The genetic and biometric ways in which the human body can be edited.
Edited Humans (28)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Ashley O is a pop star who lives and works under the tyrannical direction of her aunt and producer, Catherine. After Ashley decides she wants to rebel against her contract, Catherine places her in a coma and scans her brain to help create a digital likeness of Ashley O and produce new music which the 3D holograph can perform, all under Catherine’s control. Meanwhile, siblings Rachel and Jack hack a robot based on a synaptic snapshot of Ashley O, allowing the virtual consciousness of Ashley O to be reborn in the robot and help plot to take down Catherine. Working together, they manage to thwart the grand debut of the edited holographic version of Ashley O.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Celebrity Autonomy, Producer Tyranny, and Holographic Performances
Ashley O is a pop star who lives and works under the tyrannical direction of her aunt and producer, Catherine. After Ashley decides she wants to rebel against her contract, Catherine places her in a coma and scans her brain to help create a digital likeness of Ashley O and produce new music which the 3D holograph can perform, all under Catherine’s control. Meanwhile, siblings Rachel and Jack hack a robot based on a synaptic snapshot of Ashley O, allowing the virtual consciousness of Ashley O to be reborn in the robot and help plot to take down Catherine. Working together, they manage to thwart the grand debut of the edited holographic version of Ashley O.
Discussion Prompts:
How can celebrities keep their autonomy when producers can easily replicate them or their performances? How can musicians and other performers continue to keep a share of credit or profit when producers can easily co-opt their art? Should this technology be used to “extend the life” of musicians, allowing for holographic performances even after they pass away? What are the ethical questions raised with this concept? Should digital consciousnesses be fundamentally limited, especially when they are based on real people? How would this improperly shape the image of a celebrity, either before or after their death?
Black Mirror: Ashley's Career-
- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Rachel, a fifteen year old fan of the pop star Ashley O, is gifted an Ashley Too doll for her birthday. Ashley Too is a robot who contains a synaptic snapshot of Ashley O, and thus emulates her personality and can carry on a conversation with the owner of the doll.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Digital Duplicates and Friendship
Rachel, a fifteen year old fan of the pop star Ashley O, is gifted an Ashley Too doll for her birthday. Ashley Too is a robot who contains a synaptic snapshot of Ashley O, and thus emulates her personality and can carry on a conversation with the owner of the doll.
Discussion Prompts:
How can robots and devices such as the Ashley Too doll help children cope with grief or loneliness? How can it be ensured that children branch out in their connections beyond such robots? What are the issues present with modeling artificial companions after real-life public figures?
Movie Title:
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Danny, Karl, and Theo are a trio of friends who all once lived together. In their adult years, after Danny and Theo have married, Karl gifts Danny with the most recent release of their favorite fighting video game, Striking Vipers X. In this virtual reality simulation, Danny and Karl are able to become their avatars, Lance and Roxette respectively, and feel pain and pleasure in the virtual world through them. After the avatars begin to form an intimate connection within the virtual reality video game, Danny, Theo, and Karl find themselves needing to negotiate new terms of their relationships with one another, struggling to find if connections in the virtual world can coexist with connections in the real world.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Relationships and Exploration of Identity in Virtual Worlds
Danny, Karl, and Theo are a trio of friends who all once lived together. In their adult years, after Danny and Theo have married, Karl gifts Danny with the most recent release of their favorite fighting video game, Striking Vipers X. In this virtual reality simulation, Danny and Karl are able to become their avatars, Lance and Roxette respectively, and feel pain and pleasure in the virtual world through them. After the avatars begin to form an intimate connection within the virtual reality video game, Danny, Theo, and Karl find themselves needing to negotiate new terms of their relationships with one another, struggling to find if connections in the virtual world can coexist with connections in the real world.
Discussion Prompts:
How do virtual reality worlds allow humans to explore aspects of their sexual or gender identities that they may not have the opportunity to discover in the real world? Do the seemingly limitless possibilities for connection with digital technologies and virtual realities innately pose a threat to the landscape of long term relationships? Should concepts such as sex be built into virtual realities? If it is assumed that the reality is fake and the avatars are distinct from their controllers, do Danny’s actions count as infidelity?
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- 6 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
After his wife Carrie dies, Jack originally has her consciousness uploaded to his own brain as code. Once this solution is deemed unworkable, he has the coding of her consciousness transferred into a digital monkey toy which is gifted to their son Parker so that Carrie can continue to spend time with him. However, Carrie can only communicate in a binary manner, having access to only 2 phrases to express happiness or unhappiness.
- Kinolab
- 2017
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- 6 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
Digitally Immortal Vessels and Eternity
After his wife Carrie dies, Jack originally has her consciousness uploaded to his own brain as code. Once this solution is deemed unworkable, he has the coding of her consciousness transferred into a digital monkey toy which is gifted to their son Parker so that Carrie can continue to spend time with him. However, Carrie can only communicate in a binary manner, having access to only 2 phrases to express happiness or unhappiness.
Discussion Prompts:
How can developers of digital immortality technology ensure that it is ethical from the get-go? Can something like this ever be “piloted” when lives are at stake? How can people ensure that digital lives do not last for true eternity, especially if those existences are mundane? How can humans keep control of their existences in concepts such as this?
Movie Title:
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
In a short vignette told by a museum curator, a doctor known as Dawson devises a brain-computer interface device which can allow him to feel the physical sensations of patients in order to deliver a quicker diagnosis. However, his ownership of this technology ends up bizarrely shaping his psychology, putting himself and others in danger.
- Kinolab
- 2017
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
Consequences of Digital Hyperempathy
In a short vignette told by a museum curator, a doctor known as Dawson devises a brain-computer interface device which can allow him to feel the physical sensations of patients in order to deliver a quicker diagnosis. However, his ownership of this technology ends up bizarrely shaping his psychology, putting himself and others in danger.
Discussion Prompts:
How should technology which allows us to feel the sensations of others be regulated? What are the pros and cons of hyperempathy technology? How can autonomy over one’s own body be assured when technology like this exists?
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- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
Single mother Marie pays to have Arkangel, a brain-computer interface, installed into her daughter Sara. With this implant, Marie is able to not only track Sara’s location at all times, but can also access a feed of the audiovisual data which Sara is experiencing at any moment. After avoiding the system for a long time, Marie brings her Arkangel tablet back out to track and surveil Sara during her teenage years, going so far as to intervene in her love and social lives after watching the feed during intimate and private moments for Sara. Once Sara finds out, she revolts. For further reading, see the narrative “On TikTok, Teens Meme the Safety App Ruining Their Summer”
- Kinolab
- 2017
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- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
Marie and Sara Part II: Helicopter Parenting and Young Adult Independence
Single mother Marie pays to have Arkangel, a brain-computer interface, installed into her daughter Sara. With this implant, Marie is able to not only track Sara’s location at all times, but can also access a feed of the audiovisual data which Sara is experiencing at any moment. After avoiding the system for a long time, Marie brings her Arkangel tablet back out to track and surveil Sara during her teenage years, going so far as to intervene in her love and social lives after watching the feed during intimate and private moments for Sara. Once Sara finds out, she revolts. For further reading, see the narrative “On TikTok, Teens Meme the Safety App Ruining Their Summer”
Discussion Prompts:
How do technologies that allow parents to surveil and track teenagers prevent these young adults from self-exploration and actualization? Is it possible to design location tracking services that allow for safety without diminishing privacy or autonomy? What would this look like? In what ways do digital technologies make the teenage experience more and less free than it was before the digital age?