Surely this isn't a simulation?

Over the semester, I've engaged in live reactions to several films that project diverse visions of the future. Each session involved integrating subject themes into real-time analysis. This critical self-reflection examines how I've leveraged artificial intelligence, subject themes and peer interactions to deepen my understanding of future cultures through the screenings of The Matrix (1999), Ready Player One (2018) and Arrival (2016).

Leveraging AI for Deeper Insights: I built a GPT for Peer Commentary

In my previous blog post, FIGHTING for my Attention, I explored the potential of AI to streamline the film analysis process. I found asking AI to create my live analyses prior was cumbersome and limiting than direct observation and note-taking, as it constrained my analysis to predetermined ideas, often identifying more themes than ChatGPT during screenings. However, I found that my critical conversation distracted me from my own observations, causing me to miss key themes. To address this, I developed my own BCM325 GPT, This AI tool, fed with insights from our readings, lectures and subject knowledge doc, assisted in crafting peer responses that were not only relevant but helpful, allowing me to maintain active participation in discussions without losing focus on the film's unfolding narrative as well as enhance my engagement with the material

Another goal I made in my last post was to make my peer commentary more concise. I noticed that people were commenting large paragraphs on my posts, which were full of detail but often unhelpfully long and generic. Instead, I amed to be consice yet full of helpful analysis and commentary. I believe that over the past few weeks, I have achieved this balance.

Connecting Films with Subject Material

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix became a lens through which I explored cyberculture and decision-making, something which was featured heavily in this film. My posting drew from Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger's work on the importance of decision-making, emphasising its complexity and the interplay between personal and social dimensions (Moore, 2022) & (Stollberg-Rilinger, 2019). I left this session feeling very conscious my whole life could be a simulation and I simply believed it was real due to having the ability to make 'my own' decisions.

I also explored secondary sources from Bostrom, (2003), reflecting philosophical explorations of simulated realities and their implications for our understanding of consciousness and existence (Bostrom, 2003). I also pulled articles by cognitive science professor at ANU's, David Chalmers, which critiqes the realness of the experiences within The Matrix from a cognitive science perspective.

Ready Player One (2018)

Watching Ready Player One prompted my discussions about cyberspace and virtual reality, the Anthropocene epoch, societies of control (EOI) and themes of identity and reality. Lambach (2020) aided my discussions around privacy and data protection in the context of geolocation technologies. Focusing on the "enormous amount of deeply personal data that makes it easier to identify users through data triangulation, raising issues of privacy and data protection" (Lambach, 2020). I reflected this concern in my live analysis, exploring the antagonist corporation's extensive surveillance and tracking capabilities and highlighting risks associated with centralised control in digital realms.

Smith, et al., (2021) helped me explore the role of cyberspace in social skills and identity. This prompted discussions about how characters in Ready Player One use their avatars to express their identities and develop social skills they may feel unable to in the real world. This reflects the paper’s points on social media as a space for identity exploration and social skills development among youth (Smith, et al., 2021).

Arrival (2016)

Through the lecture and seminar guide, I was able to note the features of language and communication that formed part of the movie's central themes. I discussed language as a tool for communication and understanding and how language shapes thought, taking focus from an article written by Lera Boroditsky at MIT.

Another thing i explored was the hectapods differing technology and intelligence, which transcend that of human comprehension. This concept mimicks the projected future of AI, where artificial intelligence will rise above human intelligence and form new ways of communicating, solving problems, living, etc.

MIT School of Engineering | » When will AI be smart enough to outsmart people?

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Summary / Key Takeaways