I have to tell you about a film I just saw: "Her" starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson. It's a fascinating sci-fi film about the near future when a man falls in love with an intelligent "companion" program. It asks the question, "What will human relationships be like in an era when a computerized friend or partner can give you more satisfaction than a real person?" I'm not talking about robots, just a simple AI program on your laptop or mobile phone.
The day is fast coming when a computer program with a sexy voice will handle most of your business affairs, laugh at all your jokes, support you in argument, sleep with you, be your agent when you're looking for a job, find dates for you, and be a help mate in every imaginable way. No human companion could be that consistent or that dedicated. So how will real-life humans relate to each other when these new digital friends dominate?
Until recently the menace of artificial intelligence was defined by malevolent computers in films like : "Colossus: the Forbin Project,""Terminator II," and by the HAL computer in the film, "2001." No doubt that's going to be a problem soon, but at least we're forewarned about it.
What we're not ready for is the benign program which has no ill intention toward humans, but which has unintended consequences which could be immensely destructive. Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" will be no protection in the world that ushers in.
If you're curious to know what the near future has in store, then this is a must-see film.
Okay, that's it! Now I'm gonna get...some......sleep.
