Human Intelligence and Technology on Space Odyssey and Wargames

Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code/Title
Instructor
Date
Abstract
The films 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)  and Wargames (1983) center on the overarching themes of philosophy of technology and human Intelligence. The two films are important in explaining the abilities of human Intelligence to make and control technology. In modern society, technology has been glorified to the extent of replacing basic human Intelligence. 2001: Space Odyssey presents a scenario of how humans have trusted and relied on new technologies and the upheavals resulting from overdependence such as death (Wolfram n.p). While Stanley Kubrick, the director of Space Odyssey, seems to enhance our appreciation of human perceptual faculties, he sets a challenge for humans to think beyond the conventional human Intelligence and ideas that disconnect us from our everyday experience the natural world through technology (Stoehr 119). The Wargames film shows a young and intelligent boy, David, whose tactics in hacking computers put him in trouble with the military soldiers for almost causing what could have been world war III. The two films leave us with a question on the implications of new technologies on human Intelligence and the possible dangers of augmenting our perception and consciousness. Based on the film Wargames, Selinger, and Engstrom (639) perceive technology as ways in which humans experience the natural world and explain that the computational theory of mind (CTM) seeks to convert the poorly understood human mind and consciousness into numbers, interactive algorithms, and codes. Drawing concepts from Space Odyssey and Wargames films, this paper analyzes the risks of replacing human Intelligence with computers and how human Intelligence can be a disaster to the same. With so much emphasis and investments in technology, this paper offers an insight into how human adventures and efforts of making life more comfortable can be deleterious. 
Human Intelligence and Technology
Artificial intelligence continues to enjoy widespread adoption in various industries as sophisticated technologies threaten to replace highly skilled humans through mimicking human characteristics. Over the decades, AI systems have become highly advanced in the invention of self-driving cars, autonomous weapons, and robotics which offer numerous benefits to humans. This has led many people to believe that an artificial intelligence explosion will solve many of the current global problems such as poverty, disease, and war. In many cases, these super-intelligent systems outperform humans in various tasks rendering them redundant. However, there is a downside, and the rise of these technologies can be compared to a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, they promise immense benefits to human society while also posing significant risks to humanity. For instance, Autonomous weapons pose the risk of causing mass casualties as they can be designed in a way that makes it almost impossible to be turned off. These systems can be performing beneficial tasks but can simultaneously develop a destructive method to execute it and, in the process, prevent any human who attempts to stop it (Shanthi, Narsimha, & Mohanty). This risk is evident in two classic science fiction films, 1983 Wargames and 2001: Space Odyssey, which raises concerns about AI safety. The following discussion examines the implications of sophisticated technologies like artificial intelligence on human intelligence. It will use the above two films to illustrate the possible dangers of replacing human intelligence with these systems while also highlighting a few of the potential benefits they present.
The film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) brings out the detachment and disconnection to the natural world caused by modern technologies. They promote abstract concepts, such as a machine-driven world, which defies reality. In this technology-driven world, the physical body takes less significance, and body senses take a reduced role. This is exemplified by large parts of the film, which depict spaceships and sophisticated technologies with minimal dialogue amongst the characters. It is a world where human's powers of perception and physical embodiment do not exist. Their form of intelligence does not depend on any material or physical body. The prehistoric and futuristic concepts it presents show technologies take a primary role over humans. The film 2001's use of space drastically changes the concept of physical identity in the natural world as the astronauts exist in a mechanical environment disconnected from the natural world. It also shows that human intelligence can be impersonal and detached from reality (Stoehr). The fixed presence and specific physical location, which humans are familiar with, take a secondary role.
Due to this, many viewers fail to build an emotional attachment with the characters. The film's leading characters Bowman and Poole, do not display normal human traits; instead, the film gives the computer HAL human-like characteristics. This is symbolic as it promotes the idea of future technologies revealing more accurately human feelings. Dr. Floyd's roles in the spaceships demonstrate physical disconnection as his activities, such as talking to Russian scientists, show the detachment between the body and mind. Bowman trying to disconnect HAL and Poole's death further illustrate the loss of physical identity brought forth by technologies (Stoehr). This concept of physical disconnection in the film presents the possible dangers caused by rapid technological advancements.
First, it distorts the concept of human intelligence as it creates the philosophical thought that human existence does not depend on the body. Intelligence can be tapped without a physical identity and a world governed by technologies presents a superior option for humanity. People can detach from the concepts of location and time. As a result, an over-reliance on technology is created, affecting the human perception of the world (Stoehr). Humans become involved in an artificial task that ignores physical action and causes them to avoid risk-taking or concrete situations that improve their perspective of the world.
There are marked differences between the computer systems used in the film 2001 and the current ones. Over the decades, computer systems have undergone drastic changes. The machines in 2001 featured single screen displays with numerous mechanical buttons for operation. However, today's computers feature a touchscreen and multiple window displays. These digital systems also use complex algorithms for super-fast information processing. The film showed a limited supply of computers, which today are very common, and they are easily accessible for the vast majority of people. The film imagined also imagined a world where routine space travel is a reality (Wolfram). However, this situation has not yet occurred as sufficient resources have not been devoted to space travel.
The film illustrates a risk presented by AI-powered systems, which is evident in the computer HAL. The machine is efficient in quickly processing information and even displays emotions. However, it endangers the spaceship crew resulting in the deaths of some of them. This occurred when HAL viewed the astronauts' intention to deactivate it as interfering with the mission. As a result, computer HAL switched off the life support function killing the scientists (Stoehr). It shows that despite the revolutionary impact of AI on human society, it also poses a threat to human life. If there is no enforcement of strict regulations or ethical principles, then the technology can have devastating consequences to humans. The actual risks will be evident when an intelligence explosion occurs where the machines outwit and overpower humans. In this case, the emergence of autonomous weapons illustrates this situation (Johnson 150). These dangerous weapons operate without human oversight, posing the machines' risk of overriding human intervention in times of danger.
It raises the possibility of AI systems launching deadly weapons or enemies manipulating the algorithmic processes to launch AI-guided missiles. All these eventualities can cause mass casualties. The power of AI systems continues to increase exponentially. So, AI will spark a global arms race where major military forces can mass-produce AI-guided weapons. This is made even possible as developing autonomous weapons does not require significant rare raw materials. The technology to design them is readily available (Johnson 150). The threat escalates when one imagines the machines can get into the hands of terrorists, warlords, or rogue governments who may use them to exert greater control over their populace, attack their rivals or perpetrate ethnic cleansing, which will destabilize affected nations.
These autonomous weapons must be redesigned to ensure immediate human intervention will prevent them from activating any destructive mechanism. The lack of a robust AI oversight body increases the potential risks. A global regulatory body can ensure the safe development of AI and mitigate these risks. This means the selective application of AI since these sophisticated systems offer immense benefits to many sectors of an economy. With many nations capable of developing AI weapons, an international body will be vital to enforce bans or restrictions on these machines and protect humanity from future catastrophe. 2001 illustrates the dangers of developing machines without a human-centric focus; HAL showed the consequences of not considering end users. Humans will end up designing more intelligent machines that will create a consciousness t...