All Narratives (355)

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Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.

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Themes
  • Privacy
  • Accountability
  • Transparency and Explainability
  • Human Control of Technology
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Promotion of Human Values
  • Fairness and Non-discrimination
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Technologies
  • AI
  • Big Data
  • Bioinformatics
  • Blockchain
  • Immersive Technology
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  • Media Type
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  • Year
    • 1916 - 1966
    • 1968 - 2018
    • 2019 - 2069
  • Duration
  • 13 min
  • Kinolab
  • 2011
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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.

  • Kinolab
  • 2011
  • 6 min
  • Kinolab
  • 2014
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Digital Interrogation and Torture Methods

In this episode, Matt and Joe Potter, who inhabit the same cabin, tell each other short stories from their lives. Eventually, Joe Potter reveals that he killed his former father in law, and shortly after became responsible for the murdered man’s granddaughter freezing to death in the snow. Once he confesses this crime, it is revealed that Joe Potter is actually a digital consciousness trapped inside a virtual reality manipulated by Matt, designed in order to get his murder confession. Now having given a clear confession, his digital consciousness is sentenced to live inside a virtual reality, existing in nothingness for thousands of years.

  • Kinolab
  • 2014
  • 7 min
  • Kinolab
  • 2014
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Repetitive Code as a Menial Laborer

Matt tells Joe Potter about how he used to train uploaded consciousnesses to take care of people’s homes. After somebody’s brain is copied and uploaded onto a cookie, the copy is often unwilling to perform the menial tasks asked of them. However, once the consciousness is inside the “cookie,” time can be manipulated however the real people see fit in order to coerce cooperation for the coded digital consciousness.

  • Kinolab
  • 2014
  • 5 min
  • Kinolab
  • 2014
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Vicarious Digital Living

In this vignette, Matt describes his backstory as a member of an online community who used technology called “Z-eyes” to walk each other through activities such as flirting with women at bars. The Z-eyes technology directly streams all audiovisual data which his friend Harry experiences to his screen, and Matt is additionally able to use facial recognition and information searches to offer background information which enhances Harry’s plays.

  • Kinolab
  • 2014
  • 11 min
  • Kinolab
  • 2013
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Politics and Digital Mouthpieces

A CGI bear named Waldo is created using computer technology which sees the facial expressions of a comedian and renders it in real-time onto a screen. He is able to insult politicians with little retribution perhaps in part because he does not appear human. This power is harnessed by executives to put up Waldo as a candidate in a political race, where he is able to take part in a debate with real people and does not seem beholden to the same standards. Eventually, Waldo’s “driver” Jamie reveals his own identity, but Waldo continues on as a figure through embodying the voice of another worker in the company.

  • Kinolab
  • 2013
  • 9 min
  • Kinolab
  • 2013
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Martha and Ash Part II: Digital Revival and Human Likeness in Hardware

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. Eventually, this program is uploaded onto a robot which has the exact likeness of the deceased Ash. Upon feeling creeped out by the humanoid robot and its imprecision in terms of capturing Ash’s personality, Martha wants nothing more than to keep the robot out of her sight.

  • Kinolab
  • 2013
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