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Ireland, Spain and Norway Say They Will Recognize a Palestinian State; Scarlett Johansson vs OpenAI. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired May 23, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Let`s get our energy up, up, up. Happy Friday, Eve. Welcome to the show. I`m Coy. This is CNN 10.
School year`s winded down, so remember to show some love to your teachers who are informing and inspiring us to be a little better each day. Give a
handshake, a high five, a fist bump. Let them know I see you.
All right, we begin today with an historic decision stemming from the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Three European
nations, Spain, Norway, and Ireland say they will formally recognize a Palestinian state next week. More than 140 U.N. nations already recognize
Palestinian statehood, but very few European nations have gone that far. That`s why this announcement is significant.
Spain, Norway, and Ireland say this is the best way to achieve lasting peace in the region. But not everyone agrees. President Biden says it would
be better for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a two-state solution themselves rather than have outside countries apply this kind of pressure.
And Israel, for its part, is furious. It ordered its ambassadors from Spain, Norway, and Ireland to immediately come back to Israel.
So what does it mean to recognize Palestinian statehood? For now, it`s a largely symbolic move, but it puts pressure on Israel as it fights a
controversial war in Gaza.
Countries that recognize Palestinian statehood believe there should be an independent Palestinian nation that operates like any other country in the
world. Right now, much of the international community considers Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank as occupied Palestinian territory.
Next we head to Iowa, where officials are surveying the damage after a series of storms and tornadoes ripped through the Midwest on Tuesday. In
Greenfield, there were several deaths and injuries. One official says the town, about 50 miles southwest of Des Moines, has been almost entirely
destroyed.
At least 18 tornadoes were spotted across Iowa on Tuesday. So far this year, more than 800 tornadoes have been reported in the U.S., making it one
of the most active years on record. The storms are now set to travel both north and south, with officials saying cities from Tulsa to Cleveland
should be storm aware.
People in central Honshu, Japan, have had enough with over-tourism at a famous landmark. You may remember we reported on the show about the
concerns of locals near Mount Fuji, where a great selfie spot has caused all sorts of issues for their town. CNN`s Hanako Montgomery tells us how a
much-discussed solution to deal with the surge of out-of-towners has finally gone up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This view, once the perfect snapshot of Japan`s old and new, now has a black curtain drawn.
Overwhelmed by tourists blocking roads, littering, even trespassing onto private property to take selfies, the town of Fujikawaguchiko has now
erected a black curtain to block the view and deter tourists, much to the locals` relief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently.
MONTGOMERY: And to the dismay of visitors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I think to put a black panel on this road is something with brute force. And I think they can do better for this.
MONTGOMERY: Mount Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a Japanese icon, attracts millions of visitors annually. But post-pandemic, numbers have
swelled to record levels, well beyond control, local authorities say, causing human traffic jams and garbage to litter the sacred peak. The local
prefecture now says it needs to charge $13 per climber and impose a daily hiker cap of $4,000 in a bid to address over-tourism starting this season.
(On camera): But as you can tell by the crowds of people around me here, one of Tokyo`s biggest tourist hotspots, Mount Fuji isn`t the only victim
of over-tourism. It`s a nationwide problem. Over three million people visited Japan in the month of April, and though that`s good news for the
economy post-pandemic, it`s put a strain on resources and local communities.
(Voice-over): Earlier this year, the historic city of Kyoto had to close off some alleys to combat Geisha paparazzi, a name given to visitors
snapping photos of geisha without permission. While Kamakura, a seaside town just outside of Tokyo, is urging tourists to walk around instead of
taking the train to ease congestion.
Struggling to accommodate an unprecedented surge of inbound visitors, many encouraged by a weak yen, local tourist spots have resorted to taking
matters into their own hands. Even if it means curtains for an Instagram hotspot.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten Second Trivia.
In what year was Artificial Intelligence founded as a field of research? 1935, 1956, 1970, or 1983?
If you said 1956, your intelligence is not artificial. In 1956, Dartmouth College professor John McCarthy organized a summer workshop around Alan
Turing`s question, Can Machines Think? McCarthy named the project Artificial Intelligence and a field of research was born.
Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has some serious issues with the new voice for the bot in an update for OpenAI`s ChatGPT, the artificial
intelligence program with which you can have conversations. She says that voice sounds eerily similar to hers. CNN`s Jason Carroll is on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Theodore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You never saw her face in the sci-fi romance titled "Her", but audiences knew it was Scarlett
Johansson`s distinctive voice for trained Samantha, the synthetic Siri like character in the 2013 film.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have a meeting in five minutes. You want to try getting out of bed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too funny.
CARROLL: The actor is now speaking out against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, saying her real voice sounds too close to the one OpenAI created
for ChatGPT`s updated model, the artificial voice goes by the name "Sky." Here`s a sample but what Sky sounds like.
SKY: Hey there. It`s going great. How about you?
CARROLL: Too similar for Johansson, she released a statement saying, my friends, family, and the general public, all noted how much the newest
system named "Sky" sounded like me. I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief.
Altman fired back saying the voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky`s
voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson.
On OpenAI`s blog, it said the company wanted a voice that was timeless, approachable, and it narrows the field of more for than 400 voice
submissions and settled on a different actress saying, we believe that A.I. voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity`s distinctive voice.
Altman would not reveal who they hired to voice Sky, he says, to protect their privacy.
Johansson isn`t buying that, saying not only did Altman reach out last September with an offer to have her voice ChatGPT 4.0, which she says she
declined. She also says two days before it was released. Altman asked her agent if she would reconsider, then he tweeted this on May 13th, the day of
its release, just one word: her.
People we spoke to were split on whether ChatGPT Sky sounds similar to Johansson?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I accept Lucy, how it sounds like her.
CARROLL: Do you think the voices sound similar yes or no?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not really.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t think it sounds similar. I don`t. I think it`s distinct enough.
CARROLL (voice-over): People can debate all they want. Johansson has hired legal counsel saying this is about protecting her person`s likeness and
identity. As for OpenAI, it paused the use of Sky voice and its products, its CEO apologizing saying, we are sorry to Ms. Johansson, that we didn`t
communicate better.
(END VIEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10 cowabunga or doggobunga (ph). Check out these four-legged fur babies hanging ten, hitting the waves with
their human companions in a surfing competition in northern Spain. Supaw stars in the Annual European Dog Surfing Championship over the weekend.
Look at them go. A pet food company organized the event to promote dog adoptions and to discourage pet abandonment. We are given a huge round of
applause for a chocolate lab named Koa and her owner Juan Emanuel Santiago, who were crowned winners of the waves.
All right. Now, I told you there were some things planned for the summer, for after this final week of the show. One thing is, we want to know what
you would ask the presidential candidates running in this 2024 election, something about their policies, maybe their thoughts on the current state
of the U.S. or of your state. We want to hear from you. We may get an opportunity to use your question in the near future, so let us know and
stay tuned.
All right, favorite part of the day, a very special shout out to Mr. Morton`s class at Columbia Middle School in Aurora, Colorado. Thank you for
spending part of your day with us. Go Cougars.
And this shout out goes to the Trojans, the Mighty Trojans in Mr. Mahoney`s class at Worthington High School in Worthington, Minnesota. Let`s go.
See you tomorrow, everyone, and happy Friday Eve. I`m Coy. This is CNN 10.
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