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    Idris Elba: Lack of diversity is not just a U.S. problem

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments809 Views
    In this Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 file photo, British actor Idris Elba who plays Nelson Mandela in the movie "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom", poses for photographers in London. In a speech Monday Jan. 18, 2016 told an audience at Parliament that Britain was successful, diverse and multicultural but a lack of diversity in films and television is not just an American problem. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
    LONDON (AP) --

    A lack of diversity in films and television is not just an American problem, according to actor Idris Elba.

    Hollywood's Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is facing boycott calls and promising change after nominating an all-white roster of performers for the Oscars for the second year running.

    Elba, the London-born star of "The Wire" and "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" told an audience at Parliament that Britain was successful, diverse and multicultural – but "you wouldn't know it if you turned on the TV."

    In a speech Monday, Elba said British broadcasting needed to overhaul the way it worked, asking questions such as: "Are black people normally playing petty criminals? Are women always the love interest or talking about men? Are gay people always stereotyped? Are disabled people ever seen at all?"

    "Let's just get more professional about this whole area," Elba said. "Our economy depends on it. Our future actually depends on it."

    Critics have praised Elba's performance turn as an African warlord in "Beasts of No Nation," but he did not receive an Oscar nomination.

    Tags:diversityIdris Elba



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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