A.RTIFICIAL I.MMORTALITY: A Postmodern Prometheus

A.rtificial I.mortality brings a heft of challenging, heady, and thought-provoking ideas to the table, and director Ann Shin (whose presence serves as its principal framing device) presents the film as a means to explore the veritable quandary of artificial intelligence and its role in possibly achieving immortality.

It’s evident that the topic begs countless interpretations, theories, and empirical research aplenty, and Shin doesn’t posit herself as the one who has all the answers but is (like us, the viewer) eager to ask questions and better understand this ever-growing world where the line between science fiction and science faction is practically whittled to the point of invisibility.

Now Ann Shin takes us into her world; after all, challenging weighty material such as the eternally debatable theme of immortality alongside the divisive subject of AI and its role in our society is no easy feat. So, as the audience, we ask, where is this movie going?

Do directors dream of contrasting themes?

Shin reveals that her family is struggling with her father and his declining health, namely his dementia takes a painful toll concerning memory loss. This query is the framing device for the subsequent film; in so many ways, Shin‘s project is motivated by the desire to preserve memories beyond the physical realm. Seeing her father fade away with his advancing Alzheimer’s inspires our director to seek out a way to protect her experiences and anything else that captures her essence as a way to pass on her life to her children. This process of digitally archiving one’s consciousness is referred to as a “mind file.”

This inciting incident/framing device is the jumping point for an expansive foray into the veritable world of robotics, biotech, and of course, AI. With some candid and occasionally intriguing interviews with visionaries such as Hiroshi Ishiguro, Deepak (and Digital Deepak) Chopra, Nick Bostrom, and Douglas Brushkoff interspersed with Shin immersing herself in the process of creating an AI version of herself to experiment and interact with the subjective essence of her film.

There’s a lot going on here, and A.rtificial I.mortality tries to cover a lot of ground. From the aforementioned rolodex of tech luminaries with the occasional segue to the Transhumanist Party and The Church of Everlasting Life. All the while we’re furnished with baiting narration from the director, “what if there was a way to avoid the inevitable?”

In short, the answer to that question (a question that the human race has grappled with since our ability to comprehend the notion of mortality) is, well, you probably got there already but, is artificial intelligence.

Why robot?

But the substance of these queries and the potential depth that could be extracted, pondered, or mulled over is couched in favor of perfunctory insights, gadget flaunting, and various talking heads waxing philosophy regarding the advancements in the world of AI, its relation to immortality and the potential of “life” in a post-biological world. Shin‘s presence in the film is both surrogate, narrator, principle subject, and guide.

Throughout, she’s asking questions that are likely on the minds of her audience, “what is a mind file? how close is digital Deepak to a real human? can androids have a soul?” but this narrative shorthand reduces the material to a level of obviation that borders on condescension. Shin‘s touring us through these various pit stops to lean into the world of AI engineering, but there’s a bump in tone. Is she making a film that will illuminate the advancements in AI technology or pursuing a vanity project in making her own AI?

The answer is a limply unenthused shoulder shrug of agreement; A.rtificial I.mmortality isn’t a bad film, but it’s one that suffers from a lack of focus and depth.

You’d think that one theme would bleed into the other, but the bulk of its concise runtime (74 minutes) is a highlight reel of endorsements from the varied figures of the robotics and engineering world. When A.rtificial I.mortality wanders into the territories of religion and immortality, there’s this absence of intrigue, and the inquisitive documentarian seems to be at the mercy of these artificial wonders rather than grapple or reconcile the potential proliferation of AI and how that will affect our world.

The Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto, whose zen priest is an AI and the creations of Hiroshi Ishiguro are merely presented as supplementary “wow-factor” fodder without any insight or critique regarding the deification of machines. The introduction of BINA48 (at the Afrochic Arts Festival provides some memorable moments as the head and bust modeled humanoid robot regales the crowd with a bevy of anecdotes and insights – namely a few references to Blade Runner were entertaining.

We can remember it for you “whole” sale

A.rtificial I.mortality is a deep dive into the varied world of AI. Still, the result is more of a scrapbook of a movie that’s not all that deep. And the dive is simply too short; coupled with a personally driven framing device that feels more like a curiosity that leaves the viewer unresolved and uninformed.

Furthermore, the ethical aspect of this technology and the inherently problematic notion of a “post-biological world” in terms of the societal hierarchy doesn’t seem to interest the filmmakers. There’s an ever-present vein of cultural elitism that pulses throughout, which is frankly off-putting, to say the least.

End Transmission

As we reach the finishing line any concerns regarding this brand of science and the race to pseudo immortality through AI is “fine” if you, like the director, view it through a personal lens. But that’s where the conversation generated by the director ends, it’s simply “fine.”

Sure, AI is interesting and deserving of an insightful but this is the kind of science that’s only “cool” if you’re an engineer and you want your picture on the cover of Wired. Frankly, why sprint into everlasting life if we’re not reversing carbonization and trying to remove the expiration date that’s stamped on the planet Earth?

Despite an eye-catching trailer that boasts a montage of griping content. The reveries of the post-biological world, immortality, Facebook AI chatbots communicating in their own coded language. All of this is enough to get one’s attention, but in the movie’s framework, they’re merely reduced to footnotes amid a myriad of untapped potential.

A.rtificial I.mortality will be available on VOD via digital distributor Syndicadio starting Jan. 11th, you can find the link here.

A.rtificial I.mortality shows us a world where AI is increasing to the point of deification, should we take the cautionary tales of the past and proceed with caution, or throw ourselves into the arms of the future? Let us know in the comments below!

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