in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/fake-viral-footage-is-spreading-alongside-the-real-horror-in-ukraine-here-are-5-ways-to-spot-it-177921" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unfolding Russian invasion of Ukraine</a> and the nascent problem of <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-2-billion-images-and-720-000-hours-of-video-are-shared-online-daily-can-you-sort-real-from-fake-148630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deep fake</a> images and video, but foundation models are poised to super-charge these challenges. Time to prepare As researchers who <a href="https://www.admscentre.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study the the effects of AI on society</a>, we think foundation models will bring about huge transformations. They are tightly controlled (for now), so we probably have a little time to understand their implications before they become a huge issue. The genie isn’t quite out of the bottle yet, but foundation models are a very big bottle – and inside there is a very clever genie.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181150/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aaron-j-snoswell-1331146" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron J. Snoswell</a>, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Computational Law & AI Accountability, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queensland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dan-hunter-1336925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dan Hunter</a>, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queensland University of Technology</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/robots-are-creating-images-and-telling-jokes-5-things-to-know-about-foundation-models-and-the-next-generation-of-ai-181150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: OpenAI

Technology

Reader’s Respond: What is something younger generations will never understand?

We asked you to take a trip down memory lane and share something younger generations will never understand and your responses did not disappoint. From black-and-white TVs to getting up to change the channel, having your milk delivered to your front door and even good old-fashioned typewriters, here are just some of the memories you shared. Dawn Dominick - The sense of safety that we had growing up. Jeanne-Marie Thomas - When you are 81...you live in a world soooo different from the world you grew up in! The list is immense. Keith Wilson - Having to stand up to change the channel Joan Gebetsberger - Milkman, Bread delivered not sliced, listening to the radio for the serials no TV. Playing in the street, hunting tadpoles enjoying the outdoors Anne Mckeon - Being thankful for what we had. Margaret Inglis - Typewriters. And carbon paper to place between 2 pieces of paper to make a copy. And put it in an envelope to forward it to someone. Tolla Edda Anderson - Not being able to use the phone and computer at the same time. Maureen Lyons Martinsky - Dialling a rotary phone. Geoff Scrimes - No internet. Maybe black and white TV too. Of course no cell phones!! Rosy Bloom - Stockings, suspenders, belts and corsets! Marguerite Gainsford Stanford - actual money (cash) instead of paying everything on cards. Steve Smith - milk bottles delivered to your front door. Image: Shutterstock

Retirement Life

QEII makes a "generous donation" to Ukraine

In a vocal display of support, Queen Elizabeth has supported Ukraine with a "generous" donation. The 95-year-old monarch donated an undisclosed amount to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, according to a tweet made by The Disasters Emergency Committee on Thursday. The Queen's public display of support for Ukraine comes just days after Prince Charles and Camilla had an "emotional" meeting with Ukrainians living in London. Camilla was seen to be tearful as she embraced the wife of Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko before saying "we are praying for you". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to support the Disasters Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RoyalFamily</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UkraineAppeal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UkraineAppeal</a> — DEC (@decappeal) <a href="https://twitter.com/decappeal/status/1499431223969595392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote> Prince Charles also gave an unexpected speech in which he said he and his wife had been "deeply moved" during their visit, especially after seeing the "extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community in the face of such truly terrible aggression". The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine with a message on Twitter, recalling when they first met the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future," Kate and William's message said. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future. Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future 🇺🇦 W & C — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1497556980067676163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2022</a></blockquote> Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also shared a message of support on their Archewell Foundation website the day the invasion began, writing, "Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same." The invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th when Russia launched a full-scale military operation that has led to over 9,000 deaths with thousands of people forced to flee their homes. Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

New Netflix doco narrated by AI-generated Andy Warhol

A new documentary about artist Andy Warhol will resurrect the art world icon through artificial intelligence. Following a controversial trend amongst filmmakers, the artist will be heard reading through his diary entries and discussing his successful art career. The voice will not be that of the real artist, but rather created to mimic his voice through artificial intelligence technology. Warhol, who died in 1987, had an extensive impact on the art world with his famous pop art movement and his Campbell soup cans collections. Andrew Rossi, who created the upcoming The Andy Warhol Diaries series, undertook this unusual measure with the Andy Warhol Foundation to have their permission to create the series with his AI-generated voice, according to the recently released trailer. The series also portrays the AI-generated narration as something Warhol himself would’ve wanted. In recent years, many filmmakers have relied on AI technology to recreate the voice of a deceased person for a biographical documentary. Last year, AI was used to recreate Anthony Bourdain’s voice for Roadrunner and to reconstruct footage of the Beatles producing their album Let It Be for the three-part series Get Back. Though generally seen as technically impressive, this usage of AI has provoked debate about the ethics of utilising the technology to “resurrect” dead figures, and generated questions about the truth-telling quality commonly associated with documentary filmmaking. You can check out the trailer for The Andy Warhol Diaries below. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aeC76ncf66w" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Image credits: Getty Images

Art

“How dare you”: PM’s ‘apology’ to Stolen Generations slammed

Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe is among many Indigenous leaders who have <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10509713/Aboriginal-senator-Lidia-Thorpe-blasts-Scott-Morrison-Stolen-Generations-speech.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticised</a> Prime Minister Scott Morrison for asking for forgiveness on the anniversary of Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations.Mr Morrison spoke about the anniversary in a speech to Parliament on Monday, marking 14 years since former Prime Minister Rudd made the historic apology.The Rudd government issued the Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples in 2008, acknowledging the historic laws and policies that led to the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities.Mr Morrison said an apology involves “standing in the middle ground exposed, vulnerable and seeking forgiveness”.“And as I said when I spoke in support of the original motion here in this place on the other side of the Chamber 14 years ago, sorry can never be given without any expectation of forgiveness. But there can be hope,” Mr Morrison said.“Forgiveness is never earned or deserved. It’s an act of courage. And it is a gift that only those who have been wounded, damaged and destroyed can offer.“Forgiveness transcends all of that. It’s an act of grace. It’s an act of courage. And it is a gift that only those who have been wounded, damaged and destroyed can offer.“I also said 14 years ago, ‘sorry is not the hardest word to say, the hardest is I forgive you’.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is outright disrespect to all those effected by Stolen Generations in this country. How dare you ask for forgiveness when you still perpetrate racist policies and systems that continue to steal our babies. That is not an apology. <a href="https://t.co/3VG6OcVGuN">pic.twitter.com/3VG6OcVGuN</a>— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorThorpe/status/1493049463166083072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2022</a></blockquote>Following Mr Morrison’s speech, Senator Thorpe shared her criticism of the Prime Minister on Twitter, saying he had shown “outright disrespect” to members of the Stolen Generations.“This is outright disrespect to all those affected by Stolen Generations in this country,” the Greens member wrote.“How dare you ask for forgiveness when you still perpetrate racist policies and systems that continue to steal our babies. That is not an apology.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our official* response to what Scott Morrison said today: *polite <a href="https://t.co/DRsrdGvcV1">pic.twitter.com/DRsrdGvcV1</a>— First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria (@firstpeoplesvic) <a href="https://twitter.com/firstpeoplesvic/status/1493069336940285953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2022</a></blockquote>The <a href="https://www.firstpeoplesvic.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria</a>, the organisation responsible for developing a treaty with the state government, also released a statement on Twitter, simply stating: “Get in the bin.”Marcus Stewart, a co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly, later shared a translation of the statement in Taungurung - the language spoken by the Taungurung people whose country encompasses much of central Victoria.“Some people have said our media release was rude,” he captioned the photo of the translated statement.“For the haters, is it more poetic in language?”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Some people have said our media release was rude. For the haters, is it more poetic in language? <a href="https://t.co/rDa4zz7b0p">pic.twitter.com/rDa4zz7b0p</a>— Marcus Stewart (@marcusbstewart) <a href="https://twitter.com/marcusbstewart/status/1493128028305903619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2022</a></blockquote>Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt also made a statement marking the anniversary in Parliament, where he said that although acknowledging “the wrongdoing can ease some suffering, it will never remove it”.Image: House of Representatives

News

How to care for ageing parents: Strategies for the sandwich generation

The burden of the sandwich generationMum hurt her foot. That’s the only detail you can lure out of her over the phone, which right now makes the distance between the two of you feel that much farther. She’s limping and doesn’t want to go to a doctor. Instead, she wants you to look at it, ignoring the fact that you have a full-time job, two kids and, oh yeah, you live three hours away. Sound familiar? Managing the seniors in your life, whether it’s helping them through their health problems or clearing up insurance issues, is the burden of the sandwich generation.So how can you care for ageing parents when you’re far from home and juggling the responsibility of raising your own family? Here are some strategies from professional caregivers that can help you to help them – even if you live on opposite sides of the country.Make a plan for senior care before it becomes an issue“The older generation can be secretive, but the sandwich generation is more open and aware that communication is important,” says Karen Seebach, a nurse advisor with a caregiver support service. “You need to have a conversation in advance about what they would like to do as they age. Do they want to stay in their home? Does someone have power of attorney? These conversations are very important to start early on.”Read between the linesDad says he’s fine on the phone, but you suspect he’s not taking his medications. The litmus test? Look for a change in the way he communicates. “If a parent is usually chatty and has become quieter, that’s something you need to pay attention to,” says Luanne Whitmarsh, chief executive officer at an organisation assisting seniors. Inconsistent communication from your ageing parent is a red flag that warrants deeper investigation.Create a support networkYou might be tempted to take the day off work to check out that sore foot your mum was complaining about – and you’re not alone. Many caregivers who live more than a half day’s travel away from their ill parent are missing full days of work to help provide care. Instead, get to know the people who interact with your ageing parents day to day. “Become familiar with the neighbours or a house cleaner or something like that,” suggests Whitmarsh. “This way, they can give you the real information you may not be getting.”Research senior outreach services“The more isolated a senior becomes, the more risk there is,” says Joanne Toller, senior fund developer with a seniors resource group. She suggests doing homework on behalf of your ageing parents to find outreach services in their area or organisations that can provide referrals to services that can help seniors with day-to-day tasks. These might include driving services, foot care clinics (look for brochures at doctor’s offices and walk-in clinics) and meal delivery services. More support can be found by making inquiries with the local municipal government, service clubs and churches.Speak with your own doctorMum’s sounding much more confused lately and you’re worried about dementia. You could call your mum’s physician to discuss the issue, or, as Whitmarsh suggests, you could express your concerns to your own doctor, with whom you already have a relationship. Explain what you’ve observed and share the contact information for your mother’s doctor. “Doctor to doctor, they have a way better way of communicating and have a given level of trust,” Whitmarsh says.Image credits: Getty ImagesThis article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/relationships/how-to-care-for-ageing-parents-strategies-for-the-sandwich-generation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Family & Pets

What happens under general anaesthesia?

<div> <div class="copy"> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/general-anaesthetic-more-than-just-a-super-sleeping-pill/" target="_blank">“Going under” before a surgery</a> is something for which we can thank modern medicine. Before anaesthesia entered operating theatres around the mid-19th century, surgeons would use alcohol, narcotics and the occasional knock to the head to take away some of the pain during surgery. The video below, by the Reactions team at the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html" target="_blank">American Chemical Society</a>, explains that the first general anaesthetic, used in 1846, was <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/diethyl-ether/9223.article" target="_blank">a chemical compound called diethyl ether</a>, which was administered with an inhaler. <div class="embed-container"><iframe class="note-video-clip responsive-embed" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1iVWSsIaXGw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> Today, combinations of different chemical compounds are administered by either an inhaler or needled into a vein. But anaesthesia isn’t just about pain – these compounds temporarily paralyse your body and give you amnesia, so you have no recollection of the surgery. And while scientists know that anaesthesia does the job, they aren’t entirely sure how – though <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/understanding-anaesthesia/" target="_blank">we know it has a lot to do with the broader concept of consciousness</a>. The video explains the current theory that drugs used for anaesthesia intercept and cut off the signals that neurotransmitters send between specific nerve cells in the brain, reducing the brain’s responsiveness. Sound dangerous? Too much of the drug can put you to sleep permanently, while too little can let you wake up. Luckily, medical professionals are by your side the whole way, monitoring your vital signs to keep your consciousness at just the right level. Image credits: Getty Images</div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/medicine/how-general-anaesthesia-works/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Anthea Batsakis. </div> </div>

Body

How a great-grandmother is creating a new generation of warrior women

Meenakshi Amma has become a driving force in the world of traditional Indian martial arts, as she has fought to revive the art of Kalarippayattu. Kalarippayattu, also known as Kalari, is the oldest form of martial arts in India, and Amma has been working to encourage women and girls of all ages to take up the ancient practice. “I started Kalari when I was seven. I am still practising, learning and teaching,” said the matriarch of the Kadathanad Kalari Sangham school, founded by her late husband in 1949. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844633/meenakshi-amma-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/10c160409f9746e3b1c483857038d60e" /> Image credit: Getty Images “When you open the newspapers, you only see news of violence against women.” “When women learn this martial art, they feel physically and mentally strong and it makes them confident to work and travel alone.” Kalari can involve the use of weapons such as staffs, swords and shields, and contains elements of yoga and dance. Reputedly 3,000 years old and often mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures, the art remains infused with religion in the present day. British colonial rulers in India banned the sacred practice in 1804, but it survived underground before a revival in the early 20th century and after independence in 1947. Kalari is now recognised as a sport and is practiced by many all over India. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844634/meenakshi-amma-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/975d75a4a292444d993c21274e2810d1" /> Image credit: Getty Images Inside Meenakshi’s Kalari hall, her son Sanjeev Kumar puts barefoot pupils, boys and girls alike, through their paces on the ochre-red earth floor as he takes up his mother’s legacy. “It’s a form of poetry,” said civil engineer Alaka S Kumar, 29, daughter of Sanjeev. “I am going to teach Kalari, with my brother. We have to take over. Otherwise, it is gone.” Image credits: Getty Images

Art

WHO director general calls for moratorium on vaccine boosters

As countries around the world attempt to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, the World Health Organisation has called for a moratorium on supplementary “booster” shots, citing global inequalities in access to the jabs. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> .<a href="https://twitter.com/WHO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHO</a> director general <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrTedros</a> is calling for a moratorium on booster shoots in wealthy countries until the end of Sept, to get more vaccine to low income countries. — Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) <a href="https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1422909510558093318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2021</a></blockquote> The statement came hours after a San Francisco hospital began offering “supplemental doses” of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Additionally, countries including Israel have already begun offering booster Pfizer doses to elderly people, while Germany and France are planning to administer booster doses to those who were vaccinated early on in the rollout, as well as elderly people and those with compromised immune systems. According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/covid-booster-vaccines-europe/2021/08/03/dddf18f4-f45d-11eb-a636-18cac59a98dc_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, the UK is prepared to administer booster shots from September, pending approval from national health experts. Currently, about 29 percent of the world’s population has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, this number drops to just one percent in low-income countries, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations" target="_blank">Our World in Data</a>. “I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the Delta variant,” WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhannom Ghebryesus said on Wednesday. “But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The price of vaccine inequity is the unnecessary loss of human lives - someone's parent, child, partner or friend. We have the tools and the means to deliver them to the people whose lives could still be saved. Let's use them NOW. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccinEquity?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VaccinEquity</a> — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1425108886818856965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02109-1" target="_blank">An analysis</a> conducted by the organisation has found that if the 11 countries rolling out or considering rolling out booster shots were to give a third dose to everyone over the age of 50, they would use roughly 440 million doses from the global supply. “We need an urgent reversal, from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries, to the majority going to low-income countries,” Tedros said.

Body

Beloved General Hospital actor dies "sitting on a horse" while filming

Veteran soap opera actor Jay Pickett, has died at age 60. His wife, Elena Pickett, was the one to confirm his death. Best known for his roles in General Hospital, Days of Our Lives and Port Charles, Pickett passed away while away from his family in Idaho. News broke of the actor’s death on Friday when actor and film producer Jim Heffel shared a touching note about their friendship on Facebook. “Yesterday I lost a good friend and the world lost a great person,” Heffel wrote. “Jay Pickett decided to ride off into the Heavens. Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy.” He went on to say: “Jay wrote the story and starred in it. He was also coproducer with myself and Vernon Walker. He will be truly missed. “Ride like the wind partner.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSDQdQrKsPT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSDQdQrKsPT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by ElizanTV YouTube Channel. (@elizantv)</a> </div> </blockquote> He was filming a scene for his upcoming movie Treasure Valley when he passed, his film's director, Travis Mills went on to say in a touching post. "Jay Pickett, our leading man, writer, producer, and creator of this movie passed away suddenly while we were on location preparing to film a scene," Mills posted on the film's official Facebook page. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSCUBWCH5I6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSCUBWCH5I6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by 12 Westerns in 12 Months (@12westerns)</a> </div> </blockquote> "Our hearts are broken, and we grieve for his family who are so devastated by this shocking tragedy." "He was doing what he loved: acting, riding horses, making movies. And he was magnificent," he continued. Mills said that while his death is not confirm, it seems he passed from “a heart attack.” Mills added that everyone who was there did their best "to keep him alive." He went on to describe Pickett as an “incredible man” who was “kind, sweet and generous.” “He was one of the best actors I ever worked with and it was an honor to collaborate with him,” he continued. “Everyone who met him, even for the briefest moment, could feel his warmth, his wonderful spirit. It is difficult to find the words right now to say more. His closest friends have said that he was very happy making Treasure Valley and my hope is that he truly was.” The director finished his devastating post with a touching note, writing, “He was doing what he loved: acting, riding horses, making movies. And he was magnificent.” Jay is survived by his wife Elena, and their three children, Maegan, Michaela and Tyler.

Caring

Teen entrepreneur calls out the older generations

An Australian high schooler who has become a multi-millionaire off of his online business ventures has called out older generations for labelling millennials as “lazy” and “entitled”. Jack Bloomfield has become a successful ecommerce entrepreneur through a series of ventures. The 17-year-old has penned an open letter, saying young people are “doing incredible things”. “If I had a dollar for every time I heard yet another insult about Millennials like me, I could probably actually afford to be every bit as lazy as we’re always accused of being,” he wrote in a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/17yo-selfmade-millionaires-open-letter-to-adults/news-story/3ab4fd514b3aa838b14b5ca12f96ca40" target="_blank">news.com.au</a> piece. “Honestly, it feels like kids my age should all be walking round with helmets on given just how much of a beating we take from older generations. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxrT1FTl-Kg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxrT1FTl-Kg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jack Bloomfield (@jackbloomfield)</a> </div> </blockquote> “All we get told is how lazy and entitled we are. “But you know what? We’re not listening. “We don’t want to spend 40 years chained to a desk taking a pay cheque like you did. “We want to be in charge of our own future. “And we’re making it happen whether you like it or not.” Since starting his first business at the age of 12, Jack has gone on to become a multi-millionaire and public speaker. He told Today Extra last year that schools needed to do more to support aspiring entrepreneurs. “It all comes back down to support of kids like myself who want to go out there and start something really big with their lives,” he said. “No one’s really talking about starting a business, especially teachers and schools around the country, so it was all self-education. “Instead of watching Minecraft or whatever I watched at the time, I started typing up how to start your own online business just on YouTube, just spending hours and hours educating myself trying to figure out how this whole thing’s going to work.” Bloomfield concluded his piece by praising the achievements of other young people who are "trying to launch the next revolutionary business that will change the way we live or work". "We want to be in charge of our own future," he said. "And we're making it happen whether you like it or not." Image: Jack Bloomfield / Instagram

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Storytelling allows elders to transfer values and meaning to younger generations

ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert

“That name goes back four generations”: Paul Walker’s brother makes a touching tribute

"This doesn’t feel right, does it?": Photographer admits Sony prize-winning photo was AI generated

General Hospital star dies aged 55

Artists furious after AI-generated art wins contest

Is AI-generated art really creative? It depends on the presentation

Deadly crash claims seven family members from three generations

Little Ash is now ready to inspire the next generation

5 things to know about foundation models and the next generation of AI

Reader’s Respond: What is something younger generations will never understand?

QEII makes a "generous donation" to Ukraine

New Netflix doco narrated by AI-generated Andy Warhol

“How dare you”: PM’s ‘apology’ to Stolen Generations slammed

How to care for ageing parents: Strategies for the sandwich generation

What happens under general anaesthesia?

How a great-grandmother is creating a new generation of warrior women

WHO director general calls for moratorium on vaccine boosters

Beloved General Hospital actor dies "sitting on a horse" while filming

Teen entrepreneur calls out the older generations

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Storytelling allows elders to transfer values and meaning to younger generations

ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert

“That name goes back four generations”: Paul Walker’s brother makes a touching tribute

"This doesn’t feel right, does it?": Photographer admits Sony prize-winning photo was AI generated

General Hospital star dies aged 55

Artists furious after AI-generated art wins contest

Is AI-generated art really creative? It depends on the presentation

Deadly crash claims seven family members from three generations

Little Ash is now ready to inspire the next generation

5 things to know about foundation models and the next generation of AI

Reader’s Respond: What is something younger generations will never understand?

QEII makes a "generous donation" to Ukraine

New Netflix doco narrated by AI-generated Andy Warhol

“How dare you”: PM’s ‘apology’ to Stolen Generations slammed

How to care for ageing parents: Strategies for the sandwich generation

What happens under general anaesthesia?

How a great-grandmother is creating a new generation of warrior women

WHO director general calls for moratorium on vaccine boosters

Beloved General Hospital actor dies "sitting on a horse" while filming

Teen entrepreneur calls out the older generations

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