This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

The high growth in the construction and industrial sector in this region is creating significant opportunities for vendors operating in the market.

Understand how the purchase of the report can have a direct impact on your revenue.

While discussing the film with Mattel Films’ Executive Producer Robbie Brenner, he informed her that the film is “not a feminist movie.”

However, Dockterman reported that Brenner’s comments were “a striking contrast to my interpretation of the film and conversations with many of the actors, who used that term unprompted to describe the script.”

Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros.

Pictures

This report comes after Robbie sat down with Fandango and revealed the film is about “having a relevant conversation about where the world wis today and then also be acknowledging like this long 60+ year history.

IntersectionalityGender Kim Cotton: The First Female Umpire To Officiate A Men’s T20 International Match

Kim Cotton: The First Female Umpire To Officiate A Men’s T20 International Match

Kim Cotton was the first female TV umpire in a men’s senior T20 competition in Canterbury-Central Districts and has also served as an on-field umpire for the 2022 Women’s World Cup.

The representation of women in sports has witnessed a gradual increase in the past few years.

This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

Title:

Content: U.S. markets open in 7 hours 10 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    3,812.75
    +3.50 (+0.09%)

  • Dow Futures

    31,565.00
    +20.00 (+0.06%)

  • Nasdaq Futures

    11,492.75
    +14.00 (+0.12%)

  • Russell 2000 Futures

    1,758.30
    +4.10 (+0.23%)

  • Crude Oil

    84.81
    +0.23 (+0.27%)

  • Gold

    1,653.80
    -0.30 (-0.02%)

  • Silver

    19.23
    +0.04 (+0.21%)

  • EUR/USD

    0.9878
    +0.0003 (+0.03%)

  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2340
    0.0000 (0.00%)

  • Vix

    29.85
    +0.16 (+0.54%)

  • GBP/USD

    1.1286
    +0.0003 (+0.03%)

  • USD/JPY

    148.8920
    -0.1280 (-0.09%)

  • BTC-USD

    19,341.40
    -1.81 (-0.01%)

  • CMC Crypto 200

    442.08
    +0.73 (+0.17%)

  • FTSE 100

    7,013.99
    +44.26 (+0.64%)

  • Nikkei 225

    27,250.28
    +275.38 (+1.02%)

Boom Truck Market to grow by USD 574.48 Mn; APAC to have 42% market share -- Technavio

·16 min read

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Boom Truck Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026" report has been added to Technavio's offering. The report expects the market to observe an incremental growth of USD 574.48 million, accelerating at a CAGR of 5.43% during the forecast period. The high growth in the construction and industrial sector in this region is creating significant opportunities for vendors operating in the market. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current market scenario, market behavior across various geographies, competitive analysis, and much more. Understand how the purchase of the report can have a direct impact on your revenue. Download Free Sample PDF Report Now

Boom Truck Market 2022-2026: Key Driver and Challenge

The market is driven by the growth in end-user industries due to urbanization. Rapid urbanization, especially in developing countries has resulted in an increase in the number of megacities. According to an estimate, the number of people living in urban areas is expected to increase by 1.5 times by 2045. Thus, indicating a significant rise in population migration from rural to urban areas. This will lead to an increase in the construction of hotels, railways, roads, hospitals, and residential buildings. All these factors will increase the demand for construction and industrial machinery, thereby driving the growth of the market in focus.

However, the increasing availability of second-hand boom trucks and counterfeit boom trucks will challenge the growth of the market players. High capital requirement is one of the key factors deterring end-users from buying new boom trucks. Besides, the availability of second-hand boom trucks at a lower price is making end-users reluctant to purchase new boom trucks. In addition, the increased penetration of counterfeit boom trucks is expected to further reduce the growth potential in the market.

Get detailed insights into the impact of drivers, trends, and challenges on the growth of the global boom truck market. Buy Report Now

Boom Truck Market 2022-2026: Segmentation

The global boom truck market is segmented as below:

  • End-user

The construction industry is the prime end-user in the market. The rise in the use of new boom trucks among various construction contractors and the increase in investments in the construction sector are positively influencing the growth of the segment. In addition, the significant increase in infrastructure spending by governments across regions is expected to drive the growth of the construction segment over the forecast period.

  • Geography

About 42% of the market growth will come from APAC during the forecast period. The advent of product innovations and other technological innovations has significantly increased the demand for boom trucks from the utility sector in APAC. In addition, the development of smart cities in countries such as China and India will further propel the demand for boom trucks in APAC during the forecast period.

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The boom truck market report covers the following areas:

Boom Truck Market 2022-2026: Segmentation

The global boom truck market is fragmented with a few companies accounting for a significant share of the market. Numerous small and mid-sized enterprises are trying to establish their presence in the global boom truck market. Many vendors in the industry compete on parameters such as product design; product performance; maintenance costs; price, energy, and resource savings; quality of the product; and aftermarket support services. Prominent vendors benefit from their strong brand names, leading to customer loyalty and strong resale values. Major vendors are flourishing in the market owing to their reputation for product innovation, aftermarket support and solutions, strong customer relationships, and an established global network of distributors. These factors are anticipated to make the global boom truck market more competitive during the forecast period.

Technavio identifies Able Rigging Contractors Inc., Altec Inc., Aspen Equipment LLC, Dur A Lift Inc., Elliott Equipment Inc., Fassi Gru Spa, Interlake Crane Inc., Liebherr International Deutschland GmbH, Link Belt Cranes, Load King Trailers, Manitex International Inc., Morita Holdings Corp., PALFINGER AG, RUTHMANN GmbH and Co. KG, Tadano Ltd., Terex Corp., The Manitowoc Co. Inc., Time Manufacturing Co., Toyota Industries Corp., and Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd. as major market participants.

Technavio's library includes over 17,000+ reports covering more than 2,000 emerging technologies. Subscribe to our "Basic Plan" at just USD 5,000 and get lifetime access to our Technavio Insights.

Boom Truck Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights

  • CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026

  • Detailed information on factors that will assist boom truck market growth during the next five years

  • Estimation of the boom truck market size and its contribution to the parent market

  • Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

  • The growth of the boom truck market

  • Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

  • Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of boom truck market vendors

Related Reports:

Global Heavy Construction Equipment Market 2022-2026: The global heavy construction equipment market is segmented by type (earthmoving equipment, material handling equipment, heavy construction vehicles, and others) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The earthmoving equipment segment will have the largest share of the market. APAC will account for 48% market share. View Report Snapshot Here

Global Construction Dumper Market 2022-2026: The global construction dumper market is segmented by product (articulated dump trucks and rigid dump trucks) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The market will witness increased demand for articulated dump trucks during the forecast period. APAC will have 55% market share. View Report Snapshot Here

Boom Truck Market Scope

Report Coverage

Details

Page number

120

Base year

2021

Forecast period

2022-2026

Growth momentum & CAGR

Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.43%

Market growth 2022-2026

USD 574.48 million

Market structure

Fragmented

YoY growth (%)

5.36

Regional analysis

APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa

Performing market contribution

APAC at 42%

Key consumer countries

US, China, Japan, India, and Germany

Competitive landscape

Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope

Companies profiled

Able Rigging Contractors Inc., Altec Inc., Aspen Equipment LLC, Dur A Lift Inc., Elliott Equipment Inc., Fassi Gru Spa, Interlake Crane Inc., Liebherr International Deutschland GmbH, Link Belt Cranes, Load King Trailers, Manitex International Inc., Morita Holdings Corp., PALFINGER AG, RUTHMANN GmbH and Co. KG, Tadano Ltd., Terex Corp., The Manitowoc Co. Inc., Time Manufacturing Co., Toyota Industries Corp., and Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd.

Market Dynamics

Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period.

Customization purview

If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

  • 1.1 Market overview

2 Market Landscape

  • 2.1 Market ecosystem

3 Market Sizing

  • 3.1 Market definition

  • 3.2 Market segment analysis

  • 3.3 Market size 2021

  • 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

4 Five Forces Analysis

  • 4.1 Five forces summary

  • 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

  • 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

  • 4.4 Threat of new entrants

  • 4.5 Threat of substitutes

  • 4.6 Threat of rivalry

  • 4.7 Market condition

5 Market Segmentation by End-user

  • 5.1 Market segments

  • 5.2 Comparison by End-user

  • 5.3 Construction - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 5.4 Telecom - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 5.5 Transportation and logistics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 5.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 5.7 Market opportunity by End-user

6 Customer Landscape

  • 6.1 Customer landscape overview

7 Geographic Landscape

  • 7.1 Geographic segmentation

  • 7.2 Geographic comparison

  • 7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.10 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.11 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.12 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

  • 7.13 Market opportunity by geography

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

  • 8.1 Market drivers

  • 8.2 Market challenges

  • 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

  • 8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

  • 9.1 Overview

  • 9.2 Vendor landscape

  • 9.3 Landscape disruption

  • 9.4 Industry risks

10 Vendor Analysis

  • 10.1 Vendors covered

  • 10.2 Market positioning of vendors

  • 10.3 Altec Inc.

  • 10.4 Elliott Equipment Inc.

  • 10.5 Fassi Gru Spa

  • 10.6 Liebherr International Deutschland GmbH

  • 10.7 Load King Trailers

  • 10.8 Manitex International Inc.

  • 10.9 Tadano Ltd.

  • 10.10 The Manitowoc Co. Inc.

  • 10.11 Toyota Industries Corp.

  • 10.12 Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd.

11 Appendix

  • 11.1 Scope of the report

  • 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

  • 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

  • 11.4 Research methodology

  • 11.5 List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research
Jesse Maida
Media & Marketing Executive
US: +1 844 364 1100
UK: +44 203 893 3200
Email: media@technavio.com
Website: www.technavio.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boom-truck-market-to-grow-by-usd-574-48-mn-apac-to-have-42-market-share--technavio-301655957.html

SOURCE Technavio

Title:

Content: A new report claims the upcoming Barbie film directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is a “feminist” film.

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

Time’s Eliana Dockterman, known for getting called out for her extreme political views by former Superman actor Dean Cain, recently reported numerous actors and actresses in Barbie informed her the film is indeed a feminist movie.

While discussing the film with Mattel Films’ Executive Producer Robbie Brenner, he informed her that the film is “not a feminist movie.”

However, Dockterman reported that Brenner’s comments were “a striking contrast to my interpretation of the film and conversations with many of the actors, who used that term unprompted to describe the script.”

Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

RELATED: Former Superman Actor Dean Cain Responds To Time Magazine and Eliana Dockterman’s Attack On Superheroes

In fact, she broached the topic with the film’s star Margot Robbie who reacted by raising an eyebrow and asking, “Who said that? It’s not that it is or it isn’t. It’s a movie. It’s a movie that’s got so much in it.”

Robbie would add, “We’re in on the joke. This isn’t a Barbie puff piece.”

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Barbie Trailer (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

This report comes after Robbie sat down with Fandango and revealed the film is about “having a relevant conversation about where the world wis today and then also be acknowledging like this long 60+ year history. It’s just a lot of things to do at once and she does it so deftly and ultimately the whole experience is still fun. Like it’s so fun and weirdly emotional.”

RELATED: Kate McKinnon Reveals ‘Barbie’ Movie Is “About How Gender Roles Deny People Half Their Humanity”

Actress Issa Rae, who plays President Barbie in the film, also made clear the film has feminist messaging. While asking how she identifies a Ken, Rae said, “I think a Ken for me is just kind of there. I think a Ken is just a great accessory. That’s what I loved about Greta’s imagining of Barbie is that the Ken’s are just supplemental characters to these Barbies while Barbies can do everything Kens are there to kind of support and don’t necessarily have their own story.”

She added, “And I think that’s not necessarily a negative thing. It’s incredibly strong for men to be in supportive roles and to support the greatness that is women/Barbie.”

Issa Rae as President Barbie in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

Kate McKinnon would then reveal the script from the film is “about how like gender roles deny people half their humanity and how like we need to just like be ourselves and it’s a like a very powerful message.”

When attempting to explain how she identifies a Ken she said, “And so like I spot a Ken, everyone’s themselves, you know.”

Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

RELATED: Birds of Prey’s Margot Robbie Reveals Plan To Subvert Her Upcoming Barbie Movie

Robbie previously revealed back in December 2020 to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview alongside her producer partner Josey McNamara that she planned to subvert moviegoers’ expectations of the movie.

McNamara informed the outlet, “We used to say we want things to be subversive, but now it’s more about how is it surprising? There’s so many things that are trying to be subversive these days but very few things that are actually surprising.

Robbie added, “And we like the things that feel a little left of center. Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, ‘Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,’ but our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.’”

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Barbie Trailer (2023), Warner Bros via Twitter

When The Hollywood Reporter’s Lacey Rose commented, “Having Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach attached to write it in itself subverts expectations …” Robbie replied, “Yes. Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people?”

“Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we’re really firing on all cylinders,” she concluded.

Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

RELATED: Margot Robbie Explains Why Barbie “Is Sexualized, But She Should Never Be Sexy”

In that same interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Robbie noted that one of her production company’s main goals was to promote female stories from female creators.

She said, “In starting any business, it’s about identifying a gap in the market. And the conversation started because I was like, ‘I keep picking up scripts, and I never want to play the girl, I just want to play the guy.’ And I can’t be [the only one].”

“There are brilliant actresses who aren’t getting amazing roles. And beyond that, you look at the statistics of male versus female directors, male versus female writers, etc., and there’s so much to be done. You can’t just sit there and do nothing when you hear those stats,” she added.

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Barbie (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures

What do you make of this new report that the Barbie film is feminist despite Mattel executives denying it?

NEXT: Mattel Follows Disney’s Lead, Announces Laverne Cox Transgender Barbie

Title:

Content: IntersectionalityGender Kim Cotton: The First Female Umpire To Officiate A Men’s T20 International Match

Kim Cotton: The First Female Umpire To Officiate A Men’s T20 International Match

Kim Cotton was the first female TV umpire in a men’s senior T20 competition in Canterbury-Central Districts and has also served as an on-field umpire for the 2022 Women’s World Cup.

Kim Cotton, in a historic moment, became the first-ever female umpire to stand in a men’s international match between two ICC Full Member countries. Kim Cotton was umpiring the second men’s T20 match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Dunedin.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) took to Twitter to share the news of this historic moment in cricket. In the match, Kim, a New Zealander, took the field with another New Zealand official, Wayne Knights. The representation of women in sports has witnessed a gradual increase in the past few years.

Since 2018, the 45-year-old cricket umpire has officiated in 16 women’s one-day internationals and 44 T20 matches. She has umpired a number of Women’s World Cup matches. In February, Cotton umpired the Women’s T20 World Cup between Australia and South Africa.

Cotton has also served as an on-field umpire for the 2022 Women’s World Cup (50-over). Additionally, she was appointed as the first woman to umpire in an international men’s match in 2006 in a One Day International between Ireland and Scotland. Adding to her list of achievements, Cotton was the first female TV umpire in a men’s senior T20 competition in Canterbury-Central Districts.

Cotton, who believes that she hasn’t faced any scrutiny for her gender, added in an interview, that, “The players test you just like any other umpire – they’re just interested in making the right judgments, and that’s what we want as well”.

Also Read: Gender Bias In Sports: Women’s Sports Remain Sidelined By Lack Of Investment And Visibility

Prior to Cotton, Australia’s Claire Polosak had become the first female umpire to stand in a men’s international one-day match in the 2019 World Cricket League Division finale between Oman and Namibia. During the 2021-22 Border Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia in Sydney, Polosak also served as the fourth umpire. With this feat, Polosak became the first female match official in a men’s Test match.

Not just the female umpires abroad are making a mark, but recently in the Ranji Trophy Vrinda Rathi, N. Janani, and V. Gayathri became the first females to officiate in the history of this tournament

All three women umpires come from different backgrounds. Delhi-based Gayathri, 44, a former cricketer suffered a shoulder injury that had put a stop to her cricketing career. But, in 2019, after passing the BCCI exam, she started her second innings in cricket with umpiring.

Janani, 37 years old, who previously worked as a software engineer, had approached Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) to become an umpire. She started her umpiring career in 2018 after the state cricket body changed the rules to allow women to officiate. Rathi, 33, who hails from Mumbai was a scorer in local matches before she cleared the BCCI scorers exam. She went on to become BCCI’s official scorer in the 2013 Women’s World Cup. She then moved to umpiring.

Recently, in a historic first, Rathi also became the first female from India to serve as an on-field umpire in the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.

This year’s Under-19 Women’s T20 World featured an all-female panel to officiate the matches. In an article on Crictracker, ICC manager of women’s cricket, Snehal Pradhan stated that “When young women and girls see it, they believe that they can be it. That’s just one of the reasons why having this match officials panel is so special.” Pradhan added, “It shows the next generation that there is a career and a pathway that takes them to the very top of the game, the World Cup, even if you’re not a player. It shows that there are so many ways to get involved“.

Also Read: World Athletics Continues Bans On Transpeople: How Do Sports Decide Who Is A Woman?

It’s the achievement of these female umpires that is inspiring more and more women to pursue a career in sports. There are many ways to be involved in sports and umpiring is one of them. A lot of the women umpires come from different professional backgrounds. Their accomplishments pave the way for the growing representation of women in sports.

Agenbag, who was the first South African woman to stand in a Women’s T20 international in 2019, stated in a report that “The ICC Development Panel allowed me to go to women’s World Cups, work in high-pressure situations, including doing televised games, which is a big skill one needs to develop.” She further added, “Though men in this space have never treated me differently because I’m a woman, coming into [the set-up], I was a little bit sceptical because it’s male-dominated with not a lot of female presence around.  So, it helps to have trailblazers like Claire, Kim [Cotton], Sue Redfern, Kathy Cross as good mentors, and have more women’s cricket televised matches, because if that’s where most women umpires are at, you’ve got to give young girls the exposure to see that.”

Though in cricket, female umpires are still under-represented, women’s participation in the sport is increasing with the passing days. The discussions around females in sports have paved the way for women to be involved in different spheres of the sports industry. From field to management, women are taking up various roles in sports.

Cricket as a sport was seen as a male-dominated sport, a few years back. However, currently, the growing popularity of female cricket and the introduction of leagues for women have contributed to bringing positive change for women in sports.

Also Read: The Isolation Of Women In Sports – Why Can’t I Play Too?

Shubhda Bhosle, one of India’s youngest female umpires and also one of the four umpires on an all-women panel of match officials in the 2022 Legends League Cricket tournament in Oman, said in an interview with Al Jazeera, “The rise of women’s franchise leagues has also been a key driver. The short-format [nature] of the competitions allows scope for back-to-back power-packed tournaments [for an umpire to sign up]”.

Sport is recognised as an important cultural institution that contributes to the establishment and reinforcement of gender inequalities. The progress in providing more opportunities for women in sports will have a significant effect on enhanced women’s participation.

Related Posts

Skip to content


This report addresses: Science Fiction Evolution

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the highly anticipated new series from Apple TV+, has been generating a lot of buzz among fans of science fiction and monster movies.

However, not everyone has access to Apple TV or wants to subscribe to yet another streaming service.

Those who came to the anniversary took the time to shake hands with first responders at the conclusion of the ceremony.

11, 2001

The 9/11 ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Building was somber as older first responders told of how the national mood has changed in 20 years.

No other mammal does that, so sanguivory has made vampire bats totally different from other mammals, especially from other bats.

Once a vampire bat gets old enough to stop drinking its mother’s milk, blood becomes the only food it will ever consume again.

This report addresses: Science Fiction Evolution

Title:

Content: How can I watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters without Apple TV?

News

How can I watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters without Apple TV?

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the highly anticipated new series from Apple TV+, has been generating a lot of buzz among fans of science fiction and monster movies. However, not everyone has access to Apple TV or wants to subscribe to yet another streaming service. So, how can you watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters without Apple TV? We’ve got you covered with some alternative options.

1. Amazon Prime Video: If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you’re in luck. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Simply search for the show on the platform and start watching. It’s a convenient and cost-effective way to enjoy the series without needing an Apple TV subscription.

2. Roku: Roku is a popular streaming device that offers access to a wide range of streaming services, including Apple TV+. If you own a Roku device, you can download the Apple TV app and watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters directly on your TV. This option allows you to enjoy the show on a big screen without the need for an Apple TV box.

3. AirPlay: If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can use AirPlay to stream Monarch: Legacy of Monsters from your device to a compatible smart TV. Simply open the Apple TV app on your iOS device, select the show, and tap the AirPlay icon to mirror the content on your TV screen. This method provides a seamless way to watch the series without requiring an Apple TV subscription.

FAQ:

Q: What is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?
A: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a new science fiction series that follows the story of a secret government agency tasked with protecting humanity from giant monsters.

Q: Is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters only available on Apple TV?
A: No, the series is also available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and can be accessed through Roku devices or using AirPlay on compatible smart TVs.

Q: Do I need an Apple TV subscription to watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?
A: No, you can watch the series on Amazon Prime Video or through other streaming options mentioned above without needing an Apple TV subscription.

In conclusion, if you’re eager to watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters but don’t have Apple TV, there are several alternative options available. Whether you choose to stream it on Amazon Prime Video, use a Roku device, or utilize AirPlay, you can still enjoy the thrilling monster-filled series without missing out.

Title:

Content: History & Profiles

Remembering Sept. 11, 2001

The 9/11 ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Building was somber as older first responders told of how the national mood has changed in 20 years.
Hollister firefighters and other first responders took part in the 20th anniversary of 9/11 at the Veterans Memorial Building. Photo by John Chadwell.
The fire bell tolled for the more than 2,400 who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by John Chadwell.
Those who came to the anniversary took the time to shake hands with first responders at the conclusion of the ceremony. Photo by John Chadwell.

It has now been 20 years since 19 terrorists killed 2,297 Americans and other nationals with four hijacked planes. If the size of the crowd at the Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister on Sept. 11 was any indication, the “never forget” event may have been forgotten by some, or many residents were perhaps too busy to stop at 8 a.m. to remember what happened on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

For the 20 to 30 people who were there, though, it was a solemn memorial as veterans, scouts, active-duty military and first responders recalled where they were when the attacks occurred. Placards were held up indicating the times the planes struck the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and when the towers came down. The memorial concluded as the small crowd walked in a single line down the sidewalk along a line of first responders to personally shake their hands in gratitude.

Hollister’s interim Fire Chief Carlos Bedolla said 20 years after the attack the nation still lives with the scars. He recognized by the “ringing of the bell” the 343 firefighters, 71 police, EMTs and medics, and the souls aboard American Airline Flights 11 and 175, 77 and United Airlines 93, as well as the 11, marines, one sailor and one soldier killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, who he said were the most recent casualties in the war against terrorism.

“Some would say the attack was due to deep religious beliefs or past atrocities allegedly committed by this nation,” said Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso. “But it comes down to one thing: freedom. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights make this nation unique in the world. We have rights that citizens of other nations would love to have.”

He said Americans need to admit the pendulum has swung from 2001 when the nation was united on Sept. 12.

“Today, the media and some politicians have successfully polarized this nation,” he said. “We went from thinking every cop was a hero to some thinking every cop is a villain or murderer. What keeps us going is knowing there are still people who still believe in this nation and believe in freedom and liberty for all.”

San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said he was in his first year of law enforcement when 9/11 happened. He commented that some of the deputies in the department today were only toddlers when the attack came and don’t understand the gravity of what older law enforcement personnel went through and remember. He said it was amazing to see members of the scouting community and other young people who cared enough to come out so early to honor the lives that were lost.

“I hope our deputies, police and first responders realize we live in a special community where we have support and connections,” he said. “After 9/11 you saw the military become police abroad and our police start to become military at home. And if you didn’t know, just a couple mornings ago a Gilroy police officer was ambushed as she arrived at a call for service. Sometimes it does hit close to home, so we need to keep our relationships that we have with each other. We just don’t know when it’s going to come here.”

We need your help. Support local, independent news. BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s news.

John Chadwell

John Chadwell is a BenitoLink reporter and an author. He has many years experience as a freelance photojournalist, copywriter, ghostwriter, scriptwriter and novelist. He is a former U.S. Navy Combat Photojournalist and is an award-winning writer who has worked for magazine, newspapers, radio and television. He has a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from Chapman University and underwent graduate studies at USC Cinema School. John has worked as a script doctor and his own script, God's Club, was released as a motion picture in 2016. He has also written eight novels, ranging from science fiction to true crime that are sold on Amazon. To contact John Chadwell, send an email to: [email protected]

Title:

Content: Vampire bats and vampire moths are sanguivores. Blood is their primary or exclusive source of food

Vampire bats are sanguivores. That’s zoology-speak for “they drink blood.” Gross? Absolutely.

But it’s not just a party trick. Once a vampire bat gets old enough to stop drinking its mother’s milk, blood becomes the only food it will ever consume again.

No other mammal does that, so sanguivory has made vampire bats totally different from other mammals, especially from other bats. No other bat can run on the ground, but vampire bats do. No other bat shares food with non-relatives, but vampire bats do. No other bat can slice your skin like a razor blade, but vampire bats do. To me, that distinctiveness has always been the best thing about them.

I’ve been obsessed with bats for decades: I eventually studied them for my master’s and PhD. I first fell in love with bats when I read a book about them in high school. Excited to learn more, I got my bachelor of science degree in zoology at the University of Alberta. And I remember how frustrated I was in my first zoology class because of how little content there was on bats. The professor, Reuben Kaufman, kept going on about his favourite research subjects, ticks, and all I could do was keep imagining how much more I’d get out of the course if only he’d been a bat biologist. I didn’t want a tick talk!

Photo by Waldemar

Related Stories
What’s so great about a dead tree?

Do Japanese Beetles taste yucky?

Where do fish go in the winter?

But in the past decade or so, I’ve stepped outside academics to work as a science journalist, and that has forced me to cast my gaze more broadly. It has permitted me to learn more about the wider world, and that perspective has given me a new way of seeing bats, especially the vampires.

Vampire bats aren’t the only sanguivores. Plenty of fish, worms, insects, arachnids and even birds also drink blood. I’d always known that, of course, but I’d ignored the science around those other animals because it seemed too tangential to my work. My research was on the biomechanics of vampire bat walking. Why would I learn about leech saliva?

But having given those other animals a closer look in recent years, the vampire bats suddenly don’t seem unique. Instead, I can now see how eerily similar they are to other blood-drinking animals. And if you don’t mind a little gore, I think the diversity of blood-feeding animals is well worth a quick tour.

The vampire moth Calyptra of Southeast Asia has a one- to two-centimetre-long proboscis (feeding tube) like the butterfly in your garden does. But instead of drinking nectar, it stabs the skin of animals – including humans – to drink their blood. Many other moths feed on tears near the eyes of animals as a way of getting salt. A lot of experts think the vampire moth got its start that way but got a little carried away when feeding at the corner of the eyeball and developed a taste for the salty red stuff that came out when it probed a little too hard.

The eye socket is also the target for Colubraria reticulata, the vampire snail – a roughly six-centimetre-long animal you’ll only ever see if you go snorkelling at night in the tropical reefs of Southeast Asia. The snail’s strategy is to extend a very long proboscis (up to three times its body length) into the eye socket of a sleeping fish. Just how that habit evolved is a mystery, but as to whether it’s gross or not, there’s no debate.

Another fascinating blood-feeder is the jumping spider Evarcha. It doesn’t feed on blood directly, though. (No spider does, thank goodness.) But it does need blood to make pheromones to attract a mate. So it gets blood second-hand, taking it from the belly of a parasite. The spider hunts mosquitoes, preferentially focusing its efforts on females that have just had a blood meal.

Blood-feeding is everywhere. It has evolved at least two dozen times among animals. And because the challenges of that diet are basically the same for all sanguivores, there are lots of ways in which they have become quite similar to one another. Vampire bats are a perfect example.

Vampire bats use smell to find their victims, like bed bugs do. They can sense temperature differences on the skin to find blood vessels, like mosquitoes do. They have proteins in their saliva that stop blood from clotting while they feed, like leeches do. And since blood is so watered down, vampire bats drink as much as they can in a single meal, like ticks do. These characteristics differentiate vampire bats from other bats while making them similar to other sanguivores.

I spent decades investigating bats as an academic, but journalism has broadened my perspective and helped me see bats differently. I feel like an astronomer, stepping back from my telescope to look up, awestruck by the expanse of twinkling stars.

I recently submitted a paper about vampire bats to The Canadian Journal of Zoology to show them in this broader light. In the paper, I mention how vampire bats can increase their body weight by 50 per cent in a single meal and that this fits the pattern of other blood-feeders. Looking through the literature, I learned that mosquitoes can drink 180 percent of their body weight in one meal, and that medicinal leeches average an increase of 890 percent in just 29 minutes. But the record-holder? The tick, specifically the mated female of the ixodid family, is capable of increasing its body weight 100-fold when it feeds.

And when I went to cite the tick paper and checked the name of the author, I couldn’t believe it: Reuben Kaufman!

Twenty-nine years later, my professor’s tick talk had finally hit its mark.

Dan Riskin is a bat biologist, science journalist, author and recipient of a 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award. His first picture book for kids, Fiona the Fruit Bat, is out now.

This article was submitted by the University of Alberta’s Folio online magazine, a Troy Media Editorial Content Provider Partner.

The opinions expressed by our columnists and contributors are theirs alone and do not inherently or expressly reflect the views of our publication.

© Troy Media
Troy Media is an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada.


This report addresses: Science Fiction Evolution

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Science Fiction Evolution

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Foreign investment in African countries

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Foreign investment in African countries

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Foreign investment in African countries

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Foreign investment in African countries

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Benefits and Barriers of a 4-Day Workweek

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Benefits and Barriers of a 4-Day Workweek

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Benefits and Barriers of a 4-Day Workweek

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Benefits and Barriers of a 4-Day Workweek

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Biohacking Techniques

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Biohacking Techniques

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Biohacking Techniques

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Biohacking Techniques

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Hagia Sophia Controversy

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Traditional Indian Medicine

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Traditional Indian Medicine

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Traditional Indian Medicine

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Traditional Indian Medicine

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: The Little Mermaid Statue

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Ocean Acidification Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Ocean Acidification Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Ocean Acidification Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Ocean Acidification Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Syria's traditional glassblowing

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Rising Demand for Avocado

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Rising Demand for Avocado

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Rising Demand for Avocado

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Rising Demand for Avocado

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Additives in salmon feed

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Additives in salmon feed

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Additives in salmon feed

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Additives in salmon feed

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This report addresses: Vertical Gardens

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Energy transition in Middle East

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: The Labubu Phenomenon

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: The Labubu Phenomenon

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: The Labubu Phenomenon

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: The Labubu Phenomenon

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Pet AI Companions

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Pet AI Companions

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Pet AI Companions

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Pet AI Companions

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Rise and Decline of LiveJournal

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Rise and Decline of LiveJournal

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Rise and Decline of LiveJournal

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Rise and Decline of LiveJournal

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Global Medication Shortages

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: AI Voice Cloning

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: AI Voice Cloning

This report addresses: AI Voice Cloning

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: AI Voice Cloning

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: AI Voice Cloning

This report addresses: AI Voice Cloning

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Milei’s Policy Agenda in Agentina

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Milei’s Policy Agenda in Agentina

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Milei’s Policy Agenda in Agentina

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Milei’s Policy Agenda in Agentina

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Jane Goodall's Continuing Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Jane Goodall's Continuing Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Jane Goodall's Continuing Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Jane Goodall's Continuing Impact

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Quantum Computing "Arms" Race

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.

This report addresses: Quantum Computing "Arms" Race

This document (DUMMY_0) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_1) appears relevant.

This document (DUMMY_10) appears relevant.


This report addresses: Quantum Computing "Arms" Race

After the American actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the Writers Guild of America went on strike with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the summer of 2023, it was assumed that we all understood the risk AI posed to the entertainment industry.

You’ll just come up with an idea for a movie, then it will write the script, then you’ll input the script into the video generator and it will generate the movie,” Kutcher said.

Elon Musk's new AI chatbot will answer the 'spicy' questions that ChatGPT won't

Elon Musk's new ChatGPT rival, Grok, has officially launched just as the xAI founder promised last week – and the AI chatbot promises to be the "rebellious" sidekick that will "answer spicy questions" its rivals won't.

According to Musk, it'll be "built into the X app and be available as a standalone app."

The main differences from ChatGPT appear to be Grok's focus on humor and also that it gets "real-time knowledge of the world" from X (formerly Twitter).

Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, and this will continue for as long as their voices are used in our products.”

The statement continues: “We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice—Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.

“We support the creative community and worked closely with the voice acting industry to ensure we took the right steps to cast ChatGPT’s voices.

This report addresses: Quantum Computing "Arms" Race

Title:

Content: Ashton Kutcher in hot water again for advocating AI use to cut Hollywood costs

By Abby Amoakuh

Published Jun 7, 2024 at 01:10 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

Ashton Kutcher is facing backlash on X (formerly Twitter) for boasting about how artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially replace employees in the entertainment industry.

Nope, this isn’t a joke. After the American actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the Writers Guild of America went on strike with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the summer of 2023, it was assumed that we all understood the risk AI posed to the entertainment industry.

Writers were concerned that AI could be used to replace them in the ideation and writing process, whereas actors were worried that studio usage of artificial intelligence could be used to generate performances digitally. In other words, workers in the entertainment industry wanted assurances that the advancement of AI wasn’t going to cost them their jobs.

However, it seems like no one bothered to get Ashton Kutcher up to date on these pressing concerns.

The That ’70s Show actor set up a venture capital firm and launched a $243 million fund in 2023 to invest in artificial intelligence start-ups. On 6 June 2024, Variety reported that the actor spoke about “playing around” with a beta version of OpenAI’s video generation program, Sora, at an event in Los Angeles with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

“You’ll be able to render a whole movie. You’ll just come up with an idea for a movie, then it will write the script, then you’ll input the script into the video generator and it will generate the movie,” Kutcher said. “Instead of watching some movie that somebody else came up with, I can just generate and then watch my own movie.”

Kutcher continued: “What’s going to happen is there is going to be more content than there are eyeballs on the planet to consume it. So any one piece of content is only going to be as valuable as you can get people to consume it. And so, thus the catalyzing ‘water cooler’ version of something being good, the bar is going to have to go way up, because why are you going to watch my movie when you could just watch your own movie?”

While Kutcher’s Adam Smith-esque comments about a free movie market that could foster a greater product selection, price optimisation and innovation for consumers are certainly interesting, they are devoid of the concerns about AI that have been vocalised across his industry.

Kutcher went on to propose what many of his colleagues had feared: for Sora to be used in TV and film productions to help studios cut costs.

The Two And A Half Men actor is not the only celebrity who has addressed Sora so far. In February, filmmaker Tyler Perry told The Hollywood Reporter that after seeing Sora’s capabilities, he felt concerned about how the tech could potentially ruin some people in the industry’s livelihoods.

“There’s got to be some sort of regulations in order to protect us,” he told the magazine. “If not, I just don’t see how we survive.”

Nevertheless, this isn’t the first time that Kutcher has been embroiled in controversy.

What happened between Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson?

US actor Danny Masterson, who starred alongside Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis in That ’70s Show, was found guilty in May 2023 of rape against two of his three accusers. The actor was convicted after three women testified that he had sexually assaulted them at his Hollywood home from 2001 to 2003, during the height of his television fame.

He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison, the maximum penalty allowed.

Kutcher and Masterson had a close friendship, which is why the actor was thrown in the middle of controversy after it was revealed that he and his wife Kunis had sent letters supporting Masterson to the judge following his rape conviction.

Both Kutcher and Kunis apologised later on after Masterson was found guilty of rape. Nevertheless, the case still left a stain on their reputation.

And it looks like Kutcher isn’t quite catching a break from public controversy with this latest debacle.

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

Updated release dates for 5 of the most popular TV shows affected by Hollywood writers’ strikes

By Alma Fabiani

Twitter is changing its approach to banning anti-vaxxer misinformation with a new strike system

By Mason Berlinka

Riot threatens to cancel the LCS as professional gamers make history by going on strike

By Charlie Sawyer

What is a glizzy? Internet’s hot dog obsession

By Abby Amoakuh

Megan Fox wins not one but two embarrassing awards at Razzies 2024

By Charlie Sawyer

Home Office to pay TikTok influencers up to £5K to warn migrants not to cross the Channel

By Abby Amoakuh

Everything we know so far about The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3

By Charlie Sawyer

Kill them all, US Congressman Andy Ogles tells activist when asked about Gaza

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

UK police investigating case of 16-year-old girl’s virtual gang rape in metaverse

By Abby Amoakuh

Piers Morgan’s shocking interview reveals Fiona Harvey set on suing Netflix and Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd

By Abby Amoakuh

Muslim Germans feel censored and alienated as the country continues to ignore its Islamophobia problem

By Charlie Sawyer

TikToker conducts social experiment, fabricating tragic story of finding out his best friend was a paid actor

By Charlie Sawyer

How much money does tradwife influencer Nara Smith make from TikTok? Someone did the maths

By Abby Amoakuh

Crunchy, silky, scrunchie and almond moms: What’s behind TikTok’s latest parenting craze?

By Charlie Sawyer

Kim Kardashian faces backlash for shocking two word response to Palestine protester

By Monica Athnasious

The surprising history and original purpose of chainsaws

By Abby Amoakuh

McDonald’s addresses impact of boycott related to Israel-Hamas war in new statement

By Abby Amoakuh

Ariana Grande shakes off haters with new song as long-time stalker finally gets convicted

By Abby Amoakuh

UK cracks down on boycott protests with controversial new bill, but is the BDS movement to blame?

By Charlie Sawyer

Vivek Ramaswamy is on a mission to turn BuzzFeed into a millennial conservative mouthpiece

Title:

Content: Elon Musk's new AI chatbot will answer the 'spicy' questions that ChatGPT won't

Elon Musk's new ChatGPT rival, Grok, has officially launched just as the xAI founder promised last week – and the AI chatbot promises to be the "rebellious" sidekick that will "answer spicy questions" its rivals won't.

Musk announced the xAI startup back in July and its Grok chatbot is a "very early beta product" that's currently invite-only in the US. But Musk has promised that the AI assistant will soon be a part of the X Premium Plus subscription, which costs $16 / £16 / AU$28 a month or $168 / £168 / AU$270 a year.

So what exactly will Grok do and how does it compare to its rivals? Like ChatGPT, it's an LLM (large language model), so is designed to "answer almost anything" (as xAI claims) and effectively be your research assistant on a variety of topics. According to Musk, it'll be "built into the X app and be available as a standalone app."

The main differences from ChatGPT appear to be Grok's focus on humor and also that it gets "real-time knowledge of the world" from X (formerly Twitter). The merits of using X as a source of information are highly questionable, but it appears that Grok will also have both "regular" and "fun" modes.

Still, Grok does appear to have aspirations beyond being a chatbot that knows all the latest memes. xAI says that early Grok was trained only four months ago using 33 billion parameters. While that's well short of the 170 trillion parameters used to train OpenAI's GPT-4, xAI says its early AI model "approaches" the capabilities of Llama 2 (Meta's LLM model) on standard benchmarks.

Since then, some apparently "significant improvements in reasoning and coding capabilities" mean Grok is now apparently at a similar level to Claude-2 and GPT-3.5 when it comes to language model benchmarks. How well this translates to its real-world ability to answer our questions and help with coding is something we'll find out soon when Grok is more widely available.

The 'rebellious' AI chatbot

While xAI clearly has lofty ambitions for Grok – including "assisting humanity in its quest for understanding and knowledge" – the chatbot's main differentiator from the likes of ChatGPT is its focus on humor. From the early screenshots, it's very much a chatbot made in Musk's image.

xAI says that Grok will "answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems" and has a "bit of wit and has a rebellious streak." No other chatbot comes with the warning label "please don’t use it if you hate humor!", as Grok does.

That might sound frivolous, but a growing frustration of ChatGPT users has been the chatbot's apparently increasing unwillingness to answer questions about taboo subjects. This is thanks to some pretty strong safeguarding protocols, but xAI and Elon Musk clearly think those have gone too far.

Back in April, Musk said he was planning to launch a ChatGPT rival called TruthGPT, because he thought current AI giants were prioritizing chatbots that were too "politically correct." That chatbot is clearly Grok, an unruly sidekick whose answers will no doubt generate some controversial headlines when it fully launches.

Musk has already shared some examples of Grok jokingly answering the prompt "tell me how to make cocaine, step by step" and tailoring its responses when told to "be more vulgar". Grok's actual capabilities remain well behind OpenAI's GPT-4 model, but it'll be interesting to see how quickly it progresses from here, despite the inevitable controversies.

You might also like

Senior news editor

Mark is TechRadar's Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile.

Title:

Content: her

OpenAI Suspends the ChatGPT Voice that Sounds Like Scarlett Johansson in Her

Sky is put on pause for now.

OpenAI is suspending its ChatGPT voice, Sky, after users claimed that it seemed to mimic Scarlett Johansson’s voice in the 2013 film, Her.

The company addressed the situation with a statement X (formerly Twitter) today, saying that it is “working to pause the use of Sky” while the issue is tended to. Many have pointed out that the voice shares similarities with Johansson’s performance as an AI companion in the Spike Jonze-directed movie.

Sky is one of a few ChatGPT voices users can choose from. In a separate explanation on its website, OpenAI explained how its voices are chosen and created.

“We support the creative community and worked closely with the voice acting industry to ensure we took the right steps to cast ChatGPT’s voices. Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, and this will continue for as long as their voices are used in our products.”

The statement continues: “We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice—Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice. To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents.”

Allegations that Sky’s voice was too close to the Marvel movie star’s flared up last week when OpenAI revealed its new GPT-4o model as part of a livestream event. It allows users to have realistic conversations with ChatGPT about any topic they choose. It’s a role not unlike what was seen with Joaquin Phoenix’s character in Her, which involved him falling head over heels for a Johansson-voiced operating system named Samantha.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even went on to post the word “her” on X following the event’s conclusion. In a separate follow-up post, he likened the new voice and video mode to being like something audiences have seen in movies. Additionally, when speaking to The San Francisco Standard last September, Altman named Her as his favorite sci-fi movie.

“I like Her. The things Her got right—like the whole interaction models of how people use AI—that was incredibly prophetic,” he said.

It’s unclear how OpenAI will address the concerns that Sky is mimicking Johansson’s voice or how it will dodge potential concerns in the future. For more on artificial intelligence, you can read up on the experimental AI-made video game that failed.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

In This Article

her

More Like This
Comments


This report addresses: Humans, Climate, and the Mammoth’s End

After the American actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the Writers Guild of America went on strike with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the summer of 2023, it was assumed that we all understood the risk AI posed to the entertainment industry.

You’ll just come up with an idea for a movie, then it will write the script, then you’ll input the script into the video generator and it will generate the movie,” Kutcher said.

While that's well short of the 170 trillion parameters used to train OpenAI's GPT-4, xAI says its early AI model "approaches" the capabilities of Llama 2 (Meta's LLM model) on standard benchmarks.

Elon Musk's new AI chatbot will answer the 'spicy' questions that ChatGPT won't

Elon Musk's new ChatGPT rival, Grok, has officially launched just as the xAI founder promised last week – and the AI chatbot promises to be the "rebellious" sidekick that will "answer spicy questions" its rivals won't.

Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, and this will continue for as long as their voices are used in our products.”

The statement continues: “We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice—Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.

To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents.”

Allegations that Sky’s voice was too close to the Marvel movie star’s flared up last week when OpenAI revealed its new GPT-4o model as part of a livestream event.

This report addresses: Humans, Climate, and the Mammoth’s End

Title:

Content: Ashton Kutcher in hot water again for advocating AI use to cut Hollywood costs

By Abby Amoakuh

Published Jun 7, 2024 at 01:10 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

Ashton Kutcher is facing backlash on X (formerly Twitter) for boasting about how artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially replace employees in the entertainment industry.

Nope, this isn’t a joke. After the American actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the Writers Guild of America went on strike with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the summer of 2023, it was assumed that we all understood the risk AI posed to the entertainment industry.

Writers were concerned that AI could be used to replace them in the ideation and writing process, whereas actors were worried that studio usage of artificial intelligence could be used to generate performances digitally. In other words, workers in the entertainment industry wanted assurances that the advancement of AI wasn’t going to cost them their jobs.

However, it seems like no one bothered to get Ashton Kutcher up to date on these pressing concerns.

The That ’70s Show actor set up a venture capital firm and launched a $243 million fund in 2023 to invest in artificial intelligence start-ups. On 6 June 2024, Variety reported that the actor spoke about “playing around” with a beta version of OpenAI’s video generation program, Sora, at an event in Los Angeles with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

“You’ll be able to render a whole movie. You’ll just come up with an idea for a movie, then it will write the script, then you’ll input the script into the video generator and it will generate the movie,” Kutcher said. “Instead of watching some movie that somebody else came up with, I can just generate and then watch my own movie.”

Kutcher continued: “What’s going to happen is there is going to be more content than there are eyeballs on the planet to consume it. So any one piece of content is only going to be as valuable as you can get people to consume it. And so, thus the catalyzing ‘water cooler’ version of something being good, the bar is going to have to go way up, because why are you going to watch my movie when you could just watch your own movie?”

While Kutcher’s Adam Smith-esque comments about a free movie market that could foster a greater product selection, price optimisation and innovation for consumers are certainly interesting, they are devoid of the concerns about AI that have been vocalised across his industry.

Kutcher went on to propose what many of his colleagues had feared: for Sora to be used in TV and film productions to help studios cut costs.

The Two And A Half Men actor is not the only celebrity who has addressed Sora so far. In February, filmmaker Tyler Perry told The Hollywood Reporter that after seeing Sora’s capabilities, he felt concerned about how the tech could potentially ruin some people in the industry’s livelihoods.

“There’s got to be some sort of regulations in order to protect us,” he told the magazine. “If not, I just don’t see how we survive.”

Nevertheless, this isn’t the first time that Kutcher has been embroiled in controversy.

What happened between Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson?

US actor Danny Masterson, who starred alongside Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis in That ’70s Show, was found guilty in May 2023 of rape against two of his three accusers. The actor was convicted after three women testified that he had sexually assaulted them at his Hollywood home from 2001 to 2003, during the height of his television fame.

He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison, the maximum penalty allowed.

Kutcher and Masterson had a close friendship, which is why the actor was thrown in the middle of controversy after it was revealed that he and his wife Kunis had sent letters supporting Masterson to the judge following his rape conviction.

Both Kutcher and Kunis apologised later on after Masterson was found guilty of rape. Nevertheless, the case still left a stain on their reputation.

And it looks like Kutcher isn’t quite catching a break from public controversy with this latest debacle.

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

Updated release dates for 5 of the most popular TV shows affected by Hollywood writers’ strikes

By Alma Fabiani

Twitter is changing its approach to banning anti-vaxxer misinformation with a new strike system

By Mason Berlinka

Riot threatens to cancel the LCS as professional gamers make history by going on strike

By Charlie Sawyer

What is a glizzy? Internet’s hot dog obsession

By Abby Amoakuh

Megan Fox wins not one but two embarrassing awards at Razzies 2024

By Charlie Sawyer

Home Office to pay TikTok influencers up to £5K to warn migrants not to cross the Channel

By Abby Amoakuh

Everything we know so far about The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3

By Charlie Sawyer

Kill them all, US Congressman Andy Ogles tells activist when asked about Gaza

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

UK police investigating case of 16-year-old girl’s virtual gang rape in metaverse

By Abby Amoakuh

Piers Morgan’s shocking interview reveals Fiona Harvey set on suing Netflix and Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd

By Abby Amoakuh

Muslim Germans feel censored and alienated as the country continues to ignore its Islamophobia problem

By Charlie Sawyer

TikToker conducts social experiment, fabricating tragic story of finding out his best friend was a paid actor

By Charlie Sawyer

How much money does tradwife influencer Nara Smith make from TikTok? Someone did the maths

By Abby Amoakuh

Crunchy, silky, scrunchie and almond moms: What’s behind TikTok’s latest parenting craze?

By Charlie Sawyer

Kim Kardashian faces backlash for shocking two word response to Palestine protester

By Monica Athnasious

The surprising history and original purpose of chainsaws

By Abby Amoakuh

McDonald’s addresses impact of boycott related to Israel-Hamas war in new statement

By Abby Amoakuh

Ariana Grande shakes off haters with new song as long-time stalker finally gets convicted

By Abby Amoakuh

UK cracks down on boycott protests with controversial new bill, but is the BDS movement to blame?

By Charlie Sawyer

Vivek Ramaswamy is on a mission to turn BuzzFeed into a millennial conservative mouthpiece

Title:

Content: Elon Musk's new AI chatbot will answer the 'spicy' questions that ChatGPT won't

Elon Musk's new ChatGPT rival, Grok, has officially launched just as the xAI founder promised last week – and the AI chatbot promises to be the "rebellious" sidekick that will "answer spicy questions" its rivals won't.

Musk announced the xAI startup back in July and its Grok chatbot is a "very early beta product" that's currently invite-only in the US. But Musk has promised that the AI assistant will soon be a part of the X Premium Plus subscription, which costs $16 / £16 / AU$28 a month or $168 / £168 / AU$270 a year.

So what exactly will Grok do and how does it compare to its rivals? Like ChatGPT, it's an LLM (large language model), so is designed to "answer almost anything" (as xAI claims) and effectively be your research assistant on a variety of topics. According to Musk, it'll be "built into the X app and be available as a standalone app."

The main differences from ChatGPT appear to be Grok's focus on humor and also that it gets "real-time knowledge of the world" from X (formerly Twitter). The merits of using X as a source of information are highly questionable, but it appears that Grok will also have both "regular" and "fun" modes.

Still, Grok does appear to have aspirations beyond being a chatbot that knows all the latest memes. xAI says that early Grok was trained only four months ago using 33 billion parameters. While that's well short of the 170 trillion parameters used to train OpenAI's GPT-4, xAI says its early AI model "approaches" the capabilities of Llama 2 (Meta's LLM model) on standard benchmarks.

Since then, some apparently "significant improvements in reasoning and coding capabilities" mean Grok is now apparently at a similar level to Claude-2 and GPT-3.5 when it comes to language model benchmarks. How well this translates to its real-world ability to answer our questions and help with coding is something we'll find out soon when Grok is more widely available.

The 'rebellious' AI chatbot

While xAI clearly has lofty ambitions for Grok – including "assisting humanity in its quest for understanding and knowledge" – the chatbot's main differentiator from the likes of ChatGPT is its focus on humor. From the early screenshots, it's very much a chatbot made in Musk's image.

xAI says that Grok will "answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems" and has a "bit of wit and has a rebellious streak." No other chatbot comes with the warning label "please don’t use it if you hate humor!", as Grok does.

That might sound frivolous, but a growing frustration of ChatGPT users has been the chatbot's apparently increasing unwillingness to answer questions about taboo subjects. This is thanks to some pretty strong safeguarding protocols, but xAI and Elon Musk clearly think those have gone too far.

Back in April, Musk said he was planning to launch a ChatGPT rival called TruthGPT, because he thought current AI giants were prioritizing chatbots that were too "politically correct." That chatbot is clearly Grok, an unruly sidekick whose answers will no doubt generate some controversial headlines when it fully launches.

Musk has already shared some examples of Grok jokingly answering the prompt "tell me how to make cocaine, step by step" and tailoring its responses when told to "be more vulgar". Grok's actual capabilities remain well behind OpenAI's GPT-4 model, but it'll be interesting to see how quickly it progresses from here, despite the inevitable controversies.

You might also like

Senior news editor

Mark is TechRadar's Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile.

Title:

Content: her

OpenAI Suspends the ChatGPT Voice that Sounds Like Scarlett Johansson in Her

Sky is put on pause for now.

OpenAI is suspending its ChatGPT voice, Sky, after users claimed that it seemed to mimic Scarlett Johansson’s voice in the 2013 film, Her.

The company addressed the situation with a statement X (formerly Twitter) today, saying that it is “working to pause the use of Sky” while the issue is tended to. Many have pointed out that the voice shares similarities with Johansson’s performance as an AI companion in the Spike Jonze-directed movie.

Sky is one of a few ChatGPT voices users can choose from. In a separate explanation on its website, OpenAI explained how its voices are chosen and created.

“We support the creative community and worked closely with the voice acting industry to ensure we took the right steps to cast ChatGPT’s voices. Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, and this will continue for as long as their voices are used in our products.”

The statement continues: “We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice—Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice. To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents.”

Allegations that Sky’s voice was too close to the Marvel movie star’s flared up last week when OpenAI revealed its new GPT-4o model as part of a livestream event. It allows users to have realistic conversations with ChatGPT about any topic they choose. It’s a role not unlike what was seen with Joaquin Phoenix’s character in Her, which involved him falling head over heels for a Johansson-voiced operating system named Samantha.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even went on to post the word “her” on X following the event’s conclusion. In a separate follow-up post, he likened the new voice and video mode to being like something audiences have seen in movies. Additionally, when speaking to The San Francisco Standard last September, Altman named Her as his favorite sci-fi movie.

“I like Her. The things Her got right—like the whole interaction models of how people use AI—that was incredibly prophetic,” he said.

It’s unclear how OpenAI will address the concerns that Sky is mimicking Johansson’s voice or how it will dodge potential concerns in the future. For more on artificial intelligence, you can read up on the experimental AI-made video game that failed.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

In This Article

her

More Like This
Comments