Immersive Technology (58)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 11 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
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
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- 11 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
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.
How do digital media, specifically social media platforms, allow critical and political voices to hide behind some wall of anonymity? Can digital abstractions of real political figures be considered to actually fully embody the person or candidate themself, especially when other staffers usually run their accounts? How do digital platforms change the nature of relationships between politicians and citizens in terms of direct communication? Does hiding behind digital platforms make it easier for anyone to make bold claims and statements?
Black Mirror: Waldo on TV-
- 8 min
- Kinolab
- 1982
Main Control Program, an Artificial Intelligence presence, has self-developed beyond the imagination of its creators and sets its sights on hacking global governments, including the pentagon. It believes that with its growing intelligence, it can rule better than any human can, and forces the hand of Dillinger, a human, to help move its hacking beyond corporations. Meanwhile, a team of hackers attempt to break into the mainframe of this system. When the rebel hacker Flynn attempts to hack into the mainframe of the MCP, he is drawn into the digital world of the computer which is under the dominion of the MCP. Sark, one of the digital beings who serves the MCP, is tasked with killing Flynn.
- Kinolab
- 1982
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- 8 min
- Kinolab
- 1982
Digital Hegemony in the Real and Virtual Worlds
Main Control Program, an Artificial Intelligence presence, has self-developed beyond the imagination of its creators and sets its sights on hacking global governments, including the pentagon. It believes that with its growing intelligence, it can rule better than any human can, and forces the hand of Dillinger, a human, to help move its hacking beyond corporations. Meanwhile, a team of hackers attempt to break into the mainframe of this system. When the rebel hacker Flynn attempts to hack into the mainframe of the MCP, he is drawn into the digital world of the computer which is under the dominion of the MCP. Sark, one of the digital beings who serves the MCP, is tasked with killing Flynn.
Is human anxiety over the potential for super-powered AI justified? Would things truly be better if machines and artificial intelligence made authoritative decisions as global actors and rulers?
What could be the implications of ‘teleporting’ into digital space in terms of alienation from the real world? For now, it seems that humans are in charge of computers in the “real” world; if humans were to enter a digital world, who would be in charge? Do AI beings owe subservience to humans for their creation, given their increasing intelligence?
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 1982
Tron, a security program within the digital world, is thought dead and mourned by fellow programs Yori and Dumont.
- Kinolab
- 1982
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 1982
Bonding, Creation, and Religion among the Digital
Tron, a security program within the digital world, is thought dead and mourned by fellow programs Yori and Dumont.
Can programmed AI develop emotions and attachment to its maker? Could this be considered a sort of religious freedom for artificial intelligence? If so, is it ethical to use super-intelligent AI without considering its rights?
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- 17 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. Anything constructed in the virtual world, from possessions to relationships, is valued and taken as real by users. When a large corporation headed by Nolan Sorrento attempts to gain sole ownership of the virtual reality network, Wade’s avatar Parzival inspires a revolution among the citizens in the digital world, ultimately winning for himself and his friends the ownership of, and the power to regulate, the OASIS.
- Kinolab
- 2018
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- 17 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
Digital Escapism and Online Connections
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. Anything constructed in the virtual world, from possessions to relationships, is valued and taken as real by users. When a large corporation headed by Nolan Sorrento attempts to gain sole ownership of the virtual reality network, Wade’s avatar Parzival inspires a revolution among the citizens in the digital world, ultimately winning for himself and his friends the ownership of, and the power to regulate, the OASIS.
What are the pros and cons of developing exciting, immersive communities in virtual reality platforms? Do social networks change the nature of human interaction for better, for worse, or both at once? Can any one social network outpace reality as a means of connection? What is the risk of one corporate entity having centralized control over large social digital spaces? What is “the real world” if VR is convincing enough? Should the digital be heavily regulated if it serves as a legitimate coping mechanism for some?
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. In this scene, his virtual avatar Parzival visits the Halliday Journals, a complete archive of the memories of James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS. These memories are digitized in their complete abstract form, and seem freely accessible to anyone.
- Kinolab
- 2018
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
The Digitization of Memory and its Consequences
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. In this scene, his virtual avatar Parzival visits the Halliday Journals, a complete archive of the memories of James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS. These memories are digitized in their complete abstract form, and seem freely accessible to anyone.
How can tech like the “cloud” be used for the storage of abstract data like consciousness and memories? What would be potential impact on human memory if memories were easily able to become fully digital? What are the dangers of intimate memories being potentially accessible to anyone in the digital world?
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. In this scene, the virtual avatars of himself and his team search for a McGuffin item in the digitally rendered atmosphere of the film The Shining, with features of the film such as the twin girls making an appearance.
- Kinolab
- 2018
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
Digitizing the Fictional and Copyright Claims
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. In this scene, the virtual avatars of himself and his team search for a McGuffin item in the digitally rendered atmosphere of the film The Shining, with features of the film such as the twin girls making an appearance.
How can pre-existing media, like film, be made “new” through deep fake and VR tech? What are the copyright issues that arise? If digital technology can render fictional settings accessible to everyone, who truly “owns” a space or story? Do narrative artists lose creative power if people can digitally insert themselves into the worlds of a story?