Themes (326)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 6 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. Kate Hatfield, a new mother, discovers that someone has hacked into the device in her head, and thus was able to access some of her lived memories. Later, the culprit of this hack is revealed to be her father-in-law Lawrence, who was attempting to implant the Feed into Bea, the new baby.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 6 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Consent and Control with Personal Data
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. Kate Hatfield, a new mother, discovers that someone has hacked into the device in her head, and thus was able to access some of her lived memories. Later, the culprit of this hack is revealed to be her father-in-law Lawrence, who was attempting to implant the Feed into Bea, the new baby.
What are the dangers that come with ‘backing up’ memory to some type of cloud account? What risks are posed by hackers and corporations that run such backing up services? Is there something special about the transient, temporary nature of human memory that should remain as it is? How much of our privacy are we willing to sacrifice in order for safety/connectivity? How should consent work in terms of installing a brain-computer interface into a person? Should a parent or other family member be able to decide this for a child?
The Feed: Kate's Mundles-
- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. Tom is a member of the Hatfield family, the owner of the tech monopoly which created this technology. The Feed allows people to alter their perception of reality, whether this means changing the appearance of people and places or playing music over any environmental noise.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 14 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Omnipresent Technology and Altering Reality
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. Tom is a member of the Hatfield family, the owner of the tech monopoly which created this technology. The Feed allows people to alter their perception of reality, whether this means changing the appearance of people and places or playing music over any environmental noise.
What are potential consequences of getting large numbers of people addicted to brain-computer interface technologies that can easily be hacked? How does this deprive people of autonomy? How can digital addiction de-sensitize people to the “real world”? How could augmented reality fundamentally change industries such as interior design, event planning, and even travel? How can virtual reality tech be used to bring us closer, and connect people together? What will virtual meetings look like in the future, with the potential for holograms and a complete immersive experience?
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- 3 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 humanoid robot who previously believed himself to be a regular human, questions his maker, Ford, on what makes him different from humans, to which Ford replies that the line is very thin and arbitrary.
- Kinolab
- 2016
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Robot Consciousness
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 humanoid robot who previously believed himself to be a regular human, questions his maker, Ford, on what makes him different from humans, to which Ford replies that the line is very thin and arbitrary.
Why do humans cling to ‘consciousness’ as the thing that separates us from advanced machines? Is consciousness real or imagined, and if it is constructed in the mind, can it be replicated in AI’s ‘mind programming’? Would that be a same or different kind of consciousness? Should robots be given the capability for consciousness or self-actualization if that leads to tangible pain, for example in the form of a tragic backstory? If robots are to have consciousness, do they need to be able to essentially act like a human in every other way?
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- 8 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 these hosts, Maeve, is programmed to be a prostitute who runs the same narrative every single day with the same personality. After several incidences of becoming conscious of her previous iterations, Maeve is told by Lutz, a worker in the Westworld lab, that she is a robot whose design and thoughts are mostly determined by humans, despite the fact that she feels and appears similar to humans such as Lutz. Lutz helps Maeve in her resistance against tyrannical rule over robots by altering her core code, allowing her to access capabilities previous unavailable to other hosts such as the ability to harm humans and the ability to control other robotic hosts.
- Kinolab
- 2016
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- 8 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Maeve Part III: Robot Resistance and Empowerment
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 these hosts, Maeve, is programmed to be a prostitute who runs the same narrative every single day with the same personality. After several incidences of becoming conscious of her previous iterations, Maeve is told by Lutz, a worker in the Westworld lab, that she is a robot whose design and thoughts are mostly determined by humans, despite the fact that she feels and appears similar to humans such as Lutz. Lutz helps Maeve in her resistance against tyrannical rule over robots by altering her core code, allowing her to access capabilities previous unavailable to other hosts such as the ability to harm humans and the ability to control other robotic hosts.
Should robots be given a fighting chance to be able to resemble humans, especially in terms of fighting for their own autonomy? Should robots ever be left in charge of other robots? How could this promote a tribalism which is dangerous to humans? Can robots develop their own personality, or does everything simply come down to coding, and which way is “better”?
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
Nightly is an app used prominently in dating and hookup culture in this imagined version of 2033. It includes features such as a rating and comment system, a consent requirement, and body cameras. This narrative details the experience of a woman named Nora as she uses the technology with a hookup
- Kinolab
- 2020
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
Online Dating Devices
Nightly is an app used prominently in dating and hookup culture in this imagined version of 2033. It includes features such as a rating and comment system, a consent requirement, and body cameras. This narrative details the experience of a woman named Nora as she uses the technology with a hookup
How is the future of dating impacted by advanced dating apps? How do we ensure consent in hookup culture, and how can technology help with this (such as bodycams and consent trackers)? Moreover, is it ethical to use ranking and rating systems on people, such as with online apps like those for dating or other services? Isn’t human interaction subjective?
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
In this imagined future, citizens interact with the world and with each other through brain-computer interface devices which augment reality in ways such as sending each other visual messages or changing one’s appearance at a moment’s notice. Additionally, with this device, everyone can automatically see a “ranking” of other people, in which Alphas or As are the best and Epsilons or Es are the worst. With all of these features of the devices, privacy in its many forms is all but outlawed in this society.
- Kinolab
- 2020
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
Augmented Communication and a Post-Privacy Era
In this imagined future, citizens interact with the world and with each other through brain-computer interface devices which augment reality in ways such as sending each other visual messages or changing one’s appearance at a moment’s notice. Additionally, with this device, everyone can automatically see a “ranking” of other people, in which Alphas or As are the best and Epsilons or Es are the worst. With all of these features of the devices, privacy in its many forms is all but outlawed in this society.
How can brain-computer interfaces work together with virtual reality to enable us to share images, styles, and other information to our friends more seamlessly? What if humans could also implement VR into our communications? Would that improve interactions? How could deception sneak into this system? How do social media quantifications, such as a number of likes or followers, act as a sort of preliminary “ranking” for a person, and how does this affect people’s opportunities? Have social media and other digital media platforms conditioned society to see a lack of privacy as the norm, and conversely privacy as a sort of vice? How should we continue to value privacy in the age of social media monopolies?