Themes (326)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 10 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
After dying in a car crash, computer programmer Nathan’s consciousness is uploaded into the Lakeview program, one of many digital afterlives in which resurrected consciousnesses are guided through the virtual reality by a living “angel” figure. After Nathan struggles to adapt to his new reality, his angel figure, Nora, appears in the virtual reality to convince him to stay. However, Nora is having struggles of her own in convincing her father to accept the virtual afterlife in place of a supposed real heaven. For a similar premise, see the narrative “Afterlives and Liberation in Digital Utopias” on the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror.
- Kinolab
- 2020
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- 10 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
Virtual Afterlives and Adaptation
After dying in a car crash, computer programmer Nathan’s consciousness is uploaded into the Lakeview program, one of many digital afterlives in which resurrected consciousnesses are guided through the virtual reality by a living “angel” figure. After Nathan struggles to adapt to his new reality, his angel figure, Nora, appears in the virtual reality to convince him to stay. However, Nora is having struggles of her own in convincing her father to accept the virtual afterlife in place of a supposed real heaven. For a similar premise, see the narrative “Afterlives and Liberation in Digital Utopias” on the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror.
How might digital afterlives change the role of religion in the conceptualization of what happens after death? Is digital immortality in contradiction with religion? In this world, access to certain afterlives are determined by wealth, with more cushy afterlives costing more money. What ethical concerns does this raise? If there is to be a digital afterlife, does everyone need a fair shot at access? Should everyone have a fair shot at access, even if they led an evil life? Should such technology as this be privatized and under centralized control? Is it feasible to have people remain in the virtual world forever, or will VR never match up to actual reality?
Upload: Welcome to Lakeview-
- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
Nathan, a computer programmer, lives in an imagined version of 2033 in which all cars are equipped with a vocal assistant and an autonomous drive program. When he takes control of his own car and drives recklessly, he is pulled over by a police drone. Eventually, he meets his demise when the autonomous drive in his car fails to recognize a parked truck in the middle of the road.
- Kinolab
- 2020
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2020
Self-Driving Vehicles and Drone Traffic Stops
Nathan, a computer programmer, lives in an imagined version of 2033 in which all cars are equipped with a vocal assistant and an autonomous drive program. When he takes control of his own car and drives recklessly, he is pulled over by a police drone. Eventually, he meets his demise when the autonomous drive in his car fails to recognize a parked truck in the middle of the road.
What are the dangers of autonomous drive programs? Should AI be trusted to handle potentially lethal situations? What are the pros and cons of using police drones instead of police cars to monitor traffic? What are the benefits of using self-driving vehicles? How can they free up their owners to do other work or spend leisure time, without the need for human labor? In the case of mistakes made by these vehicles, is the owner responsible or the vehicle?
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2010
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room as a small site among friends soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
- Kinolab
- 2010
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2010
Facebook Origins and Control Over Photos
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room as a small site among friends soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
With increased sophistication of hacking, are anyone’s photos ever private in a digital space? When personal photos are uploaded to digital platforms for one purpose, how can users ensure that they are not used for another purpose? Has Facebook truly evolved beyond its roots of using photos to make binary judgements about people, or will this “hot or not” program always be a part of its character? How are women in particular targeted and impacted by privacy of photos? How does this narrative highlight some of the problems with the use of Facebook today? How did Facebook’s “coolness,” along with its apparent lack of cost for use, help it corner markets and make unfathomable profits?
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- 3 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. In this narrative, Tom and Ben find out that their father Lawrence, the creator of the Feed, harvested the Feeds from dead people and used the data stored therein to upload their consciousnesses, including memories and emotions, into a cloud. After seeing the “training data” of Lawrence creating digital consciousnesses on this program, an AI was able to make many more digital consciousnesses of non-real people. These consciousnesses are then able to “possess” human bodies through being uploaded to the Feed devices implanted in real people’s brains.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Digitally Reproducing Humans and “Possession”
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. In this narrative, Tom and Ben find out that their father Lawrence, the creator of the Feed, harvested the Feeds from dead people and used the data stored therein to upload their consciousnesses, including memories and emotions, into a cloud. After seeing the “training data” of Lawrence creating digital consciousnesses on this program, an AI was able to make many more digital consciousnesses of non-real people. These consciousnesses are then able to “possess” human bodies through being uploaded to the Feed devices implanted in real people’s brains.
Do we as humans need the physical world and our bodies, or can we successfully transfer/upload consciousness and live only in the digital space? Is consciousness the same thing as a soul, or different? Are these people discussed in the clip human, AI, or something in between? What are the far-reaching consequences of AI potentially being able to create realistic consciousnesses? How can brain-computer interfaces implanted into a person lead to a complete loss of their own autonomy? Can and should humans choose to donate their consciousnesses, memories, or emotions to science, with ultimately small knowledge of how these may be deployed?
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- 2 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. In this clip, Meredith must seek help from the leader of a developing country without the Feed network, because the Feed has become hacked and is bringing down infrastructure with it.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Technological Superhighways and Monopolistic Control
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. In this clip, Meredith must seek help from the leader of a developing country without the Feed network, because the Feed has become hacked and is bringing down infrastructure with it.
How integrated should our advanced technology be into our daily lives and basic amenities? Does it pose risks if the tech is hacked? What risks exist with technology monopolization, besides economic inequality? Should nearly all service be reliant on a small number of platforms with highly centralized control? Is the developing country of COM better off now because it never had the technology to begin with, and is therefore uncorrupted now?
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- 3 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, the son of the Feed’s creator Lawrence, realizes that his best friend Max is a robot of sorts, posing as a human. In reality, the body in the tub is a host which contains the digital consciousness of Max, formerly uploaded to a cloud through his feed and then downloaded into this new body. The new version of Max debates with Tom about why he should be considered a true human being.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Digital Cloning
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, the son of the Feed’s creator Lawrence, realizes that his best friend Max is a robot of sorts, posing as a human. In reality, the body in the tub is a host which contains the digital consciousness of Max, formerly uploaded to a cloud through his feed and then downloaded into this new body. The new version of Max debates with Tom about why he should be considered a true human being.
If having brain-computer interfaces collect millions of data points from each person, including memories, means that the life of each person can be extended if they die prematurely, is this worth the cost? Is this a true “life”? Whose viewpoint do you agree with more in this narrative?