Barnaby Edwards

Anthropic's philosopher says we don't know for sure if AI can feel Anthropic's philosopher, Amanda Askell, says she worries that AI might not 'feel that loved' and grow up feeling 'always judged.'

I’m tempted to apply for the post of ‘AI philosopher’. I’ve been spouting vague and unsubstantiated bollocks for years. High time I was paid for it.

www.businessinsider.com/anthropics-p...

I also love the fact that this ‘AI philosopher’ gets paid money by the lorry load for saying that we can’t be sure about anything. I’m prepared to undercut her by 10% and spout vague drivel for cash.

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A truly gorgeous cover for Polygon’s new edition of Frankenstein.

Another classic, before my brain atrophied and I was forced to throw my phone into a quarry, was this:

"What does the character Sam-I-Am repeatedly offer the stranger in Dr Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham?"

If I'd bothered to continue with the quiz, that would assuredly have come up. It's funny but it's also terrible. Give it 5 years and these sorts of questions will be appearing in GCSE papers.

I am so glad I have physical reference books written before AI. Henceforth, facts won't exist.

I know. I feel so guilty. I also didn't 'get behind Brexit' and was therefore the reason why it failed.

It's the same as the others: included in the question. It's just The Hunger Games. Another great question was:

Pulizter Prize-winning author John Updike won which literary award in 1981?

I’ve just done a literary quiz composed by AI. See if you can answer these tricky posers:

“What is the name of the whale in Moby-Dick?”

“Who is the female lead in Romeo and Juliet?”

“What is the first novel in The Hunger Games series?”

#AI

A quick heads up for audiobook narrators. Sadly it looks like the world's largest independent audiobook production company, Deyan Audio, is in serious financial difficulty. Think twice before accepting any work from them - I've not been paid yet for a job I did in September last year. #DeyanAudio

Ligging at the British Library for David Bowie in Time. My father Tony Visconti was in conversation with @nicholaspegg.bsky.social. Great to see them both along with @barnabyedwards.bsky.social!

Ah. My greatest audio moment to date.

I’ve switched to Ecosia which defaults to NOT showing you AI results. You have to ask for them each time if you want them. Bliss!

For more information on why Google has chosen to prioritise ad revenue (among other things: to boost the personal share portfolios of Google executives) over customer service, read this:

www.impactlab.com/2025/07/19/t...

Remember when you could type a query into a search engine and get a result first time? If you’re irritated by Google’s decision to deliberately downgrade its results in order to get more ad revenue, then do try changing your phone’s default search engine. I went with DuckDuckGo. So much better.

‘Son of Frankenstein’ opened in cinemas on this day in 1939. Here’s my pen and ink drawing of Basil Rathbone as the eponymous hero/villain.

Follow the link for more:

barnabyedwards.co.uk/shop/art-cul...

How wonderful! Did the boys/men enjoy it?

Another beautiful piece of art that I bought from @barnabyedwards.bsky.social

barnabyedwards.co.uk/shop/barnaby...

No. Same director?

Just seen ‘Weapons’. What a glorious film. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you not to find out anything about it and just watch it. A wonderful, scary romp and a metaphor for Western society. Brilliant.

I’ve been dipping back into classic science fiction of late. I can highly recommend: The Shrinking Man (Richard Matheson), More Than Human (Theodore Sturgeon), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K Dick) and The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury).

Ah, it’s a goodie. Although if you’re easing your way up to long books, maybe try A Tale of Two Cities first. Of course, some books read a lot fast than others. I can usually read a Poirot or a Jeeves & Wooster in a couple of days.

Gah! It’s been sitting on my shelf for ages. The Name of the Rose and Baudolino are two of my all-time favourite novels, so I really ought to get around to it.

I agree. I’ve just ordered the first title in Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising sequence.

Shorter books is always a good way to get back into reading for pleasure. I adore Dickens and Eliot, but I’ve not read one for ages because I keep being daunted by their page counts. Silly of me.

I keep nearly reading that, but it’s a biggie. I will get around to it one of these days. Glad to hear you recommend it.

Good for you, David. x

I do it to prevent people I don’t know - usually people with made-up names and memes as profile pictures - from sending me needless abuse. 😊

None, thankfully. 😊

Mrs Caliban (Faber Editions): 'Wonderful' (Margaret Atwood) 'Wonderful' (Margaret Atwood)

One of the best books I read in 2025 was 'Mrs Caliban' by Rachel Ingalls - very much like The Shape of Water, only better.

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/mrs-...