Several of the films that we have screened this term – specifically Blade Runner, her, Ex Machina, and WALL•E – deal with society’s relationship with technology. While some of the predictions regarding things like robots and artificial intelligence are positive, many prominent people, including Stephen Hawking, Steve Wozniak, and Bill Gates believe that we should be concerned about what the future may bring.
Briefly explore the theme(s) common to these films. For example, what are the
impacts of technology on humans and their social behaviors, or what are the potential dangers, or positive aspects, of creating sentient AI’s?
Note: The aforementioned articles have been uploaded to Moodle, along with
a New Yorker article, “How Frightened Should We Be of AI?” by Tad Friend and
David Gelernter’s essay, “The Danger is not Machines Becoming Humans, but
Humans Becoming Machines.”
