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Italy

Already Swamped With Tourists, Venice Snubs EU Culture Capital Bid

CORRIERE DELLA SERA, LA STAMPA (Italy)

Worldcrunch

VENICE - The city famous for its canals and occasional "high water," has withdrawn its candidacy to become European Capital of Culture in 2019 because it is already flooded with tourists, reports Corriere della Sera

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Forrestn

While other cities line up for all the residual payoff of getting such an international designation, Venice Mayor Giorgio Orsoni is not impressed. “It won’t bring us anything. It won’t bring money, just more tourists that the city doesn’t need," he said. "Venice is already a world capital of culture. The European resources are peanuts and the Italian state won’t pay a penny. The industry is struggling to subsidize cultural initiatives that already exist.”

The "lagoon city" sees 20 million tourists each year flocking to take in its romantic waterways and cultural treasures, says La Stampa.

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DanieleDF1995

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Future

AI As God? How Artificial Intelligence Could Spark Religious Devotion

We may be about to see the emergence of a new kind of religion, where flocks worship — literally — at the altar of Artificial Intelligence.

Image of artificial intelligence as an artificial being

Artificial intelligence generated picture of AI as a god

Neil McArthur

The latest generation of AI-powered chatbots, trained on large language models, have left their early users awestruck —and sometimes terrified — by their power. These are the same sublime emotions that lie at the heart of our experience of the divine.

People already seek religious meaning from very diverse sources. There are, for instance, multiple religions that worship extra-terrestrials or their teachings.

As these chatbots come to be used by billions of people, it is inevitable that some of these users will see the AIs as higher beings. We must prepare for the implications.

There are several pathways by which AI religions will emerge. First, some people will come to see AI as a higher power.

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