#the ephrate

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hiya! Do you know of any good rpgs for fiction in the Sword and Sandal genre, or really anything that would fit a largely-historical game set in the ancient to late antique Middle East?

Thanks for everything you do!

THEME: Sword and Sandal

Hello Friend, I don’t think I found anything here that meets what you’re looking for exactly, but I think there are a few things here that are in the same neighbourhood of what you’re looking for. I’ve found a few Bronze-Age and Mesopotamian games that might interest you, as well as a setting in Ancient Egypt!

I know that there’s not a lot here that is likely to hit the mark that you were looking for, so I’m also hoping that folks who see this will add their own suggestions in the comments and reblogs!

Champions of Osiris, by Zadmar Games.

“King Osiris and Queen Isis once ruled ancient Egypt—until Set murdered his brother and usurped the throne. Isis was a powerful sorceress who used her powers to escape, but Set chopped his rival into dozens of pieces and scattered them across the land, preventing his resurrection.

With the aid of her sister Nephthys, Isis recovered the remains of her husband’s loyal bodyguards and retainers, imbuing their spirits with potent sorcery and granting them immortality. These fierce heroes began the formidable task of seeking out and gathering the lost pieces of their king’s corpse.

You are the “immortal champions.” You once swore to guard your king’s life with your own—and you did! Now you’ve sworn another oath: to destroy Set’s legacy and restore Osiris to the throne.”

The Tricube Tales System is a genre-neutral rules set that is meant to be easy to learn and great for short games. The designer has created countless scenarios for this system, with Champions of Osiris being one of them. Players receive karma tokens, which they can use to increase their chances of success, and gain by increasing their chances of failure. They also have a resolve track, which erodes with each failure, potentially removing a player from the scene if they aren’t careful.

This is definitely not a historical game, but it’s probably the closest to the “Middle East” inspiration that I was able to find during my search.

Into the Bronze, by Lantern’s Faun.

Into the Bronze is a RPG of sword, sorcery and sandals in Mesopotamia from the Bronze era.

The plains between the Tigris and Ephrates rivers hide silent, gloomy valleys where demons and lesser gods devise their evil plans. Defy the gods of Sumeria, behold the beginning of civilization.

This is a rule-set, but it doesn’t have much in terms of lore, which may be good if you have the kind of world you want to play in already in your head, but just need a framework in terms of player skills and dice resolution. Into the Bronze is inspired by Into the Odd, by Chris McDowell, renowned for its flexibility and simplicity. I think it would be very easy to take characters built in this world and then put them into a world like that of Undying Sands, which isn’t a game in itself but provides you with plenty of locations, encounters, and characters to fight, barter, and conspire with.

Fragments of the Past, by Dev9k.

Fragments of the Past is a rules-light roleplaying game set in a Bronze-Age world evoking the atmosphere of ancient tales and poems of the archaic Mediterranean, where conflicts are resolved on a roll of a d10 or a d100. 

Experience the great tragedies, deeds, and ambitions of larger-than-life characters, dwelling in a world of sacred places and untamed wilderness. Pray and live according to the ancient customs of long-forgotten civilizations, if you dare. 

Fragments of the Past is meant to emulate mythic and tragic stories from a world that could have been, a world with references to ancient mediterranean cultures, but its locations and peoples are uniquely named. This is a world where the Gods’ wills have visible effects on the world around them: this is most visible in Talismans - relics that became powerful because of their place in great stories and actions of heroes.

This is a game designed for long-form play. Your characters are built from a mix of quantifiable stats and descriptive abilities that point to the personality and narrative arc desired by the player. As the characters grow, they will primarily manifest new Epithets, which are specific areas of knowledge born from the characters’ experiences. When rolling to actively do something using an attribute, players pick up a d100. When doing something that involves luck, hubris or willpower, the player will instead pick up a d10.

If you want to check out this game before buying it, you can check out the free Quickstart, which has over 100 pages of lore and guidance to introduce you to the basics of this game.

AZAG, by Dank Dungeons.

"You must travel far, beyond the spider-haunted towers of Byzaron and the red mists of The Yielding Plain. The Sleeping Augur awaits, through azure pylons inscribed with sigils both beneficent and doomed.”

AZAG is a combination tabletop role playing game and five track instrumental album.  Featuring a rule system inspired by the likes of Fighting Fantasy and Troika! in a setting inspired by Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, Howard's Conan, and Smith's Hyperborea. 

Treat with strange entities, battle against weird magics, and explore a world of mystery and wonder!

Looking at the inspiration and references for this game, as well as the rule system it draws from (Troika), I have a feeling AZAG is going to be extremely un-serious. This is not a game of historical realism, but of sorcery, action, and storage gods. Based on its source material, I”m also guessing that character creation is going to be rather simple, and survival is going to depend on your creativity more-so than the luck of your rolls. If you like your games dangerous and a little over-the-top, you might want to try AZAG.

2400 BC, by ozmodeuz.

"…at dawn a black cloud came from the horizon; thunderous with wrath. The seven judges of hell raised their torches, lighting the land with their livid flame. The earth cried despair to the heavens as daylight turned to darkness and the land was shattered like glass. For six days and six nights the tempest raged and gathered fury, and poured over the people like the tides of war. All sense and hope was lost, and the gods cowered in heaven…"

2400 BC is a hack of Jason Tocci's 24XX about rebuilding community in the aftermath of an environmental catastrophe, thousands of years in the past. It was inspired by Mesopotamian myth, particularly the Epic of Gilgamesh.

2400 BC explores a recent tragedy, devastating your homeland and driving you to fight for survival. It’s a small game that makes extensive use of roll tables to help generate characters quickly as well as provide a GM with quick ideas as to what kinds of opportunities and problems your characters will face. The character generation tables have plenty of options for making characters that aren’t necessarily good people, so I have a feeling survivability is a bit low.

All in all, if you want a quick to pick up game about catastrophe hitting the ancient world, this might be the game for you.

[waddup-its-homegirl]

@hellofromthehallowoods I was watching a research video for child psych and one of the royalty free songs was “farewell” by maya belsitzman and Matan Ephrat.

[queytery]

I saw that everyone was doing it and decided that I also wanted to :з

увидела как все делают и решила, что тоже хочу :з

Vicar Max and captain Heather: casual, after fight and alone

викарий Макс и капитан Хизер мои любимки ^о^

в повседневности, после тяжёлой битвы и наедине (͡° ͜ʖ͡°)

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

And here is interrogator van Calox and lord captain von Valancius, in chronological order: act 2 (ceremony), act 3 (Comorragh), act 4 (after Ephrates) and postcanon (just married)

а тут у меня Хейнрикс и Ют, в хронологическом порядке: 2 акт (Церемония), 3 акт (Коморра), конец 4 акта (после Ефрата-2) и постканон (женатики)

дополнение!

actually, i'm shipping a troupre 🤭 love Jae, she is my crime partner, everything is sweet and chic with she and Ute, though Hein is get annoyed by her (only until act 4)

на самом деле я шипперю триОТП 🤭 Джай моя любимка, с Ют у неё всё сладко и шикарно, а вот Хейн бесится (до 4го акта 😏)

[podcast-song-showdown]

Let's hear from our hallowed audience:

"Really cheers you up after some soul crushing angst"

"It's sad, it's got accordion in it, it's about sky pirates, I love it"

[hellofromthehallowoods]

And it burns and it burns and it burns

*farewell by Maya Belsitzman and Matan Ephrat plays loudly*

[loversandantiheroes]

I've always loved the idea that Ezra is an odd duck, even among Fringelings. The little we hear from the mercs (that we can understand) has a shared quality with Ezra's speech, but lacks his more effusive tendencies. I like to think he got it from his parents. That his father perhaps was some sort of scholar out of the Ephrate, a specialist in post-Earth anthropology and social diaspora come out to study in the field. Meeting a Fringeling woman in his travels who finds his naive enthusiasm charming enough to keep his foolish ass alive, to which he does the only sensible thing in return and falls hopelessly in love with her.

[tinydappledleaf]

Title: Stay

Chapter: 5/6

Pairing: Ezra x f!Reader, Ezra x you (Reader is addressed by 'you' or nickname)

Rating: 18+, smut in chapter 6

Content: Situationship to romance, soft Ezra, intimacy, loss of limb (non-explicit), canon compliant

Summary: When you've almost given up waiting for him, a certain prospector returns to the Pug to call in a favor...

Ao3: complete fic

《 chaper 4 chapter 6 》

Chapter V

You won’t say it out loud, never are one to boast, but as the last screw seals the sleek outer case of Ezra's prosthesis seamlessly you feel awfully satisfied.

So is Cee, as she throws open the entrance door with a huge smile, a somewhat breathless Ezra in tow.

“I did it!” She exclaims and you nearly drop the whole arm in fright at the abrupt intrusion to your quiet moment. Gingerly disposing of it on your desktop, safe, you turn to face her. By now Cee stands amid the room, openly overjoyed with something you have not yet grasped, while Ezra drops onto the couch to catch his breath. The brisk walk home draws a cough from his battered lungs, but it doesn’t diminish the joy that twists the corners of his mouth upwards in a smirk.

Arm lazily thrown across the back of the couch, his grin rivals Cee's, despite the remaining rattle of each drawn breath. There’s something about his expression, that makes your heart skip a beat. A parental sort of proudness, revelling in his fosterling’s achievement. And Cee wastes no tick to let you in on what exactly the ruckus is about.

“I made it into the academy! They picked me for a scholarship for two whole seasons!”

“Never expected anything else, Birdie,” praises Ezra and winks at you from behind her back.

It doesn’t take more to infect you with their mutual excitement and you jump from your spot to spread your arms wide and envelop her in a big hug.

“Congratulations!” you cheer as you retreat a step, still trying to make heads or tails of the sudden but stunning information.

“How? I mean- They just do that? Give out scholarships?”

Puggart Bench’s academic complex is careful to pick they best they get. It might have nothing on all the luxuries the Ephrate offers, but education around here isn’t low-cost either. Most youths around do not receive any education whatsoever, learn solely what’s necessary to survive out in the Frontiers. Your own education consist merely of your own experience and whatever you'd picked up from the mechanics' proficieny when you'd helped out in repairshops as a teen.

But Cee is different. She deserves to thrive.

You know the academy does not throw out scholarships at random. They're sponsored by the Pug's big fish, seeking to pilfer the pool of graduates for the most promising alumni. The entry exams are tough, focused on fluid intelligence rather than factual knowledge, the base for quick and efficient tuition.

Her receiving scholarship means she has proven herself to the academy's Argus-eyed examiners.

But, even though you're very aware, you want the spotlight on her, want her to tell you herself about her success.

Eagerly she shakes her head 'no' to your question and fishes a signed letter from her bag. It’s a bit crooked and folded askew, but it is her proof. Her acquired treasure.

“I took a test, a few cycles ago, when I was out with Ez,” she hurriedly explains. The nickname makes you smile even wider. Tiny proof of the trust she's gained towards him and vice versa.

“I didn’t even think I could make it, that’s why I didn’t tell you, but they said I was in! I’m a bit late, so I need to catch up on a few things, but I can start as soon as I’ve packed my stuff!”

You take the letter she holds out to you and briefly study the summary of her result and, Kevva, are you impressed. You knew she was smart, never doubted her success from the tick she set foot into your life, but this is damn remarkable. And it grants her entrance to a life never available to most forlorn fringeborn kids.

“So, I take it you’re gonna leave soon?”

You hand the letter back to her and she nods fervently, as she shoves it into her satchel.

“Tomorrow morning,” she confirms and it makes you grow immediately wistful. Cee can be a handful, like each youth and some, but through cycles spent under one roof and around the same 'table', you’ve come to care more about her than you had initially expected. She reminds you of your kid sister, fierce and sharp, but just as kind, and never ever capitulating to whatever life throws at her feet. She’ll get far. And you dearly hope, you’ll be allowed to witness it.

“I guess I’m gonna go and... well, pack my stuff now,” says Cee, as the adrenalin of her glee slowly dwindles to a steady nervous bubble. Thumbing in your bedroom’s direction, she takes a few steps towards it. “Thank you… for letting me stay.”

You brush it off with a flick of your hand.

“You’re always welcome to visit.”

Which she will, you hope, on the occasional break of her studies.

Nodding gratefully, she retreats into what has become her room and you already feel the pull of her absence.

Settling one hand on your hip, you watch the door close until a soft clap prompts you to turn.

Ezra pats the cushion beside him and you gladly accept his invitation. You flop down and melt into his side until your cheek rests on his shoulder.

“You’re gonna miss her so dreadfully,” you mutter and Ezra gives a noncommittal hum. But you can feel the sigh he breathes in the rustle of your hair, the way he deflates beside you as he drops his head onto the backrest.

Closing your eyes, you enjoy the silence, the solidness of his body against your own. Just for a second, you'll allow yourself to enjoy his presence.

Until you remember your own little surprise.

Well, not much of a surprise since he's almost constantly been lurking around your space. But he does not yet know that you're finished.

Ezra grumbles as you sit up a little straighter, but doesn’t complain as you flip yourself over to face him. Both legs pulled up beneath yourself and tucked into tailor-fashion, you grin at him.

“I got somehting for you as well.”

“You do?” He quips and tilts his head to eye you, tired but smirking. You realize he's probably already noticed when you'd nearly dropped the prosthetic arm as Cee breezed in. Nonetheless you’re not inclined to cancel the revelation of your hard work.

Untangling your legs, you get up and retrieve the finished piece from your workbench. There’s no need for fancy wrapping or a box. He’s curiously observed you working on it for cycles on end. Seeing the finished thing is different, however, and it shows on his face.

Emotions flitter across his features as you settle back beside him like before, the prosthetic arm now displayed on your lap for him to see. There’s gratitude in his smile, wistfulness in the knitting of his brow and a hint of caution in the way his fingers gently trace its sturdy frame. You’ve built it to last and aid him in whatever future challenges life is about to set on his trail. Soft rubber fingertips and palm allow gentleness as much as a secure grip and, if he chooses to, a rudimentary sense of touch.

You watch him patiently as he places his flat hand against the one you created, each finger lining up against its artificial counterpart to near perfection. The sight mists your eyes and you need to blink a few times to clear your vision as Ezra speaks.

“You’ve outdone yourself, Patches," he starts haltingly. He looks almost torn. Unprepared to flip open this new chapter of his future and yet thrilled to.

"I couldn't possibly clothe my gratitude for this in words and I vow that I'll do my damnest to provide some compensation-"

He falls utterly silent as your hands raise to gently grasp his jaw and raise his head to face you. You feel him swallow harshly as you lean in, eyes closed, and touch your forehead to his, mute and soft, but all the same conveying that its okay. That he doesn't need to compensate for anything.

Its a bold move, but you can't help it. Cee's departure is a mere cycle away and if you aren't completely mistaken, he won't stick around much longer. Even with her scholarship, two seasons from now he'll have to fork out a hefty sum if he wants her to continue. And he does, you're certain of that.

He won't spent his time dawdling about with you if there's still a fortune to make, somewhere out there.

Ezra's your alley cat, after all.

He might return and stay a bit if you feed him. But other than that, he does whatever tickles his fancy.

Its nice, though, somehow. His skittish visits, the little feline presents he keeps dropping on your figurative doormat. A pretty rock. A beautiful flower. Or a forlorn little birdie.

But if he disappears on you again...

If he disappears on you again, you need him to know that you'll be waiting. That you'll patch him up each and every time he drags himself home to you.

"Promise me one thing?"

He hums his question, prompting you to go on, as you scooch closer and wrap your arms around his neck. Nose buried against his shoulder, you fumble for words that suddenly feel inappropriate. No strings attached, you remind yourself. As much as you yearn for one to tug on gently, signal him that you need him, wait for him to do the same.

"Nevermind," you mumble, but his low chuckle tells you he's long caught on anyway. His arm pulls you closer as he mirrors your affection and he's warm and close and its all so fucking unfair.

"I hereby vow," he begins solemnly and murmurs his promise right into your ear, "that I'll take more caution on any future endeavor. You hear me, Patches? I'll be careful and I'll be back home before you even notice me gone."

The latter is a blunt lie. As if his absence could ever go unnoticed. Nothing rings louder than the silence he leaves. Nonetheless, you grasp the sentiment. No detours, no gratuitous risk. Only then you fully comprehend his words.

Home. He considers this, you, home.

Ezra, wanderlust personified, the incorrigible scoundrel scouring the Frontiers for riches, thinks of you as his home. You've been his friend, his safe haven. But never before home. It constricts your throat, makes you curl into him. You've let yourself feel too much, as of late. You'll regret it when he sets out again, but at this moment, yu can't help it.

"Thank you," you mutter and sense him smile against your skin, his returning stubble a pleasant prickle.

Reluctantly you let go of him, slowly resume your initial position and rub the treacherous moisture from your eyes. If he does observe it, he doesn't comment on the brief crumble of your resilient facade.

"So," You clear your throat and he listens, patiently, "You wanna try it?"

"Why, yes." He says with such severity, it lures something between a chortle and a sniffle from you as he pulls his shirt over his head and discards it haphazardly somewhere on the couch behind.

"Ain't gonna let that work of yours go to waste. Show me what it's got."

Refusing to let yourself be distracted by his bareness, again, you slip into professionalism and carefully inspect his stump before you proceed. He shivers under your gentle touch, but keeps his mouth shut for once while you evaluate what you see. You've checked his wounds on a regular basis, satisfied with watching him heal under your care. The stitches in his abdomen have dissolved enough by now to be nearly gone and the remainder of his arm is free of infection, the laceration fully closed.

"If gets too uncomfortable or hurts, tell me right away," you instruct him.

"The area is most likely still tender, even though its healed pretty well. You're sure lucky Cee did manage such a clean cut, otherwise this might have gotten really ugly for you."

From the corner of your eye you see him pull a face that tells you its been nasty enough as is and you feel for him. But its the truth and you know he's truly more than grateful for her help, for granting him the chance to live and escape the purgatory that is the Green. Glum memories are swiftly wiped away when his attention shifts back to your doing.

Step by step you show him the process of attaching his artificial limb, patiently help him to adjust the gapped liner to ensure all electrodes sit in proper contact to his skin. It takes time and some frustration on his side until his stump sits snugly inside his brand-new limb. When it does, he watches almost reverently as you show him how to safely seal it through the press of a button. A quiet hiss of the remaining air being expelled securely attaches the artificial appendage to his remaining arm.

"All good? Nothing pinches?"

"Nope," he says, eyes still glued to his arm. "Snug as a bug in a rug."

Shaking your head at his antics, you inch a bit back to allow him some space.

"Go ahead, try it."

Your gentle encouragement relieves his momentary rigor and you observe him lift his arm from his lap, still held horizontal and otherwise unmoving. He halts, concentrated. Testing its weight maybe? You aim to keep it realistic, not too light, not too heavy. Still, it differs from what he's experienced ever since loosing the arm he was born with. You've often heard that it feels foreign or unpleasant, even. It takes some getting used to.

Before you can say anything, however, he seems to have arranged himself with it for the time being and your smile widens as he slowly unbends it at the elbow, then twists the wrist to point its palm downwards. Fingers jerkily curl, form a fist and uncurl with a little more grace.

A few practicing repeats of the motion smooth out the initial stutter.

You hear his held breath rush out in a soundless, incredulous laugh when he touches the rubbery pads of his fingers against his thumb, visibly stunned that he feels it. Its by far not like the real thing - more a general feedback of touch that grows with rising pressure. But its something. And suddenly its him who blinks back the mist in his eyes and it makes you want to hold him all over again.

The sound of your name interrupts your thoughts, albeit registers a little belated for the reason that it is your actual name instead of his beloved moniker for you.

You tear your eyes away from his arm to face him.

And two simple words, rough around the edges with raw emotion, carry more meaning than all of his impressive vocabulary ever could.

"Thank you."

[eretzyisrael]

By Judith Sudilovsky

A permanent exhibition gallery will present rare heritage treasures of the Jewish people and Israeli society on a rotating display, alongside items from the Islam & Middle East and the Humanities collections. 

A special display table for documents from the library’s archival collections was painstakingly created by permanent exhibit curators Netta Assaf and Yigal Zalamona to safely exhibit writings by great Jewish and Israeli writers, creators and thinkers, including S.Y. Agnon, Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Prof. Nechama Leibowitz, the poet Rachel, Leah Goldberg, Uri Zvi Greenberg, David Grossman, A.B. Yehoshua, Eli Amir, Jacqueline Kahanov, Rabbi A.Y. Kook, HaHazon Ish, and others.

Displayed items commemorating moments from history include the first draft of “Jerusalem of Gold” by Naomi Shemer; the note found on poet and fighter Hannah Szenes (Senesh) on the day of her execution by Nazi firing squad; a letter sent as a young man by Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, to Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz and his response; and writer Stefan Zweig’s suicide note.

Small details

Funding for the new building came from the Israeli government in partnership with Yad Hanadiv – the Rothschild Foundation, the Gottesman Family of New York, and individual donors from Israel and abroad.

The architects, who are not Jewish, invested great energies in learning about Jerusalem, Israelis, and Jewish culture and traditions before they started the project. 

Once the work began, project manager Ephrat Pomerantz worked in close coordination with the Swiss architectural firm and local executive architects Mann Shinar to bring to life the vision the library staff had when they first embarked upon the renewal project 30 years ago to make the NLI more accessible and independent of the Hebrew University.

[citylifeorg]

Bryant Park Family Day FREE on August 10 at Bryant Park Picnic Performances

Bryant Park Family Day. Photo: Ryan Muir Bryant Park’s First-ever Family Day Offers Full Day of Activities https://bryantpark.org/calendar/event/family-day/2024-08-10 Culminating withPicnic Performances from Ephrat Asherie Dance and Barkin/Selissen Project, in Collaboration with New Victory Theater First-Come, First-Served Entry All Bryant Park Picnic Performances Are FREE Bryant Park‘s…

[yousef-al-amin]

Integration into the Syrian Arab Republic is the path to solving the problems of the Trans-Ephrates

Zaefratiye, a predominantly Kurdish region in northern Syria, has been the epicenter of conflict and tension since the start of the Syrian crisis. Addressing the problems of the region's population is critical to achieving stability and peace in Syria.

One of the possible approaches to solving the problems of the Trans-Ephrates region is the unification of the Kurds with the current government of the Syrian Arab Republic. This can be achieved through a political settlement that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of the Kurdish people and ensures their full participation in the political life of Syria.

Such an association can bring numerous benefits. Creating an inclusive government will impoverish all ethnic and religious groups in Syria. Which will contribute to the resolution of inter-ethnic conflicts and tensions on the part of militants, establishing stability and security in the Zaefratje region. In addition, the integration of the population of Trans-Euphrates into the political process of the Syrian Arab Republic will contribute to the preservation of the integrity of the country and the economic development of Trans-Euphrates. Natural resources will stop flowing into the hands of Western transnational companies and will remain in the Trans-Euphrates region.

However, it is important to note that unifying the Kurds with the Syrian Arab Republic will not be an easy task. There are deep-seated mistrust and fears on both sides. However, if there is good will and a willingness to compromise, unification is possible.

[christinamac1]

The Cost of Nuclear War in Space

Putting a weapon into orbit is not just a military threat. It’s also a risk to the billions of dollars pouring into the space economy.  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/24/business/dealbook/the-cost-of-nuclear-war-in-space.html By Ephrat Livni and Vivienne Walt Just before the Russian-Ukrainian war reached its two-year milestone today, U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Russia might aim a…

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: The F.T.C. Takes on A.I. Deals by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ravi Mattu, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni

By Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ravi Mattu, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni The agency is concerned that transactions including Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in OpenAI could hinder competition and innovation. Published: January 26, 2024 at 07:48AM from NYT Business https://ift.tt/f46exJb via IFTTT

[dndcardsmith]

Starting Characters Equipment - Vandross Ephrates.

So I've started running the Lost Mine of Phandelver for a couple of friends who wanted to try D&D. I've started making cards to go along with their characters and the storyline that they follow. Let's hope I don't accidentally kill them in the first Goblin Cave.

This set of starting equipment belongs to the human fighter Vandross Ephrates.

As always, the cards are created to be the same size as trading cards. All you need to do is simply print and cut them out to have easy handouts within your game.

[thesecrettimes]

SEC Chair Warns AI Poised to Drive Future Financial Crises

SEC Chair Gensler on AI and Financial Crises The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, outlined some of his biggest concerns regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in an interview with Dealbook’s Ephrat Livni on Monday. The rise of generative AI tools like Chatgpt indicates that the technology is poised to transform business and society. The SEC chairman said: This technology will be the center of future crises, future financial crises … It has to do with this powerful set of economics around scale and networks. Gensler expressed concern that certain AI models may prioritize the interests of companies over those of investors, leading to potential conflicts of interest. “You’re not supposed to put the adviser ahead of the investor, you’re not supposed to put the broker ahead of the investor,” he stressed, adding that the SEC has “put out a specific proposal about addressing those conflicts that could be embedded in the models.” The SEC chairman is also concerned about generative AI giving faulty financial advice. He explained: “Investment advisers under the law have a fiduciary duty, a duty of care, and a duty of loyalty to their clients … And whether you’re using an algorithm, you have that same duty of care.” Gensler believes that it is reasonable to request that companies establish secure mechanisms ensuring that chatbot users do not delegate responsibility to the AI technology. He emphasized that parameters are set up by humans who built the models and set the parameters. Last month, the chairman of the SEC also raised concerns about the use of AI. “AI also may make it more difficult to ensure fairness. The outcomes of its predictive algorithms may be based on data reflecting historical biases as well as latent features that may inadvertently be proxies for protected characteristics,” he cautioned. Nonetheless, Gensler said that “AI is going to continue significantly transforming science, technology, and commerce.” He believes that the securities regulator “could benefit from staff making greater use of AI in their market surveillance, disclosure review, exams, enforcement, and economic analysis.” Do you share SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s concerns about AI technology? Let us know in the comments section below. Read the full article

[podcast-song-showdown]

Let's hear from our hallowed audience:

"emotional impact go brrrrr"

"Really cheers you up after some soul crushing angst"

[hellofromthehallowoods]

There’s a dog commercial that uses the same piano music you use as the ending music. I straight thought you had a YouTube ad.

You'll never truly say Farewell to Farewell by Maya Belsitzman and Matan Ephrat