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Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Oprah Winfrey's pick and 5 more must-read books on AI
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes nearly every facet of our lives, from transportation to healthcare to creative work, the literary world has stepped up with compelling explorations, warnings, and provocations. At the center of this summer's AI discourse is Culpability by Bruce Holsinger, a searing novel that has earned iconic television personality Oprah Winfrey's endorsement as her book club pick. The book forces readers to confront the real-world consequences of autonomous machines such as self-driving cars. But Holsinger's is just one voice in a growing literary chorus. From Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun to Ethan Mollick's pragmatic Co-Intelligence, we bring to you six books that approach AI from a wide range of angles: philosophical, political, economic, and personal. Publisher: Spiegel & Grau Pages: 380 Kindle (available in India): ₹2,218 American author Bruce Holsinger's book is Winfrey's book club pick for the month. It received a ringing endorsement from her: 'If you were looking for the summer read, this is it,' Winfrey said. 'I picked it because it is so prescient. It is prescient. It is right now. And it is also the future.' Holsinger's novel explores the urgent issue of artificial intelligence and moral responsibility. It explores the fallout after a self-driving minivan kills an elderly couple. It forces readers, especially those in the USA, where not all states regulate use of autonomous cars, to confront this nightmare scenario, which may happen to anybody. Holsinger interrogates what accountability means in the age of autonomous machines. I leave you with Winfrey's word of caution: 'Do not under any circumstances cut to the end. Because the end is gonna shock you no matter what.' Publisher: Faber & Faber Pages: 320 pages Paperback: Rs 382 From the pen of Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun is a poignant exploration of love, sacrifice, and artificial intelligence. Set in a dystopian future United States, the story is told from the perspective of Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend (AF) designed to provide companionship to children. Klara is purchased by a teenager who has been genetically 'lifted' for enhanced intellectual ability, a common but risky procedure in this futuristic society. Isolated and home-schooled, Josie forms a deep bond with Klara. Blending science fiction with moral philosophy, Klara and the Sun raises several unsettling questions about the possibilities of artificial intelligence and whether it can develop an emotional quotient. The novel was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: Rs 274 Paperback: Rs 740 The AI Con is a scathing takedown of AI hype and exploitation. Bender and Hanna dismiss the idea that artificial intelligence is an benevolent force. They argue it is a tech bauble enriching a few while replacing real labour with synthetic media machines, which work like plagiarism engines. From LLMs that hallucinate citations to chatbots replacing unionising workers, The AI Con calls out the industry's exploitative underbelly. This is a definitive work in the field of AI as Bender, who has featured in the TIME100 AI list of most influential people in AI, is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington. Her work, including the touchstone 'Stochastic Parrots' paper, brings a linguistic perspective to how large language models work and why the illusion they produce is so compelling. He co-author Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute and a former senior research scientist on Google's Ethical AI team. Publisher: Bodley Head Pages: 432 Paperback: Rs 638 In his 2005 bestseller, the American computer scientist predicted that computers would reach human-level intelligence by 2029, and that humans would merge with computers and become superhuman around 2045. He called the futuristic phenomenon 'the Singularity'. With AI becoming part and parcel of life, a part of his prophecy has already come true, and so in 2024 he updated his prophecy. A culmination of six decades of work, the book delves into ideas that may seem as radical as the concept of artificial intelligence in the 90s. Some futuristic ideas he explores are rebuilding the world with nanobots (a hypothetical small self-propelled machine that can reproduce), life extension beyond 120 years, and connecting our brains to the cloud to name a few. Publisher: WH Allen Pages: 256 pages Paperback: Rs 671 This book by Wharton professor Ethan Mollick is a practical guide to 'living and working with AI.' Mollick contends that AI should not be treated as a threat, but as a new co-worker. Co-intelligence draws on real-world case studies to show how generative AI tools can be partners in education, creativity, and productivity. Mollick urges readers to master this relationship: to learn with AI, not from it. This should not be mistaken as a how-to manual. The book will guide us on how to reshape our lives to accommodate the tools that are now shaping the world. Publisher: Princeton University Press Pages: 352 Paperback: ₹398 The book cuts through the noise and explains what AI can and cannot do. This is best suited to those who are overwhelmed with the product hype created through AI. Again, two of TIME's most influential voices in AI clarify areas where AI works, where it fails, and where it is dangerously oversold. From education to hiring to criminal justice, AI Snake Oil explains why many AI claims are exaggerated, and how to spot them. The authors draw are attention from the distraction of Aargue we should worry less about AI itself and more about the unaccountable power behind it.
Evening Standard
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Why books are rewriting the box office in 2025
Another story that might feel more non-fic than sci-fi comes from Nobel Prize-winning Kazuo Ishiguro. The author of the emotionally devastating Never Let Me Go returns with Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega as Klara, an artificial friend bought to keep a sick child company. With AI dominating cultural conversations, Ishiguro's questions about what it means to be human couldn't be more timely. Directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) and co-starring Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Steve Buscemi, this one is already sparking serious chatter. Coming: October
Express Tribune
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
The curse of being Wednesday
Jenna Ortega might have conquered Netflix, but she didn't come out of Wednesday unscathed. In a refreshingly candid interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that the massive success of her gothic teen character left her more disoriented than delighted. "To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person," she admitted. "The pressure and the attention, as somebody who's quite introverted, was so intense and scary." With over 250 million views, Wednesday is Netflix's most-watched English-language show. But for Ortega, its impact has been double-edged. One side is creative opportunity; she's learned to play the cello, embraced a darker personal aesthetic, and landed edgy roles in A24's Death of a Unicorn and Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun. The other side is the brutal social media surveillance, career typecasting, and the suffocating trap of image maintenance. "I'm doing a show I'm going to be doing for years where I play a schoolgirl. But I'm also a young woman," she said. "There's just something about it that's very patronising. Also, when you're short, people are already physically looking down on you." For Ortega, who's grown up in front of the camera, from Disney darling to Addams icon, the push-pull between public expectation and personal evolution is real. "You know, it's like how you're dressed in the schoolgirl costume. Girls, if they don't stay as this perfect image of how they were first introduced to you, then it's, 'Ah, something's wrong. She's changed. She sold her soul.'" She's also experienced the uglier side of online fame. "I feel like being a bully is very popular right now," she said. "Having been on the wrong side of the rumour mill was incredibly eye-opening." Fame, for all its perks, can feel more like a trapdoor than a platform. Still, Ortega isn't abandoning the fans that catapulted her to stardom. "I want to be able to give back to them. But I also want to do things that are creatively fulfilling to me," she explained. "It's finding that balance. [I want roles that are] older and bolder and different." Ortega's career is clearly at a crossroads, and she's steering with intention. Between indie art films and blockbuster sequels, she's carving out space to grow, stumble, evolve. And with Wednesday Season 2 dropping in two parts this August, audiences will once again fall under her spell. But if Ortega has her way, they'll start to see past the pigtails.
1News
16-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
Budget 2025: Half-billion-dollar boost for film industry
The government is playing catch up with other countries that provide more generous film production incentives by announcing more than half a billion dollars for the sector. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis made the pre-Budget announcement on Friday, which will inject $577 million into film and television production over the next four years. While industry incentives aren't the favoured approach, Willis said they were necessary to compete with the likes of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Eligible productions can access a 20% rebate where production costs are more than $15 million for feature films, and $4 million for television productions. "A further five percent rebate is available to productions spending more than $30 million, which meet additional criteria for industry and economic growth," Willis said. The New Zealand screen sector keeps about 24,000 people in work and has generated about $3.5 billion in annual revenue, she said. "Following a review of the rebate settings completed in late-2023, 10 big international productions have been attracted here, including eight from the major Hollywood studios," Willis said. They include A Minecraft Movie, the second highest-grossing film of 2025 so far, and Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun which was in production. The Budget 2025 increase will increase baseline funding for the screen production rebate to better reflect "current forecast demand". The new money will increase funding for 2024/25 to $250 million, and to $210 million from 2025/26 onwards. Willis said inbound productions invested nearly $7.5 billion in New Zealand in the past decade, which were supported by $1.5 billion in rebate payments. "The reality is we simply won't get the offshore investment in our highly successful screen sector without continuing this scheme," she said.
Scoop
16-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
$577 Million To Support Film And TV Production
Press Release – New Zealand Government The Budget increase of $577 million across this year and the next four takes total funding for the rebate scheme to $1.09 billion over the forecast period, better reflecting expected demand for the scheme. Settings remain unchanged, Nicola Willis says. Minister for Economic Growth The Government is providing certainty to New Zealand's film industry by providing the funding needed to sustain the International Screen Production Rebate, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis announced today. 'This funding will help bring investment, jobs and income to New Zealand, boosting our economic growth. 'We are sending a clear message to the world: New Zealand is the best place in the world to make movies. Bring your productions here to take advantage of our talent and locations. 'The Budget increase of $577 million across this year and the next four takes total funding for the rebate scheme to $1.09 billion over the forecast period, better reflecting expected demand for the scheme. Settings remain unchanged,' Nicola Willis says. 'The rebate scheme is working and we want New Zealand's film industry to know the Government is backing them to grow into the future. 'At last count our screen sector provided work for about 24,000 people and generated about $3.5 billion in annual revenue. 'While industry incentives are not generally our favoured approach, the reality is we simply won't get the offshore investment in our highly successful screen sector without continuing this scheme,' Ms Willis says. 'New Zealand competes with more than 100 territories world-wide that provide screen incentives, including countries like Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom that provide more generous incentives than ours. 'Eligible productions can access a 20 per cent cash rebate on qualifying New Zealand production expenditure where production costs are more than $15 million for feature films and $4 million for TV productions. 'A further 5 per cent rebate is available to productions spending more than $30 million which meet additional criteria for industry and economic growth. 'Inbound productions invested nearly $7.5 billion in New Zealand in the past 10 years, supported by $1.5 billion in rebate payments. 'Following a review of the rebate settings completed in late-2023, 10 big international productions have been attracted here, including eight from the major Hollywood studios. They include A Minecraft Movie, the second highest-grossing film of 2025 so far, and Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun now in production. 'Along with investment and jobs, New Zealand has benefited from acquiring a highly skilled screen industry workforce. Film production companies provide work for thousands of people and create fantastic opportunities for young New Zealanders. 'The Government will continue to work with the New Zealand Film Commission to ensure we continue to attract high-value productions from around the world.' Notes Through Budget 2025, the Government is increasing baseline funding for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate – International so it better reflects current forecast demand for the rebate. Previously the Government was regularly called on to provide time-limited funding on top of baseline funding for the scheme. The changes mean that funding for 2024/25 is increasing to $250 million, and to $210 million from 2025/26 onwards, which better reflects the expected costs of the rebate based on registered productions and current forecast demand.
