Film Clip (143)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 11 min
- Kinolab
- 1993
Geordie uses a brain-computer interface, which projects his consciousness into a mobile avatar controlled by his neural impulses, to explore distant ships. This humanoid avatar is able to perform tasks that go beyond human capabilities, such as shooting phaser beams from the hands. However, upon discovering the dead crew of the Raman, it is revealed that the lines separating his virtual reality and true reality are blurred.
- Kinolab
- 1993
Interface: The Virtual Extension of the Self
Geordie uses a brain-computer interface, which projects his consciousness into a mobile avatar controlled by his neural impulses, to explore distant ships. This humanoid avatar is able to perform tasks that go beyond human capabilities, such as shooting phaser beams from the hands. However, upon discovering the dead crew of the Raman, it is revealed that the lines separating his virtual reality and true reality are blurred.
What non-fantastical applications might you be able to think of for a technology similar to this, especially in regards to transferring neural impulses into a machine? What are the consequences of giving machines unbridled access to our thoughts? How can machines get in the way of perception of objective reality?
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- 7 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
At some point in the near future, Martha’s husband Ash dies in a car accident. In order to help Martha through the grieving process, her friend Sara gives Ash’s data to a company which can create an artificial intelligence program to simulate text and phone conversations between Martha and Ash. Through the chat bot, Ash essentially goes on living, as he is able to respond to Martha and grow as more memories are shared with the program.
- Kinolab
- 2013
Martha and Ash Part I: Digital Revival and Human Likeness in Software
At some point in the near future, Martha’s husband Ash dies in a car accident. In order to help Martha through the grieving process, her friend Sara gives Ash’s data to a company which can create an artificial intelligence program to simulate text and phone conversations between Martha and Ash. Through the chat bot, Ash essentially goes on living, as he is able to respond to Martha and grow as more memories are shared with the program.
How should programs like this be deployed? Who should be in charge of them? Do our online interactions abstract our entire personality? Could this be validly used for therapy purposes, or is any existence of such software dangerous? Is it ethical to provide such a tangible way of disconnecting from reality, and are these interactions truly all that different from something like social media interactions?
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 1997
Vincent, an “invalid” from the proximate future, was born naturally and is therefore seen as less than humans such as his brother Anton who were conceived in a computational genetic selection process to ensure that the best traits are carried on. Thus, in this eugenic society, biometric technologies such as finger pricks and other scans are used to detect superior and inferior human genomes. Vincent, relinquished to service jobs, steals the identity of a genetically superior man named Eugene to fulfill his goal of going on a space mission, yet is never able to let go of his sibling rivalry. However, Vincent sets himself up to prove that humans edited through this computational genomics project are not automatically superior to those naturally born.
- Kinolab
- 1997
Computational Genomics, Unnatural Selection, and Privilege
Vincent, an “invalid” from the proximate future, was born naturally and is therefore seen as less than humans such as his brother Anton who were conceived in a computational genetic selection process to ensure that the best traits are carried on. Thus, in this eugenic society, biometric technologies such as finger pricks and other scans are used to detect superior and inferior human genomes. Vincent, relinquished to service jobs, steals the identity of a genetically superior man named Eugene to fulfill his goal of going on a space mission, yet is never able to let go of his sibling rivalry. However, Vincent sets himself up to prove that humans edited through this computational genomics project are not automatically superior to those naturally born.
How might Computational Genomics affect the construction of the workforce? Is it ethical to discriminate upon the quality of ones genetic profile? Should the power of computers be used to help families partake in genetic selection for their children? How could bias enter supposedly beneficial uses of computational genomics? Have we gotten past a point where it is possible to fool computers with fake genetic tricks as Vincent does here?
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2015
After a hacker causes massive disruptive events across the globe, from destabilizing a nuclear reactor to changing the value of soy futures in the stock market, Nicolas Hathaway, a formerly convicted hacker, is released from prison to help solve the case. He eventually susses out that the hacker is targeting the internet of things which keeps conditions safe for a tin mine, similar to the internet of things which protected the nuclear reactor. The ultimate goal of the hacker is to use malware to disrupt economic systems, like the price of tin, and become richer.
- Kinolab
- 2015
Vulnerability of Workplaces and Economic Markets to Hacking
After a hacker causes massive disruptive events across the globe, from destabilizing a nuclear reactor to changing the value of soy futures in the stock market, Nicolas Hathaway, a formerly convicted hacker, is released from prison to help solve the case. He eventually susses out that the hacker is targeting the internet of things which keeps conditions safe for a tin mine, similar to the internet of things which protected the nuclear reactor. The ultimate goal of the hacker is to use malware to disrupt economic systems, like the price of tin, and become richer.
What are the alternatives to keeping workplace safety operations in the hands of digital technologies and internets of things? What are the alternatives to keeping economic markets in the hands of digital technologies? Could total safety from hacking ever be achieved? Could hacking potentially be a force for good if digital economic markets become too centralized? Are there any real life scenarios of digital hacking being used to disrupt large economic markets?
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- 8 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
In this episode, a princess is kidnapped, and the condition of her release is that the prime minister, Michael Callow, is forced to have sexual intercourse with a pig on live television. While the news media originally wants to keep this incident quiet, digital reporting from other news companies in the US eventually forces the UKN to start a conversation about this event. After an attempt at using deep fake to make the deed appear done, the prime minister is quickly slandered on social media, and public opinion on him and if he should carry out the act shifts rapidly online. With this quick change in mood, the prime minister ultimately fulfills the request in full view of the entire world over the news.
- Kinolab
- 2011
Digital News Media and the Pressures of Public Demand
In this episode, a princess is kidnapped, and the condition of her release is that the prime minister, Michael Callow, is forced to have sexual intercourse with a pig on live television. While the news media originally wants to keep this incident quiet, digital reporting from other news companies in the US eventually forces the UKN to start a conversation about this event. After an attempt at using deep fake to make the deed appear done, the prime minister is quickly slandered on social media, and public opinion on him and if he should carry out the act shifts rapidly online. With this quick change in mood, the prime minister ultimately fulfills the request in full view of the entire world over the news.
Is “hive mind mentality” something unique to digital media? How might these platforms exacerbate this tendency? Is this an inevitable consequence of digital social networks, or could they be designed differently? How can digital media channels disrupt and shape the course of power figures, for better and for worse?
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- 13 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
In this episode, Bing Madsen is one of many citizens who provide power to the digital world through spending each day on a stationery bike, which earns him “merits” to spend on both leisure activities and necessities. These laborers, along with all other classes, are constantly surrounded by screens in which their digital avatars can participate in virtual activities like biking on a road or being in a “live” studio audience. The reality competition show “Hot Shot” is one program streamed on these screens. In this narrative, Bing conspires to grab the attention of the world on stage, proclaiming that the whole digital world is fake and has brainwashed the laborers into providing power while upper classes get more leisure and enjoyment. This eventually lands him with his own talk show, where he recreates his suicide threats for sensational content in exchange for a more lucrative lifestyle.
- Kinolab
- 2011
Technological Immersion, Digital Underclasses, and Attention Economies
In this episode, Bing Madsen is one of many citizens who provide power to the digital world through spending each day on a stationery bike, which earns him “merits” to spend on both leisure activities and necessities. These laborers, along with all other classes, are constantly surrounded by screens in which their digital avatars can participate in virtual activities like biking on a road or being in a “live” studio audience. The reality competition show “Hot Shot” is one program streamed on these screens. In this narrative, Bing conspires to grab the attention of the world on stage, proclaiming that the whole digital world is fake and has brainwashed the laborers into providing power while upper classes get more leisure and enjoyment. This eventually lands him with his own talk show, where he recreates his suicide threats for sensational content in exchange for a more lucrative lifestyle.
How can technology be used/how is technology used to pacify the masses? What connection can you make to the society depicted here and the way that social media and other digital companies use data to make profits? How can digital technologies become a breeding ground for sensational content, and can this problem be fixed? Can anyone be “unplugged” and successful in our reality? How do internet communities commodify authenticity?