The artificial intelligence revolution seems to have taken many by surprise and is rapidly changing everything in our world. But science fiction has been predicting this for decades. His science fiction writers of the 1940s and his 50s were Isaac AsimovRichard Mathesonand philip k dick They were writing stories about superintelligent computers and robots that could mimic human thought processes and decision-making abilities.
And in the 1960s, television got into the science fiction game with three science fiction television series. twilight zone,outer limitand Star Trek — This provided the most convincing prediction of AI’s potential, both good and bad. Ten episodes of these classic series explore the ethical dilemmas of AI and the convergence of humans and technology, a technology that eerily prefigures many of our current issues and explores its modern incarnations and shows like We have laid the foundation. black mirror and westworld To address concerns about them more deeply.
Ten “steel”
“The Twilight Zone” Season 5, Episode 2 (1963)
Based on the short story by Richard Matheson, it was the inspiration for the 2011 film real steel starring hugh jackman This episode takes place in a future where human boxing has been banned and replaced by fighting androids. Former boxer Timothy “Steel” Kelly (Lee Marvin) is in charge of Battling Maxo, a malfunctioning old android that needs repair. Kelly can’t afford the parts, so he disguises himself as Maxo and challenges him to a match to relive his glory days as a fighter, but is nearly beaten to death in the process.
Although boxing is not currently banned, this episode foretells the rise of robot fighting, which can be seen on reality shows such as: robot wars And recently battle bot.
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9 “Uncle Simon”
“The Twilight Zone” Season 5, Episode 8 (1963)
Simon Polk is a miserable, abusive old man who has been caring for his niece Barbara for 25 years, just waiting for him to die so she can inherit his fortune. When he “accidentally” falls to his death down the basement stairs, Barbara steps up to get everything she’s ever wanted, including her freedom.
Unfortunately for her, there’s a catch. Uncle Simon seems to have created an AI robot for her and even programmed her with her own personality traits and voice. To preserve her legacy, Barbara must care for this robot’s intelligence as it grows and evolves into a duplicate of her uncle. Today, AI-powered deepfakes of celebrity replicas, politicians, and more have become a modern reality.
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8 “From Agnes with love”
“The Twilight Zone” Season 5, Episode 20 (1964)
Computer programmer James Ellwood solves a major technical flaw in a supercomputer named Agnes and uses her to solve an important computational problem at Cape Kennedy. However, she soon becomes interested in Elwood’s social life, and instead of providing him with the answers he needs, she asks all kinds of questions about the girls at work he’s dating.
She sabotages him with dating advice and eventually reveals that she is jealous of the other girl in his life and is madly in love with him. Agnes, who refuses to break up with her girlfriend for her sake, is thrown into turmoil. Agnes would fit in well in today’s world. In February 2023, NYT reporter Kevin Roos detailed his encounter with a Microsoft Bing AI chatbox that introduced itself as Sidney and declared its love for him.
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7 “Whipples Brain Center”
“The Twilight Zone” Season 5, Episode 8 (1963)
Manufacturing company executive Wallace Whipple (Richard Deacon) He turned to computers to run his company cheaper and more efficiently. This results in mass layoffs, protests, and disgruntled former employees. In true Twilight Zone fashion, Whipple himself is replaced by a robot and ends up at a bar with the rest of the fired employees complaining about dehumanization.
Job loss is one of the biggest concerns about AI today. From writers and actors’ strikes to grocery store and fast food workers, workers are sounding the alarm about AI taking their jobs. According to Goldman Sachs, an estimated 300 million jobs across the US and Europe are expected to be lost or downgraded to AI.
The Twilight Zone (1959)
- release date
- October 2, 1959
- creator
- rod serling
- cast
- Rod Serling, Jack Krugman, Burgess Meredith, John Anderson
- season
- Five
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6 “The Devil with Glass Hands”
“The Outer Limits” Season 2, Episode 5 (1964)
and twilight zone Its success led to more sci-fi fantasy anthology series.Probably the best thing is outer limit. In this classic episode written by Harlan Ellison, terminator Robert Culp plays Trent, a man whose memory is erased, his left hand replaced with an advanced computer, and sent back in time with three fingers missing. The computer guides him what he must do to get his lost finger back.
Eventually, he realizes that he is an advanced AI that holds the future of humanity. AI-powered limbs and implants are definitely a thing in today’s world.
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Five “I Robot”
“The Outer Limits” Season 2, Episode 9 (1964)
A work depicting the future based on a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov. Star Trek shine leonard nimoy, this episode explores the legal and ethical implications of human-like AI through the story of Adam Link, an android who has undergone a learning process similar to that of human children. This leads to some fatal mistakes and Adam has to suffer the consequences.
Lawsuits are underway in the United States and Europe seeking to establish AI and robots as “electronic humans” and promote responsibility and accountability. The episode was so well received that it was remade nearly 30 years later for the ’90s show, again starring Nimoy and directed by his son Adam.
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Four “Colonel Barham’s Brain”
“The Outer Limits” Season 2, Episode 15 (1965)
The series returned to its theme of merging human intelligence and technology in this episode. In this episode, a dying Colonel Burnham uploads his brain to a computer to guide astronauts through a mission to Mars. Things go awry, and the brain/computer becomes an all-powerful megalomaniac who manipulates it, even endangering the lives of his wife and child.
‘Mind uploading’ has become a mainstream area of research, with experts saying we are rapidly approaching the era when the human brain can be mapped, scanned and integrated with computers.
outer limit
- release date
- March 26, 1995
- cast
- Kevin Conway, Alex Dyakun
- season
- 7
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3 “I’m Mad.”
“Star Trek: The Original Series” Season 2, Episode 8 (1967)
Gene Roddenberry’s late 60’s Star Trek We have a slightly more complex view of the relationship between humans and AI.In this episode, Harcourt Fenton “Harry” Mudd – one of his Star Trek‘s most eccentric villains discover a planet of androids led by a central control unit called Norman who has super intelligence and can mimic human emotions. Mad tries to reprogram them to cater to his every whim.
When Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are hijacked by Norman and brought to the planet, they discover that the androids have outsmarted the Mads and left the planet to interact with the galaxy, bringing the aggressive humans under their control. Know what you want to do. Currently, android AIs that can interact emotionally with humans have been developed and tested in several different scientific studies.
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2 “The ultimate computer”
“Star Trek: The Original Series” Season 2, Episode 24 (1968)
meanwhile Star Trek is known for its forward-thinking vision for humanity’s technological future, but its approach to AI hasn’t always been rosy. In this episode, Kirk and the Enterprise crew host an experimental supercomputer called the M-5 Multitronic System. Starfleet wants to test the system’s ability to run an entire spaceship without humans.
During a routine training exercise, M-5 used Enterprise weapons to destroy two starships and kill their crews. Since it is impossible to stop it, Kirk must reason with the computer’s “humanity” and force it to dismantle itself. Today, AI is increasingly used in the military, and the U.S. Department of Defense recently surprised many by unveiling a strategy to accelerate AI adoption.
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1 “The measure of a man”
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” Season 2, Episode 9 (1989)
20 years after the original series was cancelled, Star Trek Continuing our sophisticated view of the relationship between humans and AI Star Trek: The Next Generation. Now, the AI has become part of the ship’s crew in the form of the lovable android Data.
Essentially a courtroom drama, the episode examined the legal question of whether Data is the property of Starfleet or an intelligent being with the right to self-determination. Similar to the “I, Robot” episode of The Outer Limits, this film touched on legal issues that are still being resolved.
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