Can machines fall in love?
The question goes further than whether AI will become conscious someday and is playfully explored in a new film released this year, "Love Me". In the movie Kristen Stewart plays a "smart" buoy, designed to measure ocean conditions, and Steven Yeun plays an orbiting satellite with the history of extinct humanity in its immense memory-bank. There are no other actors in the film and neither character is human.
The machines court, woo and desire connection. So doing, they replicate human behaviors found in social media records left behind by long-dead humans. We feel their struggle to grasp why they exist and what it means to be alive. The movie raises important philosophical issues while entertaining in unexpected ways. We root for the machines' humanity even knowing they don't possess any. That's a tribute to the legacy our species may someday leave behind.
"...doing, they replicate human behaviors found in social media records left behind..."
ReplyDeleteWell, thank goodness they followed the path of love and kindness, rather than the usual huff and guff on (anti) social media 😁
Thank you for the film suggestion, I'll keep an eye out for it.
I stumbled upon this film on an obscure cable channel but see it's also available on DVD (in public libraries).
DeleteWhat an unusual premise for a film but I guess that is the age we're living in...the Twilight Zone of what was once sci-fi that is now quickly beaming reality. It reminds me a bit of "Her" and I really liked that film. Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
Yes, I saw "Her" when it came out and enjoyed it. This similar sci-fi initially sounds far-fetched but is done so well you buy into it quickly. And then it seems totally normal!
DeleteLooks interesting! I'll watch it!
ReplyDeleteI predict you'll like this. It starts slow but if you give it 10-15 minutes to warm up, you'll get hooked.
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