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What does AI sound like? Hollywood has been imagining it for decades. Now AI developers are copying the movies, creating voices for real machines based on outdated movie fantasies about how machines should talk.Last month, OpenAI revealed updates to its artificially intelligent chatbot. ChatGPT, the company said, is learning to hear, see and converse in a naturalistic voice, much like the disembodied operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson in Spike Jonze’s 2013 film “Her.”ChatGPT’s voice, called Sky, also had a raspy timbre, a soothing effect, and a sexy edge. She was friendly and shy; she seemed ready for anything. After Sky’s debut, Johansson expressed disappointment that she sounded “eerily similar” and said she had previously rejected OpenAI’s request to voice the bot. The compan...

Early in the war against Hamas, as Israeli forces made their way from the northern Gaza Strip to the south, a neighborhood of Gaza City called Shajaiye loomed over the battle. In December, nine soldiers were killed there in what the Israeli army said was one of the deadliest days of the war for its forces.Later, with Shajaiye devastated and Gaza city apparently pacified, soldiers moved in, eventually taking the fighting to Gaza's southernmost city, Rafah, described as Hamas's last major stronghold. In turn, Palestinian civilians who had fled the fighting in Gaza City began to return.On Thursday they were on the run again.Israel ordered people in part of eastern Gaza City to evacuate as Palestinian officials and residents reported heavy attacks and numerous casualties. People in ...

On the surface, abortion rights have had a good run on the Supreme Court this term. Two weeks ago, the justices unanimously let the abortion pill remain widely available. On Thursday, the court rejected a case over Idaho’s strict abortion ban, which has had the effect of allowing the state’s emergency rooms to perform the procedure when a patient’s health is at risk.But the two rulings were so technical as to be ephemeral. They seemed designed to evade and delay, to kick a shaky argument down the road — or at least after Election Day.Some abortion-rights advocates have called the rulings Pyrrhic victories, fearing they would pave the way for further restrictions, either by the courts or by a second Trump administration.In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 2022 decision ...

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “what’s-I’m-reading” roundup. (After the newsletter started arriving once a week, it got harder to fit them in.) But today I wonder if you feel the same as I do, worried about the state of the world and anxious to find answers—or at least a way to avoid looking for them—in books.Part of that means reading works that are new to me, including “Small Wars, Big Data: The Information Revolution in Modern Conflict” by Eli Berman, Joseph H. Felter, and Jacob N. Shapiro.Covering the war in Gaza inevitably brought to mind other conflicts, including U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. If, as they say, history doesn’t repeat itself but rhymes, the battles for control of Mosul and Helmand feel like the preceding couplets of a long, dark poem that now a...

Listen and follow 'Hard Fork'Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YoutubeRecord labels — including Sony, Universal, and Warner — are suing two major AI-powered music companies, accusing them of copyright infringement. Mitch Glazier, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, the industry group that represents music labels, talks about their case. Next, we look at defense technology and discuss why Silicon Valley appears to be changing its tune on working with the military. Chris Kirchhoff, who used to run a special Pentagon office in Silicon Valley, explains what he thinks is behind the shift. And finally, we play another round of HatGPT.Guest:Mitch Glazier, president and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of AmericaChris Kirchhoff, founding partner of the Defense Innova...

After a tense election campaign featuring harsh attacks on the government by nearly all candidates over the economy, internet restrictions and harsh enforcement of the hijab law for women, Iran called elections on Friday to elect a president.The vote comes at a dangerous time for the country, with the incoming president facing a host of challenges, including internal discontent and divisions, a struggling economy and a volatile region that has brought Iran to the brink of war twice this year.With the race being decided by a three-way battle between two conservative candidates and a reformist, many analysts predict that neither will reach the necessary 50 percent of the vote, necessitating a runoff on July 5 between the reformist candidate and the leading conservative.That outcome could be ...

All Americans 6 months and older should receive one of the new Covid-19 vaccines when they become available this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.The recommendation comes as the nation faces a summer Covid surge, with infection numbers rising in at least 39 states and territories.Most Americans have gained immunity against the coronavirus through repeated infections or vaccine doses, or both. Vaccines now offer an incremental boost, remaining effective for only a few months as immunity wanes and the virus continues to evolve.Yet across every age group, the vast majority of Americans hospitalized with Covid did not receive one of the vaccines offered last fall, according to data presented Thursday at a meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immuniz...

European Union leaders on Thursday chose three senior politicians to lead the bloc’s institutions for the next five years, signaling commitment to Ukraine and the need for stability amid electoral upheaval in Europe and, potentially, the United States.At a summit in Brussels, the heads of government of the 27 EU members agreed to nominate Ursula von der Leyen, a German conservative, for a second term as head of the powerful European Commission, the Union's executive body.António Costa, a socialist and until recently prime minister of Portugal, was chosen as president of the European Council, which includes those 27 heads of government, balancing Ms. von der Leyen's political and geographical background.And Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a hawk on Russia, was the official chos...

Many travelers from the United States lost a crucial tool for checking maps, making reservations, using ride-hailing apps and more because of a cellular data outage that began affecting AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon users on Wednesday.Affected travellers, mostly in Europe, posted on social media, seeking answers about what caused the disruption and how long it would last. Some reported being unable to make phone calls, send messages or use online services without Wi-Fi for as long as 24 hours. It was unclear what caused the outage, which appeared to stretch from Britain to Türkiye.An AT&T spokesperson said the carrier's network is operating normally, but that some customers traveling internationally may experience service interruptions due to an issue outside the AT&T network. The comp...

Israel and Egypt agreed to allow at least 19 sick children, most of them cancer patients, to leave Gaza for medical treatment on Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, in the first major evacuation of critically ill Gazans since the Rafah border crossing was closed in early May.The Israeli military said the operation was conducted in coordination with the United States, Egypt and the international community. In total, 68 people, including sick and injured patients and their companions, were allowed to leave, the army said.More than 10,000 sick and injured people in Gaza require urgent care that is available only outside the enclave, the World Health Organization said this week. These include those injured in airstrikes, as well as cancer patients, children with life-threatenin...