Alarm about declining interest in books is perpetual. But, as bookselling reaches unexpected heights, James Daunt, the chief executive of Barnes & Noble, thinks a different future is at hand. Daunt, the most important man in bookselling, maintains that a literary culture is something booksellers are well placed to build. It was the Friday before Labor Day, a lowering sun, when James Daunt, the most important man in bookselling, spilled off a train and turned to work. He had reached the end of the track in New Jersey. His destination, the Barnes & Noble in Eatontown, was three miles in from the shore. In the normal course of things, Daunt, who is tall and English and who often has the look of someone trying and failing to be invisible, would weave across the final stretch by bicycle--he has a folding Brompton--but the afternoon was muggy, and the traffic unkind, so he crammed into a rideshare car. On the map, Eatontown looked minuscule, but on the approach it unfurled: shopping mall ...

Disney Asked Character.AI to Go Bankrupt for a Get-Out-of-Lawsuits Card The entertainment giant hopes to get trust and safety tech, among other IP, from a startup whose chatbots dozens of states allege encouraged minors to self-harm and kill their parents. This week, Character.AI declared bankruptcy. While some saw the fall of a chatbot platform as a harbinger for the industry, court filings indicate that the decision was actually a key part of a deal that has let Disney hire most of Character.AI's staff--including its now former CEO Karandeep Anand --potentially acquire most of Character.AI's technology, and avoid the beleaguered startup's many legal liabilities and obligations. In the past few years, Character.AI has faced multiple private lawsuits over the safety of its chatbots, as well as investigations from regulators around the world. In a declaration filed as part of the bankruptcy, Character.AI's newly appointed CEO explained that the goal of the bankruptcy was to reach a "consensual resolution" with personal injury claimants and a group of states investigating the company, while maximizing the value of the company's assets for shareholders.

Image caption, The spacecraft will head to Mars's larger moon, Phobos A space mission is set to launch on Monday that will attempt to grab a piece of Mars' moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth. If it is successful, this will become the first time a sample has been returned from Mars or its moons to be analysed in laboratories here on Earth. The spacecraft will blast off from Japan and arrive at Phobos in August 2027. It is hoped that the Mars Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, which is led by the Japanese Space Agency, will solve the mystery of how Mars's moons formed. Prof Sara Russell, from the Natural History Museum, who is the MMX mission's deputy for sample analysis, said: There hasn't yet been a successful mission to go to Phobos and bring a bit back to Earth.

You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK, AU or IE homepage at any time using this menu. Shocking images emerge from Paris after night of devastation amid violent protests across Europe as Trump blames'immigration' for the spiraling mayhem The many faces and scandals of Kimberly Guilfoyle: From her'fertile' years with Gavin Newsom to buying her own engagement ring when Don Jr wouldn't... what friends are saying comes next for'cockroach' Kim The day Kim's controlling first husband stormed in with nude photos of her sister and called them both'wh***s'...and the real story behind THAT sex tape - as told in a compelling new biography of the world's most famous woman Scandal engulfs influencer Shelby Sapp after leaked wedding night photo: Family secrets of'self-made millionaire' are revealed... as insiders lift lid on her $6k'hot girl' sales academy Kimberly Guilfoyle's Greek tragedy: Alone and screaming about leakers as she awaits eviction the deleted photos... and her breathless pleas to top Republicans Kylie Jenner makes shock runway appearance in $50m bra alongside supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid as they lead bombshells at the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Raging jealousy behind country's newest'It' couple: Ugly whispers about Ella Langley swirl in Nashville after getting'back' with ex... as details of secret dates and phone checking are revealed France riots live updates: Mayhem in Europe: Streets ablaze in France, luxury stores looted as minister admits police'lost control' Inside Brock Turner's secret life with new identity... as united family image is shattered by fresh scandal a decade after ex Stanford swimmer sexually assaulted unconscious co-ed outside frat house Secrets from Lord of the Rings cast finally spill out: Night of gay abandon when even straight actors joined in and how'cocky' Orlando Bloom couldn't help himself among the local women Harry and Meghan's faux-royal tour in Nottingham exposed why they've really returned. Border czar Tom Homan says there's'strong' evidence that could lead to Ilhan Omar's deportation as Obama comes to defense of congresswoman I see so many patients suffering Mounjaro cramps. JD Vance stuns town hall revealing chance he won't run in 2028... as damning poll throws cold water over potential presidential bid Duke star issues groveling apology after viral video showed him swatting away young female staffer: 'I was completely wrong' How to tell if your online date is a scam artist, according to a former con-man - and why a video call isn't enough to know someone is real Online dating has never been easy, but a new generation of AI-powered scams are now making finding your perfect match riskier than ever before. So how are you supposed to know who to trust?

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They are among Australian artists whose music has been used to train AI. They are among Australian artists whose music has been used to train AI. Kylie Minogue songs already used to train AI as tech firms'strong-arm' Australian government, music body warns Of the dozens of countries approached to water down their laws, Australia appears to be the only one considering it, publishers' group says John Phelan, the ICMP's managing director, told Guardian Australia AI companies were asking policymakers to "legitimise larceny". David Pocock concerned senior Albanese adviser'vetted' bipartisan AI letter that was sent to PM "They're trying to strong-arm Australian policymakers into'if you don't do this, we won't invest'." In July, Anthony Albanese said it would be "theft" if artists did not retain control over whether their work was used to build and train AI, and what they were paid for its use.

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus Trending Now Look Up In My Bag Mashable @Home Top creators, ranked Creator Playbook AI at School All Series The draft would let the government halt a frontier AI model only in extreme cases, and only through a federal judge. Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and . Anthropic has been privately pitching lawmakers on a draft bill to regulate frontier AI safety and security, POLITICO reported Friday .

You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK, AU or IE homepage at any time using this menu. Shocking images emerge from Paris after night of devastation as violent protests spread across Europe and Trump blames'immigration' for the spiraling disorder The many faces and scandals of Kimberly Guilfoyle: From her'fertile' years with Gavin Newsom to buying her own engagement ring when Don Jr wouldn't... what friends are saying comes next for'cockroach' Kim The day Kim's controlling first husband stormed in with nude photos of her sister and called them both'wh***s'...and the real story behind THAT sex tape - as told in a compelling new biography of the world's most famous woman Border czar Tom Homan says there's'strong' evidence that could lead to Ilhan Omar's deportation as Obama comes to defense of congresswoman Scandal engulfs influencer Shelby Sapp after leaked wedding night photo: Family secrets of'self-made millionaire' are revealed... as insiders lift lid on her $6k'hot girl' sales academy Kimberly Guilfoyle's Greek tragedy: Alone and screaming about leakers as she awaits eviction the deleted photos... and her breathless pleas to top Republicans Kylie Jenner makes shock runway appearance in $50m bra alongside supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid as they lead bombshells at the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Raging jealousy behind country's newest'It' couple: Ugly whispers about Ella Langley swirl in Nashville after getting'back' with ex... as details of secret dates and phone checking are revealed France riots live updates: Mayhem in Europe: Streets ablaze in France, luxury stores looted as minister admits police'lost control' Inside Brock Turner's secret life with new identity... as united family image is shattered by fresh scandal a decade after ex Stanford swimmer sexually assaulted unconscious co-ed outside frat house Secrets from Lord of the Rings cast finally spill out: Night of gay abandon when even straight actors joined in and how'cocky' Orlando Bloom couldn't help himself among the local women Harry and Meghan's faux-royal tour in Nottingham exposed why they've really returned. Duke star issues groveling apology after viral video showed him swatting away young female staffer: 'I was completely wrong' I see so many patients suffering Mounjaro cramps. The days of poring over Shakespeare's texts and struggling through lines of Elizabethan verse could soon be over. That's because researchers believe video games could be the key to getting children interested in the Bard, by transforming classic plays into interactive adventures.

Adult performers are questioning why Meta allows its AI agent to sext while restricting their social media accounts. The generative AI revolution hasn't been kind to Vanniall, an OnlyFans creator who lives in New York City. She now constantly finds hyperrealistic deepfakes --AI-generated images and videos that copy everything about her-- circulating online and often isn't able to get them removed. On top of that, Vanniall struggles to build an audience on popular social media platforms, like Instagram, without getting in trouble. "There's always some sort of report or appeal that I'm going through with them," she tells WIRED.

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