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When the scientist proposes creating a robot child who can love, the audience is bound to be asking the obvious question: Is that possible?
The article reviews the film 'AI: Artificial Intelligence,' initially conceived by Stanley Kubrick and brought to screen by Steven Spielberg. It highlights that both the film and its source short story, 'Super-Toys Last All Summer Long' by Brian Aldiss, profoundly question the definition of 'real.' The author argues that the film equates 'real' with 'value,' presenting a dark, nihilistic perspective where the replicability of life by technology diminishes its inherent worth. Kubrick's original 'Pinocchio' analogy for the story is also discussed, though the author points out discrepancies.
Set in a 22nd-century world ravaged by climate change and governed by population control, the film introduces a scientist's ambitious project: to create a robot child capable of love. This premise immediately prompts the audience to ponder the feasibility and implications of artificial affection, challenging conventional notions of what constitutes genuine love in a synthetic being.
Spielberg employs clever narrative tactics to steer the audience away from inconvenient philosophical questions about the authenticity of a robot's love. The article identifies three key redirections: firstly, by claiming love is merely a neurological phenomenon, avoiding the concept of a soul; secondly, by subtly replacing 'love' with 'imprinting' as the mechanism for the robot's devotion, suggesting a programmed attachment rather than true emotion; and thirdly, by shifting the core question from 'Can a robot love?' to 'Can a human love a robot back?', thereby reframing the narrative as a commentary on prejudice rather than the nature of artificial consciousness.
The author concludes that by redirecting the central question to human capacity for loving a robot, Spielberg sacrifices the original intent of Aldiss and Kubrick, which was to explore the ambiguity of 'real.' This strategic pivot to a story about prejudice, while attempting to foster empathy for the robots, creates significant narrative inconsistencies and ultimately undermines the film's philosophical depth, making the 'Pinocchio' comparison less apt. The article promises further exploration of these issues in subsequent reviews.