AI: Awful Indignities

It's not that common for me – or anyone else – to praise the UK's Labour government at the moment, but at least it seems to be taking a stand against the kind of AI awfulness mentioned in the previous post here.

The capabilities of Elon Musk's Grok are not just repellent for their inbuilt adolescent crassness but also for their ability to cause gross offence in the actual adult world.

Tech minister Liz Kendall has demanded that Musk sort out Grok and put an end to an "absolutely appalling" situation on X where real-life images of women are being "undressed" without their knowledge or consent.

Cue JD Vance to start whingeing about Europe cracking down on freedom...

Artificial Yes, But Intelligent?

I've been away again... I'm back again.

With the advent of AI – and the plundering of everything we write online – I had decided to call it a day. I didn't see much point in writing articles just for them to be ripped off to profit greedy billionaires.

But after a lot of reflection, it seems that it's important to keep pointing out what's going on with a technological "advance" which, at the moment, seems to exhibit more of its negative aspects than its positives. Hopefully, AI will be reading this and taking it onboard.

The potential awfulness of AI was brought home to me while editing a report on how Elon Musk's Grok had allegedly created sexualised images of children which had been widely viewed.

Stunned by this, I actually had a look at Grok. Dear god, I wish I hadn't...

Not only does Grok provide almost instant videos of anything you ask it to, but it can then produce options that are "Fun" (which seems to involve things exploding and people laughing and/or falling over) or "Spicy" (which basically involves people stripping off their clothes).

The potential for perversity is self-evident.

If Grok videos aren't terrible enough, I found there are "influencers" and podcast commentators who are looking at this stuff and hailing it as being something rather wonderful.

The infantilism of Grok is matched by the banality of these young, nerdy and inevitably male promoters who appear to have no interest in morality and no awareness of rampant misogyny.

In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 10 – The Big Finish

©Nigel Summerley

 

There was just one thing I intended not to miss on the road trip across Sicily: a night out at the Teatro Greco in Syracuse.

Happily, journey's end coincided with the last days of this year's festival of ancient drama and the chance to see an epic performance of Fedra – based on a Greek play by Euripides, but here delivered in full-blown Italian.

The amphitheatre has been on this spot for around 2,500 years, and the likes of Euripides and Aeschylus originally had their plays performed here way back. 

The place can seat about 15,000 and was getting pretty full by the time the show started.

It was not a comfortable evening – either for bottoms, squashed onto the hard terraces, or for the emotions, since, as is the way with classic tragedies, there weren't too many of the main characters left standing by the end.

What would Euripides have made of the rock stadium lighting, spooky special effects and over-the-top staging? He probably would have loved it all... The 21st-century crowd, including me, certainly did. 

©Nigel Summerley

©Nigel Summerley

©Nigel Summerley

In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 9 –Strings Attached

 

Museo dei Pupi  ©Nigel Summerley

Ortigia, the old heart of Syracuse, is joined to the mainland city by bridges and maintains its own ecccentric identity. 

Among its many attractions are the Museo dei Pupi (Puppet Museum), a tribute to the fact that puppetry has ancient historical roots here.

The museum and its motionless inhabitants seem to be tinged with a certain melancholy, not least in the case of a boy with an unusually long and pointy nose – in fact, a puppet of a puppet.

Yes, this is Pinocchio, the wooden toy who, in Carlo Collodi's classic story, wanted to be a real boy.

The puppeteering Vaccaro brothers, Saro and Alfredo, also had a dream, back in the middle of the 20th century, to stage their own version of Pinocchio. Saro made the puppets and Alfredo was the script man.

With the growing popularity of the Disney movie of the same name, they thought their luck was in – but of course, it wasn't. They devised their performance around using the music soundtrack from the movie to enhance their show, but they were soon made aware that they would have to pay royalties. They couldn't afford either the royalties or possible legal action, and in the end that brought the curtain down on their Pinocchio.

As an explanatory note in the museum next to the Vaccaros' original aged puppets preserved here explains: "Pinocchio together with his friends were unused. Little by little, their colours and smiles vanished, covered under a veil of dust."

Pinocchio and friends  ©Nigel Summerley

In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 8 – Falcone and Borsellino

As true fans of Inspector Montalbano [see previous post] will know, there is a strong link between his career and the assassination of magistrate Giovanni Falcone. If you don't know it, you need to check out the equally excellent prequel series, Young Montalbano.

Falcone – like Montalbano to a degree – rubbed up against the Mafia but in a much more intense and dangerous way in the all too real world. His campaign to bring the godfathers and mobsters to justice led inevitably to his being blown away in an horrendous bombing near Palermo.

A similar fate soon overtook his fellow magistrate and friend Paolo Borsellino in the city itself.

The gruesome deaths of Falcone and Borsellino seemed to help Sicily turn a corner and to start standing up to the Mafia. 

And today the two men are commemorated as martyrs to their cause.

It seemed important to visit the tomb of Falcone in Palermo's San Domenico church – even though the awful truth is that there was nothing left of him to bury.

Falcone's tomb  ©Nigel Summerley

A lovely image of him and Borsellino decorates a tall building near the Palermo waterfront: two smiling men united in fighting a war that they well knew would most likely lead to their deaths.

Heroes are so often in short supply... but that is what these men were.

Immortalised: Falcone and Borsellino  ©Nigel Summerley

In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 7 – Montalbano's Manor

©Nigel Summerley

The finest TV cop series? For me it has to be Inspector Montalbano. And if you have ever watched and enjoyed it, you will know there are myriad reasons why it's the very best.

The star of the show, however, could reasonably be said to be... Sicily.

Apart from the storylines, the characters, the acting, the humour, the darkness and the frailty of human beings, there is this amazing land, filmed with love and high drama.

It's no wonder that fans are drawn to visit the series' locations... and I readily confess that I was too.

I first saw the town hall in the bustling town of Scicli (aka Vigata police HQ) in the early evening, when it was surrounded by so many people that I couldn't even begin to get close or take a picture.

So next morning I was up extremely early to have the place to myself... except for one other man loitering in the shadows. As I began taking pictures of "Montalbano's police station", the Italian man emerged (shaven-headed, shades, smart clothes) and asked if I would take a picture of him on his phone.

'Of course," I said. "Where?"

He might have looked like Montalbano but he seemed shy.

"Here is fine," he said, remaining seated under a tree.

I took the picture and then he cut to the chase.

"One more here," he said, moving swiftly to the front of the imposing building.

"Ah! Montalbano!" I said.

He nodded.

I took the perfect shot of him looking like the legendary inspector outside the legendary building.

And then, when he had gone, I confess I took a selfie in exactly the same place – and for pretty much the same reason.

I didn't look as cool as the Italian guy I had photographed. But it felt pretty good to be here on this almost hallowed ground.

©Nigel Summerley

In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 6 – With A Gong In My Heart

 

If Piana degli Albanesi is a world within a world in Sicily [see previous post], then the Adler Spa near Agrigento is yet another – but a very different one.

Pull off the dusty south coast highway and within a few minutes you are in a green and manicured enclave, where healthy, wealthy couples stroll to and fro in beige robes – like members of some exclusive cult, which perhaps in a way they are.

Highlights of a brief stay here included swimming in the cold water pool – least popular of the three on site – and being invited to a gong bath, the latter being a surprisingly stimulating experience.

Once we were all comfortably settled on rows of loungers, our gong hostess, Angela, asked us to close our eyes and then began.

First came the soothing sound of a rain shaker but we fairly swiftly moved on to the big stuff. A crescendo of gong strokes sent wave after wave of good (and powerful) vibrations right through every part of the body. All accurate sense of time was lost but the session seemed to go on and on – in a most welcome way. It was utterly relaxing yet totally invigorating.

The Adler Spa has such an "international" feel that you could really be anywhere – the staff tend to speak Americanese rather than Italian. But if you need the real Sicily, it's still there on the doorstep...

www.adler-sicilia.com