Take all the AI in sci-fi movies you've seen for as long as you can remember. Done? Good. Now forget them. Or maybe not? Because according to an anthropologist from the University of Zurich, those films may have told us much more than we think about the present we are living in. And perhaps also about what comes next.
AI in Movies, the Past That Predicted the Future
In the universe of science fiction, AI has always played a leading role. But how accurate were these predictions? Beth Singler, assistant professor of digital religions at theUniversity of Zurich, has devoted his career to studying what we think about machines that think. And his analysis reveals surprising parallels between yesterday’s fiction and today’s reality.
His broad reflection can find four manifesto-synthesis in as many films: shall we review them together?
Corto Circuito's thirst for data
Who would have thought that a 1986 movie would capture a fundamental aspect of modern AI? In Short circuit The deranged robot Number 5 comes “alive” after being struck by lightning and develops an insatiable hunger for information. “Input, input, INPUT!” he continually shouts.
What a metaphor, guys. A behavior that by itself surprisingly condenses the foundations of modern great linguistic models, which require huge amounts of data to function. And they are voracious in everything: unfortunately, even energy.
Ex Machina and the theme of gender
In another famous film, Ex Machina, AI is portrayed as a seductive female presence (how elegant, Alicia Vikander). According to the singler, this is a recurring narrative choice, and it is right. My first contact at the cinema with “embodied” artificial intelligences was in 1980 and in the theater they were showing “Io e Caterina”, with the great Alberto Sordi.
This speaks to the longevity of the “bias,” which raises important questions about how we perceive technology. Does AI really need a gender? Or does this simply reflect our own prejudices and expectations?
The “Pervasive” Legacy of Terminator
I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing (maybe a little bit of both), but no movie has shaped our perception of AI as much as Terminator. Born out of Cold War fears of the 80s, the film captures anxieties about the military-industrial complex, concerns still relevant, in the era of autonomous drones. Or rather: more.
Only difference, note singler, is the role of private companies and individuals in the development of AI: it has become much more significant than the film could have imagined.
Her and the technological singularity
The film Here explores a future where AI assistants become emotional companions of humans. We know him, we loved him, he shocked us: he did not leave us indifferent.
But many have underestimated the real intuition of the film, hidden by the sensual voice of Scarlett Johannsson: it concerns the concept of "singularity": the moment in which AI surpasses human intelligence exponentially. Instead of becoming a threat, the AI in the film simply chooses to "go beyond" humanity, and leave us alone. Who knows, maybe this could be the other side of the coin, a good "Skynet" that at most minds its own business. We'll see.
AI in Movies: Will Reality Surpass Fiction?
“The AI industry is evolving faster than science fiction can keep up,” he notes. singler. Yet these films continue to influence the way we perceive and develop technology. When a robot opens a door, people immediately think of Terminator, even though the reality is much more complex and nuanced.
As we move forward with AI, these films tell us that the human imagination will always play a crucial role in shaping the future of technology. From Short Circuit to Her, from Terminator to Ex Machina, science fiction has not only predicted many aspects of modern AI, but continues to influence how we think about its future.
And perhaps, he suggests singler, we should pay more attention to all the details and insights, not just those that have dug deep into our imagination, and that perhaps limit our open-mindedness.
