All Narratives (328)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Westworld, a western-themed amusement park, is populated by realistic robotic creatures known as “hosts” that are designed in a lab and constantly updated to seem as real and organic as possible. One of the robotic hosts, Dolores, recounts to the human guest William a memory of old times with her father and her attachment to lost cattle throughout the years. Directly afterward, she has a flashback to a former iteration of herself, which was killed in another narrative before being restored by the lab team. Later on in the narrative which William and his sadistic future brother-in-law Logan follow, Logan reveals his darker nature by shooting one of the robots and telling Dolores that she is a robot, a choice which disgusts William. Logan argues that his actions do not morally matter because this is a fake world full of fake people.
- Kinolab
- 2016
Expendability vs. Emotional Connection in Humanoid Robots
Westworld, a western-themed amusement park, is populated by realistic robotic creatures known as “hosts” that are designed in a lab and constantly updated to seem as real and organic as possible. One of the robotic hosts, Dolores, recounts to the human guest William a memory of old times with her father and her attachment to lost cattle throughout the years. Directly afterward, she has a flashback to a former iteration of herself, which was killed in another narrative before being restored by the lab team. Later on in the narrative which William and his sadistic future brother-in-law Logan follow, Logan reveals his darker nature by shooting one of the robots and telling Dolores that she is a robot, a choice which disgusts William. Logan argues that his actions do not morally matter because this is a fake world full of fake people.
Can AI be programmed to feel like it is ‘human’? If AI can form attachments to things or people through programming, is that attachment considered “real”? What are the ethical questions involved with how humans treat advanced AI? Does human morality apply to ‘virtual’ experiences/games? Do human actions in digital realms/against digital beings reveal something about their humanity? Is it important to program consequences into digital environments, even if they come at the expense of total “freedom” for users?
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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?
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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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- 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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- 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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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Westworld, a western-themed amusement park, is populated by realistic robotic creatures known as “hosts” that are designed in a lab and constantly updated to seem as real and organic as possible. Bernard, a worker at the park, stumbles across robotic hosts that are monitored and directed solely by the park’s director, Dr. Ford. Ford reveals that these robots are an enactment of nostalgic memories from his younger days that he wishes to preserve, especially since they were built by an old friend of his. Relates to digital memory and delaying forgetting.
- Kinolab
- 2016
Technology and the Tangibility of Human Memory
Westworld, a western-themed amusement park, is populated by realistic robotic creatures known as “hosts” that are designed in a lab and constantly updated to seem as real and organic as possible. Bernard, a worker at the park, stumbles across robotic hosts that are monitored and directed solely by the park’s director, Dr. Ford. Ford reveals that these robots are an enactment of nostalgic memories from his younger days that he wishes to preserve, especially since they were built by an old friend of his. Relates to digital memory and delaying forgetting.
How can advanced technology and robotics be used to preserve human memories? Should we be able to re-create the past using such software? How do we value humans and memories if they can be easily replaced with robotic or digital versions?