Exam Blog

In my blog "Jacking In" I talked of how technology is slowly taking over our lives. In my response to "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence", I discussed David and how he is the purest character in the film. Here is my rebuttal to both of these blogs.

In our class it has been discussed that technology has been slowly taking over our lives, from the introduction to kindles and the growing number of iPods in everyday activities. I don't believe that technology is taking over our lives. In fact, it's been a part of our lives since day one.

The cavemen used blunt objects to obtain food and fire to cook it. We go to the store and cook it in our ovens. Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone (supposedly) as an experiment. We now have portable phones that are hands free. Before, books were a rare commodity published through the church. Now, we've invented ways for everyone to own books, even without having a physical copy of it in front of you (the Kindle).

Technology has evolved, yes, but its become a way for us to make our lives easier. Just because it has changed over time does not mean we are becoming slaves to it, it just means that we've learned to manipulate it and shape it to our own uses. Would you say that the C.G.I. in films means that we can't make movies that don't have alien monsters and huge explosions? No, plenty of non-blockbusters use C.G.I. to ENHANCE the experience, giving filmmakers a chance to create realistic backgrounds or place actors in scenes they weren't there to film.

Technology has been and always will be a crucial part of our lives. The fact that its changed does not make that different, nor does it make it alarming. It just means that humanity has become more ingenious in its uses of technology. If anything, technology is something to be celebrated, rather than spurned.
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Steven Spielberg's "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" tells the story of David, the first Mecha of his kind. He is forever locked in the form of a child, provided as a surrogate for those couples who can't obtain child licenses. Throughout the film David is seen showcasing what many have referred to as actual human emotion. However, I believe that these displays are programming; no matter how different he is from the other Mecha, he was created to be that way.

When David imprints himself onto Monica his demeanor changes from that of a stilted, "Shatner-esque" robot to that of an actual child. He loves his mother and he in turn wants to do everything he can to make sure that she loves him. Look at how he treats Monica's husband, though. Since he has not imprinted onto her husband he calls him by his first name, rather than father or daddy. His robotic personality comes through in their exchanges.

Also, David was PROGRAMMED to act like an actual child. His displays of love and affection is part of what he was created to do. That Hobby regards him as an anomaly doesn't mean that he might have some human tendencies, it means that somewhere along the line the Professor screwed up. After all, David was a prototype.

And consider the SuperMecha at the end. They want to study David because he had contact with humans. They want to study how this contact affected him, how his programming reacted to it. Since they were not created to be surrogate children, and since they didn't have any human contact, their interests are purely scientific. They are fulfilling their function, just as David is seen throughout the film fulfilling his.