ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

ISSUES

Not A Huge Surprise, But That One AI-Generated ‘Band’ Was An Elaborate Hoax

"A Canadian who duped journalists in an elaborate AI music hoax says he apologizes to anyone hurt by his experiment but that it's been ‘too fascinating’ to turn away from.” - CBC

Is Digital Security Even Possible In An Age Of Dictatorship?

Likely not, but people, and groups, persist in countries where the consequences can be dire. For instance, “the government of El Salvador has created an entire infrastructure to have not only social, but also digital control of the citizenry.” - Wired

British Law Prevents The Victoria And Albert Museum From Returning Looted Objects

“They can get rid of an object only if it is a perfect duplicate; if it is unsuitable for retention in collections and can be disposed of 'without detriment to students or the public;' if it is damaged beyond repair.” - The Times

Barbara Kingsolver, Author Of Demon Copperhead, Is Deeply Worried About What’s Coming For Rural America

The author, who is funneling her profits into a recovery house for women, says, "The damage will be unimaginable. Lots of people will die, lots of wild lands will be destroyed. The damage is terrifying.” - The Guardian (UK)

Australia Says No To Kanye West After His Song Praising Hitler

“The song proved to be the final strike for Ye. First shared in a social media post on X, 'Heil Hitler’ has been widely denounced for its racial epithets and antisemitism. It was also subsequently banned on most streaming platforms.” - Los Angeles Times

Will America’s Polarized Politics Derail Next Year’s 250th Anniversary Celebrations?

Will the occasion underline the country’s divisions, as with Trump's military parade and the No Kings protests? Or can Americans come together over the principles in the Declaration of Independence?  The Bicentennial in 1976, also a time of division after the Vietnam War and Watergate, could offer some clues. - The New York Times

Canada Debates What Qualifies As Canadian Culture

The outcome will shape who gets to tell Canadian stories and what those stories are, and also which ones count as Canadian under the law. This, in turn, will determine who in the film and television industries can access funding, tax credits and visibility on streaming services. - The Conversation

New Project Reveals 700 Years Of Irish History

The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, a global academic collaboration led by Trinity College Dublin, deployed historians, computer scientists and other specialists to digitally recreate parts of a vast archive destroyed in Ireland’s civil war. - The Guardian

Hollywood Takes On AI Copyright Rules In Washington

America’s creators are mounting a campaign to push back on any use of their work without permission or compensation, seeking to head off potential abuses of their intellectual property. - The Wall Street Journal

Ford Foundation Names Dean Of Yale Law School Its Next President

“Heather Gerken has been the dean of the Yale Law School since 2017, and is currently serving her second term, which was scheduled to conclude in 2027. … Succeeding Darren Walker, Gerken will be the 11th president of the foundation and … will officially start on November 1.” - ARTnews

The Taliban Want Tourists To Come Back To Afghanistan — And, Slowly, They Are

“By plane, motorbike, camper van and even on bicycles, tourists are beginning to discover Afghanistan, with solo travelers and tour groups gradually venturing in. … And the country’s Taliban government, which seized power more than three years ago but has yet to be formally recognized by any other nation, is more than happy to welcome them.” - AP

Canada’s Official Archives Are In Peril

After Confederation, some of the country’s oldest records were stashed in a loft in the reading room of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. That’s where a fire started in 1916 that destroyed the whole building, along with many historic treasures. - The Walrus

China Is Arresting Women Who Write Sexy Gay Stories

"Although authors of heterosexual erotica have been jailed in China, observers say the genre is subjected to far less censorship. Gay erotica, which is more subversive, seems to bother authorities more.” - BBC

The Backlash Against Generated AI Is Gaining Steam

Why? "Unlike the dawn of the internet where democratized access to information empowered everyday people in unique, surprising ways, the generative AI era has been defined by half-baked software releases and threats of AI replacing human workers.” - Wired

There’s No One In Charge At The US Copyright Office

Thanks to Elon Musk and DOGE, of course - and no one knows when that might improve. - Wired

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