This episode contains: We got listener feedback this episode… FOR A DIFFERENT PODCAST! Did someone just learn to swear? Wouldn’t it be cool if we were guests on some other Science Faction Podcasts? Why did we name this show Science Faction? Remember the Pure BS Podcast? We shout out “PS4 Tom.” Nobody gave Devon a PS4. He’s sad about it.
I didn’t have enough time to have the AI write a title for this one… so this is it: Google demos “unsettling” tool to help journalists write the news. Remember when Ben used AI to help write poetry? Now Google wants journalism to use AI too. Google’s “Genesis” AI tool for journalism writing has been called “unsettling”. Buzzfeed, CNET, and Gizmodo have all had pushback for publishing AI-written articles. Remember when io9 was shamed for an error-filled Star Wars article? https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/io9-ai-generated-star-wars-article-errors-1235662194/ Asking AI to write an article about Terminator is how we get Skynet. Will AI one day become indispensable to writers, as word processors are today? Reuters article formatting is so strict, perhaps AI could be trusted to help write it. If we spend money watching movies AI has written, we’ll get more AI written movies. Devon probably never would have been a lawyer if it wasn’t for spell check. If AI is now writing articles, it is tremendously important for good editing. When AI makes up information, and it does, we’ve been calling it hallucinations. Did y’all hear about the AI-generated South Park fan episode? https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/18/maybe-showing-off-an-ai-generated-fake-tv-episode-during-a-writers-strike-is-a-bad-idea/?mrfhud=true The first few seasons of South Park are a completely different show than now. Authors wrote movies to be movies, not to be churned into a language learning model. How much do extras make in a movie? If it’s nothing, you should be paid. We make wild assumptions about how Hollywood works in this episode. Why is Hollywood so pervasive? Maybe we’ve had enough and will watch indie films?
Science Fiction: Ben unveils his high school playlist: lots of pop music! Canadian rock! French hip-hop! Honor the past with Ben and his high school playlist, only for Patreon supporters. Steven reviews 65: Adam Driver shoots dinosaurs. It’s by the numbers, but good! Adam Driver plays a spaceship… driver? Steven considers Adam Driver’s huge hands. 65 has appropriately sized raptors. Did y’all see the Star Trek Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover? It was incredible to get a surprise Star Trek episode. Thanks SDCC! Ben learned his son can’t handle zombies. Thanks Star Trek Strange New Worlds. If you’ve never seen Lower Decks, you’ll be a bit lost in the latest Strange New Worlds. Lots of love for the NX01 in the latest Star Trek Strange New Worlds. Strange New Worlds’ animated opening credits were incredible.
Big Question: We discuss how having all media available at all times is affecting the next generation. We no longer have novelizations and trading cards based on TV and movies. Ben’s son doesn’t listen to his dad anymore for suggestions on video games. “Deep Space Nine is, like, the second best Star Trek series.” – Ben’s son. Bluey is back, y’all. We talk about the episode “Space”.
After pod Patreon-only, we talk the latest season of Black Mirror and The Bear.