Mrs. Davis or Agent Smith?
Which AI is coming for us?
There’s a lot of chatter about how the rise of ChatGPT and other AI systems is going to change how our lives. The Senate is having a hearing, there’s a lot of hand-wringing, and rightfully so. While I appreciate the concern my thoughts go straight to one thing. Will it destroy us?
In the Matrix (1999) (SPOILER ALERT AHEAD) Neo learns that AI turned against humanity, a war ensued and now it’s using people as batteries. This is also the premise of Terminator (1984), though there are so many of those movies now I don’t know what the AI wants in those. And then we have Mrs. Davis. Please, I hope you’re watching this show, starring Betty Gilpin as a nun searching for the Holy Grail in order to get rid of the AI “Mrs. Davis”. The concept is so wacky, but the show is so good.
Unlike the AI in the Matrix and Terminator betray humanity. Mrs. Davis on the other hand has stopped war, and famine and is helping people find their purpose in life. Or so it seems. The finale comes out this week so perhaps they’ll reveal the real agenda.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Battlestar Galactica (2004)! The Cyclons also came for humanity and chased them through galaxies to finish the job. I recently rewatched the series and I still have qualms with the ending, but it’s still a solid show. These are just three examples of media that show the rise of artificial intelligence and our collective concern about how it could change the world as we know it. With each advancement in technology, we have concerns and excitement. Capitalism typically wins the argument and with the slow integration of that technology we all come to accept the “innovation”. Until it’s universally adopted and we forget our qualms. That’s what I imagined happened in the world of Wall-E, the other good robot other than Rosie from The Jetsons.