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A legendary manga by Osamu Tezuka will have a new chapter… made by AI

A mythical manga by Osamu Tezuka will have a new chapter… made by AI, with human collaboration, and not a little controversy behind it due to its use

There are two inevitable things: taxes and death. And while for the wealthy it seems the former is true, we fear the latter spares no one. Death comes to all, even if some can postpone it more gracefully than others. Nevertheless, humans have always sought ways to evade it, to find a path to immortality. The latest attempt to do so is through AI, in a somewhat questionable creative exercise.

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Osamu Tezuka, considered the father of manga, a pioneer in Japanese animation, and the creator of iconic manga such as Astro Boy or Phoenix, is set to release a new chapter of one of his most well-known works, Black Jack. However, anyone familiar with Osamu Tezuka’s biography might be incredibly confused right now. Why? Because Osamu Tezuka has been deceased for 24 years.

To explain how this is possible, as hinted earlier, we have to turn to AI. Known as Project TEZUKA2023, it began in June 2023 with the goal of creating a new chapter of Black Jack for its 50th anniversary. This project involves combining AI technology with human artists. So, what will the AI be responsible for? Generating the overarching story, character biographies, and the facial features of the characters. All of this will serve as reference material for the human artists to create the actual artwork itself, without directly using any of the content generated by the AI.

In this way, their intention is to use AI as a tool for creative support. As explained by one of the involved individuals, Kaizo Hayashi, it feels like they’re having a conversation with someone while they work. However, we add, if the important decisions of the story are made by an AI, it still carries all the issues associated with AI.

This new Black Jack manga appears in the November 22nd issue of Weekly Shonen Champion. The artists involved are the film director Kaizo Hayashi, the mangaka Shigeto Ikehara, and the character designer Tsunohai. Whether it turns out well or not, one thing is certain: it’s going to generate a lot of discussion within the manga and anime community, and quite possibly beyond it as well.

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Google is integrating an AI into YouTube to enhance the experience with its content

Artificial Intelligence could arrive very soon on YouTube to enhance the user experience while watching content. Google has announced an experimental AI for its popular video streaming platform, which comes with some interesting features for users.

This Artificial Intelligence is currently in the testing phase and is only available to a selected group of users. Using a conversational model, this AI can synthesize the content of any videos you are watching, and thanks to its ability to comprehend the content, it can also apply it in various ways.

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An ideal tool for users

As mentioned earlier, this conversational AI is capable of understanding the content of videos and applies various methods, such as providing the user with a questionnaire containing questions related to the specific video (useful for academic content) or classifying the comments on the video based on the topics each of them addresses.

At the moment, this AI is in a very early stage, and Google explains that, for that reason, only a few users will be able to use it, as it still requires feedback and adjustments. However, Google hopes that in a matter of weeks, this AI will be available to YouTube Premium users.

The thriving world of AIs

Artificial Intelligence has arguably become the technological theme of 2023. Substantial advancements made in this field throughout the year have led to the proliferation of Artificial Intelligences from almost every major tech company in the current industry. If these companies haven’t released their AIs yet, they are still deeply involved in their development.

In recent days, other AIs have been announced as well, such as Grok, which will be available to premium users of X (Twitter) or Tesla. Google has also put a lot of effort into Bard, its AI focused on commands for digital workspace platforms like Gmail or Meet, while Microsoft has been working to integrate Copilot into an increasing number of services, such as Edge, Teams, or Outlook.

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The AI envisions what Barcelona will be like in 2100… and the Sagrada Familia would still be unfinished

All the articles it refers to… They are articles referring to how AI has described Barcelona in the year 2100.

It is supposed to be inevitable that artificial intelligence takes over our lives, dominates our way of conversing, and eventually gains control of our jobs while we – as a few say – spend our time resting in a world similar to ‘The Jetsons’. All that’s left is to rocket off to the moon for a meal and return after a romantic stroll on Mars. However, AI still has quite a way to go… and we can demonstrate that.

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Barnacity, lawless city

What will Barcelona be like in the year 2100? It’s a question we can ask politicians, architects, and draftsmen, yes, but also Bing, Microsoft’s AI service, which “is glad you asked that question” (without feelings, of course) and proceeds to add various things it has found on the internet. But the curious thing is that all the articles it references… are articles about how AI has described Barcelona in the year 2100.

It’s like asking Quentin Tarantino to make you a new movie, and he gives you a collage of ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Kill Bill.’ And the thing is, it seems like pure science fiction: sustainable futuristic buildings, vertical green spaces and suspended gardens, autonomous vehicles, high-speed public transportation to eliminate pollution, year-round festivals, and best of all, the completed Sagrada Familia.

That’s where we know that AI only says what it wants us to hear: yes, the Barcelona skyline may change, autonomous vehicles may increase in number, and even public transportation may eliminate pollution, but there are no signs that the Sagrada Familia is going to be completed. That’s why we proceed to ask if that is true.

And it corrects itself: “It cannot be stated with certainty whether the Sagrada Familia will be completed in 2100.” AI may be the future, but if we have to rely on it to guide us to an unparalleled tomorrow, we’re in trouble. At least we have room for one last question: Will there be flying cars in Barcelona in 2100? It informs me that in 2022, there will be air taxis in the City of Barcelona. No further questions, Your Honor. Neither a completed Sagrada Familia, nor flying taxis, nor anything. Just AI making promises, like any politician.

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The AI manages to decipher scrolls charred by Vesuvius

A 21-year-old computer science student has won a global competition to see who could decipher the first text from a charred parchment from Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city.

A 21-year-old computer science student has won a global competition where participants competed to decipher the first text from a charred scroll found in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city. This scroll was completely charred due to the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

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The achievements of this student open the possibility of understanding hundreds of texts from the only intact library that has survived from ancient Rome.

Luke Farritor, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, developed a machine learning algorithm, which has managed to detect Greek letters in several lines of the battered scroll. To do this, Farritor used small-scale differences in the texture of the parchment and trained his neural network with them.

After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, hundreds of scrolls were buried under 20 meters of volcanic ash. The initial attempts to open the scrolls almost caused their disintegration, and many scholars feared that the remaining documents could never be unrolled or read.

The Vesuvius Challenge offers a series of recognitions, including a cash prize of $700,000. To receive it, the participant must decipher four or more passages from some of the rolled scrolls. On October 12th, it was announced that Farritor had won one of the prizes, $40,000. Thanks to his invention, more than 10 characters have been read on a surface of papyrus as small as 4 square centimeters.

Until now, researchers had to rely on the study of open scrolls. However, the more than 600 scrolls preserved in the National Library of Naples, the United Kingdom, and France, remain unopened.

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Study promises AI-enhanced hyperrealistic versions of video games and the result is absolutely horrendous

AI is capable of great results, but this is not the case with these hyper-realistic “improvements” of video game protagonists

It often seems like we can’t go a single day without news about AIs. Probably because it’s true. Something that would be less burdensome if it weren’t for the fact that most of the time it involves someone making dubious, if not directly immoral or potentially criminal, use of them. As Microsoft is well aware. Although this time, it simply boils down to having irredeemably bad taste.

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Corridor Digital is a studio specialized in the use of artificial intelligence, which a few months ago claimed they could revolutionize the animation industry through the use of Stable Diffusion XL. Now, on their YouTube channel, they’ve decided to upload a video “fixing” faces of video game characters. The result is as disastrous as you might imagine.

By stripping away any trace of personality from the characters and destroying all the artistic intention behind their design, the hyper-realistic versions of the characters not only aren’t better but are much uglier. That’s what we can see in these seventeen minutes of video where the folks at Corridor Digital obliterate all the personality of iconic characters like Nathan Drake from Uncharted, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, or Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid. All the while, they claim happily the absolute improvement they supposedly bring.

The supposed improvement, of course, amounts to nothing more than making them more “attractive.” Smaller noses, larger eyes, defined cheekbones, emphasized lips, and including sharper, depersonalized textures, making all the characters look like they came out of exactly the same video game. An absolute failure in artistic terms that, judging by the responses on social media, is not exactly making a splash among gamers.

This demonstrates the absurdity of hyperrealism but also the folly of assuming that AI is an all-powerful entity that can fix everything. While it’s undeniable that Stable Diffusion XL is a powerful tool with significant capabilities, it’s only as effective as the human using it. And, well, Corridor Digital hasn’t exactly demonstrated a wealth of artistic capabilities, to say the least.

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The world’s largest tabletop gaming event uses AI for its drawings and creates chaos among fans

From Essen they have decided that the images of the tickets, the posters and so on are made with AI, with some frankly ugly drawings (those smiles, those six fingers) that have covered them with a patina of unprofessionalism that can take its toll.

It’s possible that Essen doesn’t ring a bell to you. At first glance, it’s just a German city without anything special, but it hides a secret not everyone knows: it’s the place where the world’s largest tabletop gaming fair has been held since 1983, spanning across numerous gigantic industrial halls where fans, stores, conferences, novelties, signings, and even exclusives gather. The problem is that this year, four decades after its start, they have messed up. Big time.

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Artificial board games

If there’s something that sets tabletop games apart from any other hobby, it’s the fact that, if you want them to be even a bit original, they have to involve human creativity. You can’t create mechanics out of thin air; they need to have a specific art style and feel genuine. Or at least, that’s how it has been until artificial intelligence entered our lives.

When you can save a few bucks on something as crucial as the presentation of your gigantic fair, how can you resist it? Essen has decided to use AI for ticket images, posters, and other materials, resulting in drawings that are frankly ugly (those smiles, those six fingers) and have given them an unprofessional appearance that might cost them dearly.

To calm the situation, Spiel Essen has announced that they only wanted to understand the capabilities of AI and that “protecting the rights of artists is a priority.” They said this while covering the city with these deformed drawings. Could it be the worst defense ever made? Certainly, especially considering that the fair starts the day after tomorrow on the 5th, and they have run out of time to change it after the backlash on social media.

Last year, over 200,000 people attended Essen, and even more will attend in 2023. It’s hard-earned money that could have been well spent on paying an artist to create something truly original. Moreover, at the beginning of the year, it was announced that after forty years, the convention would have a mascot, Meeps, an adorable tiger created by game illustrator Michael Menzel. Now, it has disappeared from all sites to be replaced by this genuine outrage. Absolutely dreadful.

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ChatGPT could be a developer? Not yet, but the latest experiment showed that is not far away

The future of building apps is about to change. GPT-4 is just the beginning.

Artificial intelligence is here to stay and seems to have no limits. From text generation to image and code creation, AI has become increasingly popular and is spreading to more and more fields of activity.