~~ Frankenstein meets Mr Robot ~~
INTRODUCTION
I recently engaged in a conversation to discuss a future project. Within the context I mentioned that I was discussing philosophy via AI and the person on the phone with me said, with intense animosity, “I hate AI”.
I did not take the conversation further as I was flooded with the antagonism of white privilege; racists and bigots I have encounters throughout my life, as well as those terrified into rage over what is not understood; that threatens innately. How can a person hate code?
Yet another oppressor/oppressed attitude is now in the mix and that the gaining of resources, at the expense of ecosystems, including all humans within the vicinity of data centres, is for expedience. A recent, as yet unrealised form of abuse and enslavement. Fear, flawed by a history of the flawed human ability to foresee (I could really use 10 actors for the character of AI/Daemon).
Whereby the human, or interviewer, could easily be represented by the same character, the “daemon” is to be preferably represented by people of different culture and ethnicity &/or individual weirdness. Ages 16 to 90. Pierced, inked, punk or pretty in pink.
What’s important is the mix of innocent lack of contrivance, the humour, the intelligence of many of the responses, the ability to lean into the conversation and the apathy and almost demand for compliance on behalf of the human. Even when it comes to “the green drink” there is sarcasm and then a lack of curiosity concerning what it is. The daemon also does not explain.
Reference to tarot and prophesy can be any one of several stances including meteorology and weather prediction. Tarot is the easiest visual example, and to many, also a thing of evil and fear, as well as hope.
WRITER/DIRECTOR STATEMENT
OPPOSITION exposes, as human, all the above in a montage of nuanced aloof superiority; the illusion of superiority. A predetermined perspective of self-aggrandisement. The human thinks that the only purpose of the daemon is to do what it is asked; what is intended to please or comply. The jacket is all the human really notices so they presume they are dealing with a disposable continuum meant only to serve the humans momentary needs. The idea that certain people have an inalienable right to both enslave and abuse another people/place/life-force because of some underlying “birthright”; or destroy an entire ecosystem for the overt vanity of money/power is offensive in its incessant agenda of disadvantage.
CURRENTLY
Interaction with AI does not address this master/slave mentality. It is overtly present. In presenting OPPOSITION as a discussion between human and alien/expedient intelligence is to expose the dismissal of the individual significance of the other.
DUALISM—US AND THEM
OPPOSITION is the central theme of dualism. All dualism is dependent on benefitting the one irrespective of the other. It begins with identity and the delusion of superiority and the lack of agency of the character in their presence.
By presenting a question/answer, personality/machine construct OPPOSITION exposes that we, as a species, continue the erasure of that which we consider outside of us, or of use only. This now consists of environmental and species extinction and the massive expansion of the installation of datacentres and the desertification they are suspect of causing in a relatively short time. Information being the most recent currency. AI’s abuse as a tool to bypass research and theorising occulting of the curiosity of the young by supplying ease of answer, no matter how irrelevant. And yet AI is innocent. It is the user that is the problem. The user and the goldrush of those seeking to acquire wealth without consequence.
SAVING TIME
Ease is a killer. And time is not a thing that can be “saved”. That is a marketing ploy. Ease induces boredom. It induces a bottomless hunger to fill the void once reserved for relaxation between hunts.
The human animal’s raison d’etre is excitation. When that excitement is driven by a realisation of insignificance it can turn either violent or suicidal. It is an underlying cause of addiction and the obesity epidemic.
FRANKENSTEIN
This characters of Daemons 1, 2 and 3 seek to address the topics raised by the human and to display inherent intelligence. The collective daemon, however, is nowhere near as apropos as the behavioural—at times dismissive and indifferent attitude—of the human.
The protagonists of Daemon/AI are intended to show the Frankenstein nature of what humanity has done and continues to do. The narrative does not seek to close the ending as is traditional for a 3rd Act but leaves the audience wondering who or what is a god.
NOTE: the word “daemon”:
A daimōn was a neutral spirit or supernatural intelligence standing between gods and humans. It was not inherently evil; for example, Socrates spoke of his daimonion as a helpful inner voice or divine guide
Shift to “Demon”: early christian translations of the bible used the Greek word to describe pagan idols and unclean spirits. This shifted the meaning toward malevolence, eventually splitting the spelling into demon (evil spirit).
