We are already at “of the year” time of the year. And we begin November with my very favorite end-of-year announcements: the “word of the year.” Admittedly, this time round is the Collins one, not the word selected by my home institution, Oxford. And for once, the “winner” is a word I actually know from the recesses I see online at the margins of my weightlifting life.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
“Mogging” means, in essence, getting the better of someone by virtue of superior prowess in the gym or some other sphere connected to “maxxing.” There are many unsavory associations with the term in a metaphorical sense, unlike the literal sense of one of the shortlisted words, “fricy,” which apparently is a portmanteau of fruity and spicy. One of the other beaten finalists meanwhile feels like it looms over us all. (p)Doom, as I am sure you are all only too aware, is the probability someone assigns to the possibility that AI will destroy us all.
Amicus Briefs in the OpenAI Case
Which segues us perfectly into a final piece of AI news, the ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI. This is the case, you will recall, in which the judge ruled the plaintiffs could not submit Tuhin Chakrabarty’s high-profile study as evidence that AI had led to market dilution.
What we do have in that case is a series of amicus briefs that Publishing Perspectives has helpfully outlined. My friends across the pond will I hope forgive my misunderstanding of their judicial system, but I believe amicus briefs, which we don’t really have in the UK, are submissions of evidence from experts who don’t have direct skin in the game. I wholeheartedly recommend you read that post in full as it outlines a whole range of briefs. But one I found particularly interesting was from the Authors Alliance arguing against the plaintiffs, claiming that extending copyright law to market dilution would erode the freedom of expression copyright law was designed to protect. Fascinating reading.
Before I see you next, I will repair to the zeitgeisty creative challenge of composing a short story that incorporated all the shortlisted words of the year.
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