OpenAI soutient un film d’animation IA avec sortie prévue à Cannes

OpenAI collabore avec une société de production et un studio de création spécialisé pour réaliser un long métrage d’animation, baptisé “Critterz”, qui doit constituer une démonstration des nouvelles capacités de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) générative.Les partenaires du projet ambitionnent une première projection en marge du prochain festival de Cannes, a indiqué lundi la maison de production britannique Vertigo Films, filiale de la société Federation Studios, basée à Paris.Sollicités par l’AFP, les organisateurs du festival de Cannes n’ont pas donné suite dans l’immédiat. Une sortie mondiale est prévue, en 2026 également.”Critterz” s’appuie sur l’univers du court-métrage du même nom, sorti en avril 2023 et conçu avec de l’IA par Chad Nelson, qui a depuis intégré OpenAI en tant que spécialiste créatif.Le script du long métrage a été écrit par deux des scénaristes du film “Paddington au Pérou”, sorti en début d’année et qui a rencontré le succès avec 171 millions de dollars de recettes au box-office mondial, selon le site Box Office Mojo.Federation Studios assure le financement du projet, qui réunira une trentaine de personnes, avec un budget de “moins de 30 millions de dollars”, a indiqué Vertigo, soit “beaucoup moins que ce que coûtent les films d’animation en moyenne”.A titre d’exemple, le studio Pixar, filiale de Disney, a déboursé 200 millions de dollars pour “Vice-Versa 2″, n°1 du box-office 2024 dans le monde (1,7 milliard de dollars de recettes).”OpenAI veut prouver que l’intelligence artificielle générative peut faire des films plus vite et moins cher qu’Hollywood ne le fait aujourd’hui”, selon le communiqué.OpenAI met à disposition de l’équipe ses “outils et ressources informatiques”.Connu du grand public surtout pour son interface ChatGPT, la start-up a aussi lancé des logiciels de génération d’images grâce à l’IA, d’abord Dall-E en 2021 (texte à image), puis Sora en 2024 (texte à vidéo).Les partenaires visent à réaliser un long métrage animé en neuf mois “au lieu des trois ans qui sont habituellement nécessaires”, a expliqué James Richardson, co-fondateur de Vertigo Films.La production va embaucher des artistes pour réaliser des dessins qui serviront à alimenter des modèles d’intelligence artificielle générative. Le film sera “en grande partie conçu avec de l’IA”, selon Vertigo.Critterz ne sera pas le premier long métrage d’animation fabriqué avec de l’IA générative.En 2024, sont sortis “DreadClub: Vampire’s Verdict”, considéré comme le premier long métrage d’animation IA et réalisé avec un budget de 405 dollars, ainsi que “Where the Robots Grow”.Les deux films, de même que le court-métrage “Critterz”, ont reçu un accueil critique et public plutôt frais, tancés tant pour leur graphisme que pour leur narration.

Ukraine refugee’s US murder fuels political debate on crime

The fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in the United States has taken on sweeping political dimensions, with the American right denouncing Democrats’ supposed lack of action on crime as President Donald Trump seeks to expand a crackdown.Iryna Zarutska, 23, was sitting quietly on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 22 when she was attacked with no warning by a man sitting behind her, security video shows.Her murder made little national news last month but it recently surged into the spotlight after Republican lawmakers and far-right influencers promoted the graphic CCTV video last weekend. Now it appears to be serving as fuel to support Trump’s plans for sending troops into Democratic-run cities like Chicago. The operations, which Trump opponents see as an authoritarian takeover, are defended by Republicans as needed for fighting crime.”They’re evil people,” Trump said Monday. The president swiftly politicized the murder, taking to his Truth Social platform to slam the attacker as a “career criminal” with 14 prior arrests and saying Zarutska’s “blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail.””North Carolina and every State needs LAW AND ORDER,” Trump said, “and only Republicans will deliver it!”Zarutska and relatives emigrated from Ukraine in 2022 to escape the war, but her life ended tragically in an unprovoked attack by a man with apparent mental health issues.The detained suspect has been identified as Decarlos Brown, a 34-year-old African-American, and charged with first degree murder. He has multiple prior convictions and spent eight years in prison for armed robbery, according to court documents obtained by local television station WBTV.- ‘Ugly truth’ -The murder only gained national attention after the initial reaction by Charlotte’s Democratic mayor emerged.Days after Zarutska’s death, Mayor Vi Lyles offered “thoughts and prayers” to relatives of the victim, whom she did not identify in her initial statement. Instead she focused on the suspect’s condition.”I am not villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused,” Lyles said in the statement.Criticism poured in. When footage of the murder was then released last week, and Lyles asked the media not to share it “out of respect for Iryna’s family,” an outcry ensued on the right.”Charlotte’s Mayor doesn’t want the media to show you the ugly truth. Why? Because she and other public officials in her city bear responsibility,” US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted Sunday on X.The following day he accused Democrats of “downplaying murders like this by saying we can’t demonize the homeless or the mentally ill.”Trump advisor Stephen Miller accused Democrats of backing “the monstrous and the depraved.”- Racial dimension -Trump has sent National Guard troops to Washington and is threatening to do the same in Chicago, the country’s third-largest city, even as both have reported substantial reductions in crime in recent years.Zarutska’s murder is now fueling Republican demands — often infused with racial commentary — for more crackdowns.Early Monday, right-wing tech billionaire Elon Musk supported an X post on crime figures that said white people are victims of black violence far more often than the reverse.Conservative activist Charlie Kirk also addressed the race factor.”If a random white person simply walked up to and stabbed a nice law-abiding black person for no reason, it would be an apocalyptically huge national story used to impose sweeping political changes on the whole country,” Kirk posted Monday on X.The comment was an apparent reference to George Floyd, a Black man whose 2020 killing by a white police officer sparked waves of anti-racism protests months before incumbent Trump lost the presidential election to Joe Biden.

Democrats release Trump’s alleged birthday note to Epstein

A lewd note allegedly from Donald Trump wishing late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein happy birthday in 2003 — and alluding to their unnamed “wonderful secret” — was released Monday by Democratic lawmakers, after the US president denied it existed.Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee, which is probing the handling of criminal investigations into the  financier, published the letter on social media after it was delivered by Epstein’s estate.The note is inserted into the sketched outline of a nude woman, and was allegedly part of a book of letters from Epstein’s friends, compiled by his now imprisoned associate Ghislaine Maxwell for the financier’s fiftieth birthday.The White House reiterated its denial of the authenticity of the letter on Monday, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying “it’s very clear President Donald Trump did not draw this picture and he did not sign it.”The note consists of a short dialogue between “Donald” and “Jeffrey.””We have certain things in common,” says Donald, to which Jeffrey responds: “Yes, we do, come to think of it.””Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?” asks Donald.”As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you,” says Jeffrey.”A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the note ends, followed by Trump’s signature, which takes the place of pubic hair on the nude outline.Trump, 79, sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion after it originally reported the existence of the letter, insisting that he had never sent it.”President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,” Leavitt said Monday.Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-level connections around the world, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.Trump’s supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and held as an article of faith that “deep state” elites were protecting a sex ring of Epstein associates, particularly in the Democratic Party and Hollywood.- Committee investigation -Trump took office in January promising to quickly get to the bottom of the Epstein conspiracies.But many of his supporters have been up in arms since the FBI and Justice Department said in July that Epstein had committed suicide, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a “client list.”Trump himself has repeatedly attempted to bury the controversy as attention intensifies on his own long-term friendship with Epstein.Democrats and a handful of Republicans risking Trump’s ire have doubled down, demanding that all legal files related to Epstein be released.The Republican-controlled Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Justice Department documents as well as testimony from many high-ranking officials, including former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.The Wall Street Journal reported that Epstein’s birthday book contains letters from dozens of people, including former president Clinton.As part of its response to the controversy, Trump’s Justice Department interviewed Epstein associate Maxwell, who is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for the financier.She was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer.The Justice Department later released a transcript and audio recording of the interview, in which Maxwell says Trump was friendly with Epstein but was “never inappropriate with anybody.”The 63-year-old Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, was moved from a prison in Florida to a minimum security facility in Texas following the interview with Blanche.

Wall Street termine en hausse, anticipe plusieurs baisses de taux

La Bourse de New York a terminé en hausse lundi, poussée par les perspectives de baisse des taux de la banque centrale américaine (Fed) et dans l’attente de nouvelles données sur l’inflation aux Etats-Unis.L’indice Nasdaq (+0,45%), à forte coloration technologique, a touché un nouveau record à 21.798,70 points. Le Dow Jones a gagné 0,25% et l’indice élargi S&P 500 a progressé de 0,21%.”Le marché rebondit après des turbulences (…), Wall Street attend avec impatience les baisses de taux de la Réserve fédérale”, résume dans une note Jose Torres, d’Interactive Brokers.La semaine passée, un taux de chômage en hausse et une baisse des créations d’emplois aux Etats-Unis ont renforcé les attentes d’une politique monétaire plus souple de la part de l’institution monétaire américaine, ce qui pourrait donner un coup de fouet à l’économie américaine.”La plupart des investisseurs estiment que les rapports sur l’inflation publiés cette semaine” ne changeront pas ces perspectives, commente auprès de l’AFP Sam Stovall, de CFRA.La place américaine attend en effet la publication aux Etats-Unis des prix à la production (PPI) mercredi, puis celle des prix à la consommation (CPI) jeudi. La Fed est investie d’un double mandat, consistant à surveiller le marché de l’emploi et à maintenir l’inflation proche de 2% sur le long terme.Même si ces chiffres ne sont pas conformes aux attentes, les investisseurs estiment “que la Fed s’est résolue à baisser ses taux lors de sa réunion de septembre”, note M. Stovall.”La seule question qui reste en suspens, compte tenu des prochains rapports économiques (…), est de savoir si elle procédera à une, deux ou trois baisses cette année”, ajoute l’analyste.Pour le moment, les experts anticipent trois baisses de taux d’un quart de point de pourcentage d’ici à la fin de l’année, selon l’outil de veille FedWatch de CME, passant ainsi d’une fourchette comprise entre 4,25% et 4,50% à 3,50 et 3,75%.Dans ce contexte, sur le marché obligataire, le rendement des emprunts d’Etat américains à échéance 10 ans se détendait à 4,04%, contre 4,07% à la clôture vendredi.Cette baisse des taux obligataires est “positive” pour les actions, commente M. Stovall.Ailleurs, au tableau des valeurs, certaines des capitalisations géantes du secteur technologique ont eu le vent en poupe, à l’image d’Amazon (+1,51%), Nvidia (+0,77%) ou Microsoft (+0,65%).Le titre de la plateforme d’échange de cryptomonnaies Robinhood a atteint un nouveau record en clôture (+15,83% à 117,28 dollars) et le groupe de services pour créateurs d’applications AppLovin a brillé (+11,59% à 547,04 dollars).Les deux entreprises ont profité de l’annonce de leur future entrée au sein de l’indice S&P 500. Leur arrivée sera effective le 22 septembre, selon S&P Global.L’opérateur américain EchoStar s’est envolé (+19,91% à 80,63 dollars) à l’annonce du rachat de fréquences, par la société spatiale SpaceX –propriété d’Elon Musk–, pour un montant de 17 milliards de dollars.Fin août, EchoStar avait déjà annoncé la vente d’une partie de ses fréquences au profit de son concurrent AT&T pour 23 milliards de dollars.Par ailleurs, après un début d’année en demi-teinte, sur fond d’incertitudes économiques et commerciales, le marché des introductions en Bourse (IPO) à New York va connaître un coup d’accélérateur dans les prochains jours.Six entreprises doivent entrer à Wall Street cette semaine, dont le très attendu spécialiste suédois du paiement différé Klarna ou la plateforme Gemini, spécialisée dans les cryptomonnaies et fondée en 2014 par les frères jumeaux Cameron et Tyler Winklevoss.

US Supreme Court allows roving LA immigration patrols

The US Supreme Court on Monday lifted an order preventing government agents from carrying out roving patrols to detain migrants in California, upholding at least for now a practice critics say amounts to racial profiling.The decision is the latest ruling by the country’s highest court in favor of President Donald Trump’s increasingly hardline stance in the wake of ramped up raids across Los Angeles and other parts of California.The conservative majority court announced the decision in an unsigned order that gave no reasons. Its three liberal members dissented. The case remains alive, however, in lower courts and could again end up before the highest court.The ruling came after a lower court said agents must have specific reasons to arrest people, beyond their speaking Spanish or gathering in places popular with those seeking casual work, and issued an order banning the practice.Opponents immediately slammed Monday’s ruling, with California Governor Gavin Newsom saying it was a deliberate attempt to hurt the state and its diverse people.”Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court majority just became the Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror in Los Angeles,” said Newsom.”This isn’t about enforcing immigration laws — it’s about targeting Latinos and anyone who doesn’t look or sound like Stephen Miller’s idea of an American,” he said, referring to the architect of Trump’s immigration enforcement policy.”Trump’s private police force now has a green light to come after your family — and every person is now a target.”Earlier this year masked and heavily armed agents began targeting groups of people at home improvement stores, car washes or on farms around Los Angeles, sparking weeks of mostly peaceful protests in the city.Critics said the raids — which swept up a number of US citizens, as well as others in the country legally — were bluntly aimed at anyone who appeared to be Latino or who was speaking Spanish.Even after the stay order was issued, agents continued to push the boundaries.In one high-profile case last month ICE agents grabbed more than a dozen people outside a Los Angeles home furnishings store in a “Trojan Horse” raid.Agents sprang from the back of a rented moving truck in an episode filmed by embedded journalists from Fox News. Last month a three-judge panel denied a government appeal to overturn the judge’s original order, after rights groups argued that the raids appeared to be arresting people largely based on their race.While the Supreme Court did not state reasons for its decision, one of the conservative justices, Brett Kavanaugh, wrote a concurring opinion in which he said “illegal immigration is especially pronounced in the Los Angeles area.”One of the three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina named to the court, dissented.”We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job,” she wrote.”The Constitution does not permit the creation of such a second-class citizenship status.”

At least 19 killed in Nepal protest over social media ban, corruption

At least 19 people were killed Monday when police dispersed young demonstrators in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal demanding the government lift a social media ban and tackle corruption.Several social media sites — including Facebook, YouTube and X — have been inaccessible in Nepal since Friday after the government blocked 26 unregistered platforms, leaving users angry and confused.Police used rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannon and batons when the demonstrators pushed through barbed wire and tried to storm into a restricted area near parliament.”Seventeen people have died,” Shekhar Khanal, spokesman for the Kathmandu valley police, told AFP. Another two people were killed in Sunsari district in eastern Nepal, local media reported.Khanal said about 400 people were injured, including over 100 police.Following the violence, home minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned at a cabinet meeting in the evening, local media reported.”I had been there for a peaceful protest, but the government used force,” said Iman Magar, 20, who was hit in his right arm.”It was not a rubber bullet but a metallic one, and it took away a part of my hand. The doctor says I need to undergo an operation.”Sirens wailed through the city as the injured were taken to hospitals.”I have never seen such a disturbing situation at the hospital,” said Ranjana Nepal, information officer at the Civil Hospital, which received many of the wounded. “Tear gas entered the hospital area as well, making it difficult for doctors to work,” she told AFP.- UN calls for probe -The United Nations demanded a swift and transparent probe of the violence.”We are shocked by the killings and injury of protesters in Nepal today and urge a prompt and transparent investigation,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement.”We have received several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces.” Amnesty International said live ammunition had been used against protesters.The district administration imposed a curfew in several key areas of the city.Earlier, some of the demonstrators had climbed over the wall into the parliament premises, and its gate was vandalised.Similar protests were organised in other districts across the country. Popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.”We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here,” said student Yujan Rajbhandari, 24.”We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal.”- ‘Want to see change’ -Demonstrators started their protest with the national anthem before chanting against the social media stoppage and corruption.Student Ikshama Tumrok, 20, said she was protesting the “authoritarian attitude” of the government.”We want to see change. Others have endured this, but it has to end with our generation,” she told AFP.There have been several corruption cases reported in the last few years involving ministers, former ministers and other high-profile officials. Since the ban, videos contrasting the struggles of ordinary Nepalis with the children of politicians flaunting luxury goods and expensive vacations have gone viral on TikTok, which is still operating.”There have been movements abroad against corruption, and they are afraid that might happen here as well,” said protester Bhumika Bharati.Violent protests driven by discontent over inequality and lavish perks for lawmakers have rocked Indonesia in recent weeks. A year ago, a student-led popular uprising over job quotas ousted the longtime leader of Bangladesh.Nepal’s cabinet decided last month to give the affected social media firms seven days to register in Nepal, establish a point of contact and designate resident grievance and compliance officers.In a statement on Sunday, the government said it respected freedom of thought and expression and was committed to “creating an environment for their protection and unfettered use”.Nepal has restricted access to popular online platforms in the past.The government blocked access to the Telegram messaging app in July, citing a rise in online fraud and money laundering.It lifted a nine-month ban on TikTok in August last year after the platform agreed to comply with Nepali regulations.

Entre rancoeur, lassitude et soulagement, les députés face au crépuscule Bayrou

Journée crépusculaire au palais Bourbon: totalement dénuée de suspense, la chute de François Bayrou a plongé les députés dans la circonspection, attisant lassitude et amertume chez les uns, soulagement chez les autres. Avec en toile de fond, l’ombre tenace d’une nouvelle dissolution.Cette issue, à laquelle pousse Marine Le Pen, a été écartée au moins à court terme par l’Elysée, qui a annoncé lundi soir la nomination rapide d’un nouveau Premier ministre.194 votes pour, 364 votes contre. En début de soirée, le couperet est tombé, implacable. La donne était jouée d’avance pour François Bayrou, qui devient le premier à perdre un vote de confiance sollicité au Parlement sous la Ve République, après neuf mois en poste.Dans l’hémicycle, un silence se fait au moment de l’annonce du résultat, mais il est de courte durée, rompu par les applaudissements de députés La France insoumise (LFI), debout.François Bayrou reste impassible, et après une accolade à deux de ses ministres, quitte les lieux. Mais malgré le moment historique, le palais Bourbon n’a guère semblé traversé par la solennité: ni les journalistes venus de nombreux pays, ni les invectives des chefs de groupe parlementaire dans l’hémicycle n’ont effacé l’ambiance de fin de règne… Une atmosphère bien éloignée des frissons qui avaient parcouru l’Assemblée nationale lors de la censure du gouvernement Barnier, le 4 décembre 2024.Ainsi le discours de François Bayrou, d’ordinaire enclin à s’épancher, n’aura duré qu’une quarantaine de minutes, sans susciter plus d’agitation que d’ordinaire dans l’hémicycle, sous l’oeil attentif de Jean-Luc Mélenchon et Marine Tondelier, assis dans la tribune des visiteurs.L’ambiance a même parfois pris des airs de drôle de rentrée scolaire, avec des députés ravis de se retrouver après plus d’un mois et demi de suspension des travaux parlementaires.- “Gâchis” – Les mêmes sourires ont accompagné à la mi-journée l’arrivée des Insoumis au palais Bourbon. Pour LFI, c’est “le soulagement” qui prédomine, s’enthousiasme la députée Aurélie Trouvé, non sans appeler au “départ du président de la République”.”Cette journée est un crépuscule qui n’en finit pas”, se désespère l’écologiste Sabrina Sebaihi, qui souligne elle aussi le “soulagement de repartir d’une page blanche” après “une agonie très longue”.Des mines satisfaites se lisent également sur les visages des élus du Rassemblement national (RN): “Nous n’avons qu’une envie, c’est retourner aux urnes”, glisse la députée Laure Lavalette.Les troupes de la coalition gouvernementale, elles, oscillent entre rancoeur et lassitude. “Je ne peux pas imaginer qu’il ait pensé que le coup de bluff pouvait passer”, s’agace un député Les Républicains (LR). “Il se protège mais il nous met tous dans une espèce de nasse.” Le député Renaissance Jean-René Cazeneuve glisse lui aussi que François Bayrou aurait dû “commencer par la négociation”. Et fait part d'”une sensation profonde de tristesse, de gâchis, face aux postures des oppositions”.Avec une inquiétude majeure, l’hypothèse d’une nouvelle dissolution de l’Assemblée si le blocage institutionnel persiste. “Quand bien même personne ne le souhaite, on ne peut pas ignorer que cette option existe”, affirme une source du groupe Renaissance.”Nous sommes dans une impasse dont personne ne pense que nous soyons la solution”, se désole un député du même groupe.- “A quoi on sert ?” -Dans les couloirs, la valse des candidats à Matignon reprend de plus belle: Catherine Vautrin ? Sébastien Lecornu ? Bernard Cazeneuve ? Olivier Faure ? A moins qu’un profil technique n’émerge, ou qu’un médiateur ne soit nommé pour aboutir à un accord de gouvernement ?Rumeurs pour Matignon, rumeurs de dissolution… L’impuissance en guette certains. “On a l’impression de faire et défaire. Faire et défaire c’est toujours travailler, mais espérons qu’on finisse par faire quelque chose quand même”, s’alarme le socialiste Philippe Brun. “On participe un peu aussi à ce manège malgré nous, mais nous sommes obligés de censurer François Bayrou.””Beaucoup de jeunes députés se posent la question: +A quoi on sert ?+”, admet son collègue centriste Charles De Courson. “Il faut avoir le cuir épais et savoir gérer le temps”, philosophe le plus ancien des députés.