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    PBS to mark its 50th anniversary with “American Portrait”

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2241 Views
    Paula Kerger, president and CEO at PBS, speaks at the executive session during the PBS Winter 2020 TCA Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
    PASADENA, Calif. (AP) --

    PBS will mark its 50th year with an exploration of what it means to be an American in a rancorous period.

    "At a time when our country feels perhaps the fabric is becoming a bit frayed, we felt it was important for us to step back and really look at who we are," PBS chief executive Paula Kerger told a TV critics meeting Friday. 

    Her perception in traveling throughout the country, she said, "is what binds us together is so much more apparent than what separates us." 

    "PBS American Portrait," is the network's most ambitious multi-platform project yet and aims to foster a nationwide discussion about America and its people, said programming chief Perry Simon. It will encompass a variety of working parts, starting with video, photo and other content from the public and including a web miniseries, local and national art exhibits and a documentary series airing in January 2021.

    Participants are being asked to share their stories, filling in the blanks for such "conversation starters" as "I was raised to believe" and "What keeps me up at night," PBS said in announcing the project.

    Americans can submit content on PBS' website, with community and local leaders called on to encourage people in their circle to share their stories.

    The digital miniseries will launch in spring 2020, available to PBS Digital Studios' subscribers on platforms including YouTube and Facebook Watch.

    Tags:American PortraitPaula KergerPBS



    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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