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California’s New Laws Regulating Use Of AI Now In Force

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a handful of artificial intelligence-related bills that would give actors more protection over their digital likenesses and fight against the spread of deep fakes in political ads, among other regulations aimed at the fast-rising technology. - Los Angeles Times

“Arts For Us All”: A New Plan From Britain’s Oldest Socialist Organization

The report from the Fabian Society, founded in 1884 and one of the progenitors of today's Labour Party, calls for removing the "class ceiling" by issuing every Briton a "universal library card," ensuring every child can learn an artistic practice, and giving older children a "culture pass" to arts institutions. - The Guardian

New Jersey Performing Arts Center Is Building A Major Housing And Retail Complex

The $336 million project, called ArtSide, is one of the largest real estate projects in Newark in decades. It will include roughly 350 apartments, 15 townhouses and ground-floor retail in a seven-story midrise building and a 25-story tower. Profits from the development will go to support NJPAC programming. - The New York Times

University Of The Arts In Philadelphia Files For Liquidation, Will Sell Its Buildings

"Philadelphia’s nearly 150-year-old University of the Arts has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after (suddenly) closing this summer. The process will allow the school to sell its real estate holdings in the Center City neighborhood, estimated in value at $87 million, in an effort to meet $46 million in bond debt." - Artnet

More Turmoil And Staff Departures At New York’s 92NY Over Gaza War

Last October, the entire staff of the organization's poetry center quit after an author's live talk was canceled after he signed a petition calling for Israel's ceasefire. Now one worker has been fired and five more resigned after 92NY forbade patron-facing employees from expressing any political views at work. - Hyperallergic

Amid Multiple Allegations Of Sexual Abuse, Screen Adaptations Of Neil Gaiman’s Work Paused Or Canceled

The list is grim (not nearly as grim as the list of women who have accused the popular author, of course). Dead Boy Detectives: Canceled. Good Omens: Paused. And the Disney adaptation of smash hit The Graveyard Book? “Put on hold.” - The Guardian (UK)

The Memes That Could Start – Or Perhaps End – Wars

“Digital disinformation is a growing shadow industry. It thrives because of the weak enforcement of content-moderation policies, the increasing influence of social-media figures as political intermediaries, and a regulatory environment that fails to hold tech companies accountable.” And it’s getting worse. - The Atlantic

AI Chatbots Aren’t Great For Much, But They Might Know This One Weird Trick

That trick is getting people who believe in conspiracy theories to find some exits out of their internet-driven rabbit holes. Importantly, recent “studies suggest that, contrary to the common belief that people 'down the rabbit hole' are beyond rescue, they can actually be brought back." - Nieman Lab

Oxford University Press Has A Unionized Staff, But The Press Just Fired Thirteen Workers

Those remaining have filed a grievance. “These are the people who design OUP’s award-winning covers and graphics, do complex data work that sustains OUP’s digital products, and so much more. Together, they represent nearly two centuries of service and dedication to OUP’s mission.” - LitHub

Two Iranian Directors Are Still Under House Arrest For A Gentle Comedy About An Old Married Couple

“The couple never meant to make political movies, Sanaeeha . ‘But in Iran, everything is political.’” (The issue here? A 70-year-old woman character doesn’t wear hijab … inside her own home.) - The Guardian (UK)

Cultural Tourism Barely Existed In Australia 40 Years Ago. Now It’s A Billion-Dollar Industry.

Here's a look at the enormous development in the field since the 1980s, including the spread of cultural tourism far beyond the big cities, the increasingly active participation of indigenous Australians, and why the arts and tourism need each other and must work together. - ArtsHub (Australia)

How Grassroots Advocacy Remade Arts Funding In St. Petersburg, Florida

“We’re calling ourselves the ‘City of the Arts’ in St. Pete so it’s just the right thing for the city to contribute to that and not just leave it up to the free market economy because the free market economy does not necessarily provide for diverse programming." - 83 Degrees Media

Could A Proposed New California Law Rein In AI Development?

Critics have painted a nearly apocalyptic picture of its impact, calling it a threat to startups, open source developers, and academics. Supporters call it a necessary guardrail for a potentially dangerous technology — and a corrective to years of under-regulation.  - The Verge

Milwaukee’s Arts Organizations Are Dangerously Dependent On Philanthropy, Finds Study

For most groups, the proportion of their budgets coming from earned income (mostly ticket sales) has fallen by a third to a half from 2012 levels (let alone the levels of the 1990s). With the trend of philanthropy turning away from the arts, the outlook in the city appears grim. - Urban Milwaukee

Indianapolis’s Arts Agency Asks City Council To More Than Double Its Funding

For a decade until 2019, local lawmakers kept Indy Arts Council's budget stagnant at $1 million, and there were only small increases and some federal money added during the pandemic. From that budget, over 100 organizations must share grants. So IAC is requesting a budget increase from $1.3 million to $3 million. - WFYI (Indianapolis)

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