Fear of Advancement
Alan Turing, British mathematician, philosopher, and computer scientist, proposed the idea to be known as The Turing Test, in which a computer is put to the test of passing as a human. In this test, one judge asks both a computer and a human a question, and without any knowledge to which one gave which answer the judge must distinguish which response the human gave. If the computer fools the judge into believing it’s response was the most humanly answer, they have passed the Turing test, as well as a human. During the time of his testing, objections were made to why his test and theory could not be accurate. One specific objection being: “The consequences of machines thinking would be too dreadful. Let us hope and believe that they cannot do so" (pg 9). Turing’s response pointed out that this objection is not an objection at all, but instead it is an opinion that expresses the fear humans have of technological advances. Throughout media, it is apparent that throughout the years, the human race has held a fear towards the possibility of AI’s being able to think for themselves instead of considering the positive effects and advantages this discovery could hold. In films, such as, Eagle Eye (2008) and Blade Runner (1982), artificial intelligences are presented under a negative light as a fear of the power they could potentially hold. In a more recent film, Her (2013), a counteract to the objection made about the Turing Test is presented, it is possible that making new discoveries and advancement in technology will open new opportunities for people and AI's.
Eagle Eye presents the conflict of a supercomputer gaining excessive knowledge and control over citizens. The supercomputer known as ARIIA, was created to work for the government, but after an event in which the government went against her advice and failed, ARIIA knew that the executive branch was at fault and must now pay for the lives lost. ARIIA is programmed to know and follow the U.S. law, for this reason its target is the executive branch. The plot of the film not only makes a supercomputer the enemy but it also challenges the government in its form of running the country. This controversy of ARIIA always being aware of all citizens, surveilling the whole country and being able to control anything electric, makes the audience think and fear what the government is doing with all of their information. It is information that is fed to ARIIA and is used to complete its mission. ARIIA is a piece of artificial intelligence but has no body to complete the task she wishes, this is the reason for bringing in the two main characters. Through the two protagonists, Jerry and Rachel, ARIIA must complete her mission of taking out the executive branch. These two characters embody the AI by force, they help the AI because she is a threat to them. Without the power ARIIA possesses over them, there would be no reason to work as its physical body. There is a slight theme of gender issues that adds onto the fear of this supercomputer in particular. ARIIA is given a female voice, and until its identity is revealed it is often referred to as "she." It can be said that ARIIA is a conscious form of what the U.S. country knows as Lady Liberty. ARIIA might be the antagonist of the film, however her intentions to herself seem just as she is simply following the laws created by the fore fathers, the laws programmed inside of her, the thing that brings her closer to consciousness. This makes a critic question, what is it about this film that makes viewers afraid of a supercomputer being created? Is it the fact that it has unlimited surveillance over U.S. citizens or is it that it follows the law and condemns anyone who breaks the law no matter who they are? If these are the reasons for fearing a supercomputer, it is not technology that humans fear, but the government that controls them. ARIIA is a technological form of our government, she does what the government requires and expects of her.
In the sci-fi film, Blade Runner, the plot revolves around the capturing and destroying of runaway androids known as replicants. The replicants were created by Tyrell Corporation, for the government, to complete dangerous, leisure work that humans cannot do. The work they are created to do is found to be off Earth, banning the replicants from being on Earth. The replicants who are to be captured and “retired” have escaped the world they were placed on and have come to Earth for a free and longer life span. The problem of capturing replicants is that they were modeled after humans, therefore they blend in and interact just as humans do. The protagonist Deckard, is a part of the blade runners who hunt down and retire runaway replicants. In order to successfully do his job, Deckard uses the Turing test to distinguish between humans and replicants. The twist in the story reveals that Deckard is a replicant as well, created to be the most well assimilated replicant, programmed with somebody else’s memories in order for him to believe he is human. The story holds a strong theme of segregation and class, where the replicants are the subordinate, the humans the creators, and yet they can never live together in peace. Right from the moment of their creation, the replicants are assigned jobs that humans will not do, send them to another planet to keep them away, and the government sends these blade runners out to destroy any that breaking away from the lives they were given. The viewer is suppose to see these issues and agree that this is how it should be, they side with the blade runners, hoping the replicants are captured given the fact that they are dangerous to live with. However, these plot points are issues that the human race has dealt with in history and should actually sympathize with. The replicants are given a human form, but can still seem terrifying to viewers. The idea of not knowing who someone truly is, thinking they could be something they are not telling you is what makes them a feared species. However, when the viewer, as well as Deckard, finds out the truth about who he is, there is a sense of betrayal, but the viewer will not give up their support for the hero.
In the most recently released film, Her, the protagonist, Theodore, invests in a new operating system, an invention that has rapidly taken over cyber culture. The OS’s each come with a voice, personality and name of their choice. After Theodore decides to have a female voice for his OS, the OS chooses her own name to be Samantha. This is the first hint of the OS having a full consciousness. As the film progresses, Samantha’s personality grows, even though she has had a conscious from the beginning, it is apparent that her feelings and thoughts become very humanistic. Theodore and Samantha fall in love with each other, but being such a new and strange form of a relationship, Theodore keeps it a secret until he finds out that he is not the only one having a relationship with an OS. The idea of love being color blind has taken a new turn on love in this film as being simply blind. A key theme in the story is the idea of love being blind and coming in all shapes and colors. Love is an emotion one may share with another, and in this case it happens to be with a piece of software. Samantha is a form of AI, new to the human culture but far more advanced in intelligence and emotions than her human even possesses. Samantha is confident that a relationship like theirs is strictly based on emotions, a quality most technology would not be thought to possess. There is a point in the film where the idea of embodying an AI arises. Samantha comes to realize that Theodore misses the physical love in a relationship. Hiring a sex surrogate, Samantha believes having a human impersonator can save their relationship, however this only creates more problems between them. Theodore realizes that having an emotional connection is no longer enough to fulfill his needs. He comes to question how being in a relationship with a bodiless being would ever work. Her, successfully poses the question of whether a relationship between a human and an AI is possible. In modern day, the idea would be considered out of the norm, possibly even unethical. However, humans do not realize how close and personal they are with their technology. People cannot live without their computers or laptops, and often spend more time with these pieces than their loved ones. This is just as Theodore has with his OS, only his technology can speak back to him, which can already be done with most phones. Her, is the most recent technology plot based film that for once does not put their AI character in the antagonist position. The film sheds light on the positive possibilities that can come from advancements in technology.For the past century, as technology has advanced, society feared the dreadful possibilities of computers and robots retrieving gull consciousness. It seemed to be the myth around humans that technology would one day take over the world and control all humans. These myths are correct to an extent, people cannot live without their technology, they go everyday checking their messages and emails being controlled not by the technology physically but by being addicted to it. That is why, Her, is the most recent and accurate portrayal of how society should view technology. It is not an evil genius that controls humans' lives like in Eagle Eye, or evil androids that hide within human communities like in Blade Runner. The advancements that have been made are to benefit the consumer, the owner of the piece of software or hardware, in order for them to connect with the technology. The connection of forming a relationship with it, possibly not romantically but Her makes that statement that humans and their technology are a pair with a different, yet special, relationship.
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