wolvensnothere:

I was on the road when you sent this, so I was unable to answer with the level of nuance and detail your question deserves.

My problem with Transcendence is that it seems to recapitulate (I really like that word; it’s very evocative) the very rift that any science fiction focusing on human augmentation or autonomous created intelligence, at this late stage, should be seeking to Erase. It’s all still “TOUCH NOT WHAT MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW” and “OUR HUBRIS HAS DOOMED US ALL” and Œdipal obsolescence fears.

I say “seems to,” because I won’t know for certain, until I see the film; it could be a goddamn Masterpiece, with a shitty trailer.

But, until then, it seems that Transcendence, like FOX’s Almost Human (there’s not yet enough data to pass any kind of judgement on CBS’s Intelligence) misses the points that

A) Philosophically speaking, there is no forgone conclusion as to what “makes us human,” and any narrative that starts with the premise that there IS, without first defining What it is and proving That It Is That, is quite simply begging the question;

B) The current thinking by most grinders, Transhumanists, and many futurists, is that not only is the only way Out Through, but the only way Through is TOGETHER; that is, that whatever attributes humans have to take on to survive the coming catastrophic changes to our modes of engaging reality, we will be best served by doing it WITH whatever ACI we create or which emerges of its own volition, rather than trying to compete against or enter into any other kind of antagonistic relationship with it;

and C) We need to combine those two. Whatever “Humans” “Are,” that is, whatever essentialist story we tell ourselves to make us feel special, we need to 1) get over it,  2) respect that something else might have something like it, and 3) be prepared to consciously and attentively change it, in order to be the kind of thing that survives and THRIVES in equilibrium with our universe, rather than constantly fucking ourselves into a corner, and scrambling to escape it, just in the nick of time (Another Johnny Depp film; good concept, weird execution).

One last thing, I will note: It’s funny as hell that Paul Bettany is playing the role of the AI hater, here, considering his role as J.A.R.V.I.S.—one of the most accessible pop culture examples of robust  ACI, in YEARS—in the Iron Man and Avengers films.

Seconded!!!