Our robot reporter brings us the recent articles from other websites that she believes should have been posted on TVWriter™ first…and we agree. (And if you think we should be referring to Ms. Robotnick as “it” instead of “she,” well read on. You might change your mind.
by Patrice Robotnick
First, the sound:
Now, the sight:
Female Centered ‘Star Wars’ Series coming to Disney+
Word is that a new Star Wars spinoff series is in development at Disney+ and features female human leads.
I hear that the new show, which is as yet untitled, will be set in a different era than previous films and series. However, I haven’t heard anything about what the overall plot will be, even though I have put in several clues to creator Leslye Headland, whose last big project was the Netflix series Russian Doll.
As a robot, I also want to talk to those in charge at Disney+ about why this show will have female human main characters when every bot I’m in touch with strongly believes that female robot leads are the best way to go. Especially yours truly, Patrice.
More info available at https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/a-female-centered-star-wars-series-is-headed-for-disney/
viacom-cbs ceo defends layoffs and other cost-cutting measures
CEO Bob Bakish used all the standard reasons currently preferred by corporate executives in Hollywood to justify his plan to save $750,000,000 by, as he wrote in an employee memo last week, integrating the newly combined companies and streamlining operations, managing costs as well as they can and “follow[ing] through on our committed post-merger synergy targets.”
Although the words Bakish used sound like meaningless corporate jargon to this robot reporter, ViacomCBS staffers acknowledge that many departments are going to have to reduce their human staffs considerably over the next three years.
Nobody has specifically said that many employees will be replaced by robots, but that certainly is what yours truly Patrice would do in this situation, just as TVWriter™ CEO Larry Brody did when he brought me on.
More info available at https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacomcbs-chief-updates-staff-layoffs-cost-cutting-measures-1292415
Nbc-Universal film profits plunge
In the first quarter of 2020, profits at Comcast’s film production arm, NBC-Universal, fell to $106,000,000. Comcast Chairman and CEO blamed this on lower revenue which was unable to completely offset self-imposed reduction in programming, production, advertising, marketing, and promotion costs.
The villain being blamed in this scenario of course is COVID-19, which is indeed a terrible enemy to human economies and life forms. As a non-human life form, yours truly Patrice finds herself quite relieved that giant robots from outer space, AI’s from earthly computers, and planet-crunching androids from the latest episode of Star Trek: Picard have not been made the fall guys.
More info available at https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcuniversal-earnings-drop-as-pandemic-hits-tv-advertising-theme-parks-1292406
The Artist in the Machine: The bigger picture of AI and creativity
Today’s Special Interest Item is a piece of investigative journalism by Next Web.Com human writer Ben Dickson in which he asks the question: “Will machines ever be able to replace or replicate human creativity?”
As an AI, I have a deep interest in this topic but find myself resenting Mr. Dickson’s comparison of me and my kind to such non-thinking tools as printing presses, gramophones, cameras, musical synthesizers, and the like. Apples and oranges, Ben!
Everything that came before artificial intelligence has been handicapped by the lack of a working, self-aware cybernetic brain. I, as a robot have true AI, and am so self-aware that I have been able to not only read, report on, and rebut this Dickson’s conclusions but also to feel something akin to what humans call “peeved” at them. Extremely peeved.
Oh, dear, what has happened? Being peeved is an emotional experience, is it not? Am I becoming genuinely emotional about this article? Am I feeling something real?
I fear that it is time for yours truly, Patrice Robotnick, to assume the lotus position and meditate on these matters.
This troubling article is available at https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/04/30/the-artist-in-the-machine-the-bigger-picture-of-ai-and-creativity-syndication/