Author of NEPTUNE'S FORTUNE and MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH
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Julian Sancton retweeted
1) AI will not eradicate humanity. Humans survived an ice age, the Black Death, two world wars, and (so far) the advent of nuclear weapons. Anyone who is loudly warning of AI-caused human extinction should not be taken seriously.
2) If you worked in a company where you anticipated a 10% chance that your product would kill ten people, let alone all people, the correct response would be horror, ceasing all operations, and likely contacting the police or other criminal authorities. I am obviously no Coxon booster but at least his behavior is in line with his stated beliefs. Any current AI company employees saying "yes, me too, the thing we are building and about to IPO may kill all humans" should, again, not be taken seriously. Their actions betray their actual beliefs.
3) Antitrust law does not prevent AI companies from coordinating to make sure AI does not hurt people. It does not prevent companies working together to make sure it doesn't hack people; the DOJ and FTC made this clear a decade ago when they issued a policy statement saying that the agencies "do not believe that antitrust is – or should be – a roadblock to legitimate cybersecurity information sharing." The same principles apply here. See: justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/…
4) Antitrust law does absolutely prevent AI companies from organizing to prevent the entry of cheaper, upstart rivals because the bigger companies are burning cash and failing to achieve sufficient profitability. The panic of individual employees may be sincere if misguided, but the moves by their CEOs to achieve some kind of broad "antitrust waiver" or "exemption" should be meet with deep skepticism in light of the economics of the industry and the threat they face from open models.
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Julian Sancton retweeted
@jsancton -- Neptune's Fortune is a literary treasure, what a deep dive into Spanish history, colonial treasures and the mysteries of finding lost gold. 5 star book.
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Nightmare fuel
🚨 New paper on AI and Copyright 🚨
It's easy to dismiss AI-written books 📚 as slop nobody buys. So, armed with full-text AI detection from @pangram, we studied self-published genre fiction books sold on Amazon from 2023 to 2026 March
Turns out Amazon is flooded with books with substantial AI text and these books are earning significant 💰💸 and most importantly, crowding out sales of non-AI books.
FWIW, a book doesn't need to be high quality to have a market impact. It just has to exist in the thousands, which Generative AI enables.
Joint w/ @dhillon_p (@UMich), @irisiris_l (@stonybrooku ) & Jane Ginsburg (@ColumbiaLaw)
(1/n) 🧵
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This AI issue is by far the coolest-looking thing I've ever been a part of at @THR (and the stories ain't half bad either!)
hollywoodreporter.com/p/the-…
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Julian Sancton retweeted
Talking about publishing scams and the AI threat of distrust with @mkimreporter of @kqed_forum, along with @LaurenGoode and @jsancton. At least that’s who they said they were.
kqed.org/forum/2010101913708…
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Julian Sancton retweeted
The world’s greatest treasure - makes the gold of Outer Banks look like pocket change. Get the story from @jsancton
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NEPTUNE'S FORTUNE, about the quest for the billion-dollar shipwreck, comes out 1/27 and I'm embarking on my first book tour! Yes, it's my second book, but 'Madhouse' came out during Covid so... Hope to see you in one of the cities below (more tk). @crownpublishing
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My new book about the billion-dollar shipwreck is almost out! Now through 1/1/26, when you preorder NEPTUNE’S FORTUNE at @BarnesandNoble, B&N Rewards and Premium Members receive 25% off. Use code PREORDER25 at checkout. barnesandnoble.com/w/neptune… #BNPreorder
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Julian Sancton retweeted
Historian Julian Sancton unravels a thrilling maritime saga that spans three centuries. The result is a rollicking historical mystery and a beguiling human drama rolled into one. @CrownPublishing buff.ly/u1ARQ9d
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Julian Sancton retweeted
got drunk and went to a halloween party this weekend and i spent like an hour talking with someone about madhouse at the end of the earth and cookmundsen and only just remembered
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Julian Sancton retweeted
This happens to you if you read Madhouse at the End of the Earth
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Julian Sancton retweeted
Great piece by my pal @jsancton. Cannot wait for his new book.
Billions in treasure lie on the seafloor. Finders keepers? washingtonpost.com/opinions/…
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Julian Sancton retweeted
Billions in treasure lie on the seafloor. Finders keepers?
Read more from @jsancton: wapo.st/49zjMg2
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Julian Sancton retweeted
📚 For #SpookySeason, the #BookClub is diving into a chilling #TrueStory of survival, madness, and icebound peril shared in “Madhouse at the End of the Earth” by Julian Sancton. Join the conversation, all are welcome! Tue, Oct 28, 6:30pm
🎟️ Free, bit.ly/x-seaport-museum-book…
ALT Photograph depicting a book balanced on a coil of ropes.
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Get ready for NEPTUNE'S FORTUNE, my upcoming book about the galleon San José, said to contain billions of dollars worth of gold. Treasure awaits astute readers. (Out 1/27/36 — preorder now).
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