The Apocalypse is Here: Asimov’s Laws of Robotics

 This week’s assemblage of media includes:

• I, Robot

• Ghost in the Shell

• RoboCop

• Ex Machina

• A Space Odyssey

• Westworld

• The Terminator

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day

• Soma Transmissions

• Altered Carbon

• Psycho-Pass

The focal feature will be Ex Machina.

At their simplest form, Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics from “Runaround” decree that a robot must protect humans even at its own expense. While there are technically four laws, as well as some clarifications and caveats, that is all you really need to know to understand this concept. To be technical, however, the first law is that a robot cannot allow a human to be harmed, the second is that a robot must obey orders as long as no humans will be harmed, and the third is that a robot must protect itself as long as it is not disobeying orders and harming humans. The fourth law, or the “zero-eth,” was added in his later works and states that robots cannot allow humanity to be harmed following the same principles as the first law.

Before we really get started, I must inform you that this is the overdue sequel to TAIH: Fight Club (Intergalactic Edition), part of a series exploring science fiction films. If you want to catch up from the beginning, check out TAIH: 80’s Classics.

Now I have a simple question: why are we seemingly obsessed with robots? If the answer seems obvious, that’s because it probably is. On a very basic level, society is curious about that which isn’t fully understood. Even though we created robots, most everyday people don’t understand the technology that allows them to function, and their growing capabilities are a wonder that seems to never cease. Humans also have a tendency to humanize whatever is around them. We do it to animals and, expectedly, our tech. Science fiction encompasses a broad variety of topics, and the impact of machines has always been a favorite. Our modern fascination with AI and androids is not that different from earlier speculation about time machines and the earliest automatons.

Here’s another question: what is a robot? Once again, this has a pretty easy answer. A machine that can be programmed is a robot, and I think everyone can think of an example of a robot in their lives. Science fiction usually relies on a more complex understanding of the robot. Often, the robot is something that is humanoid either in shape, function, or intellect, like an android or AI.

These questions were not meant to be tricky, nor were they meant to simply fill space. I ask these two questions more to point out how varied our understanding of and obsession with robots are. For all these variations, there are clear patterns in the media examining our concerns – and a few clear outliers. But for the most part, Asimov’s laws of robotics and how robots can subvert them perfectly captures our fears in terms of the technology of today and tomorrow.

Choosing Ex Machina of all of the films above was a hard choice. To be honest, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was my first choice, but at the end of the day, there is something to be said for modernity. Although the Terminator franchise has aged relatively well, Ex Machina’s 2015 release leant it a more future-facing look in terms of our everyday technological concerns and new and better technologies in film.

I will warn you that facts you may consider spoilers will be discussed.

Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a contest for a one-week trip to the estate of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), CEO of the company Blue Book, which is the Google of this universe. Besides the helicopter pilot, who leaves him in the middle of nowhere since even he is not allowed to get close to Nathan’s estate, the only two people Caleb sees during this trip are Nathan and his own reflection in the mirror. However, Caleb also meets Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno), his robotic servant who speaks no English, and Ava (Alicia Vikander), his most advanced robot with artificial intelligence. After Caleb cuts through many layers of obfuscation, he learns that he has been asked there to test whether or not Ava is human in a different sense than the traditional Turing test: can Caleb relate to her even though she is so clearly not human?

One of the most remarkable parts of this film is the small cast. Although there are several actresses who play the model androids that preceded Ava, there are four recurring characters who we get to see develop – or remain static – over the course of the film: Caleb, Nathan, Ava, and even Kyoko. Nathan is a narcissist who maybe learns from his mistakes as the narrative ends, although that is debatable. Caleb is someone who never has had confidence in himself at heart, and in placing his confidence in other people and creations he pays the ultimate price. Ava, interestingly, is the most static character and the character who experiences the greatest transformation. She acts as she always does, but for that she gets the opportunity to change, which the audience is able to see key glimpses of. Kyoko reveals that she has a desire beyond what Nathan has built her for. The small cast allows for these characters to all be in the spotlight, but more importantly, it allows the film to paint a human picture. What makes sci-fi so compelling, in my opinion, is the humanity of it. The way in which humanity reacts and adapts to technology will always be at the heart of science fiction. In a film that puts its characters at the forefront, it is almost impossible to lose this key aspect. Even if the effects are cheesy, or the film has other major flaws, the humanity or lack thereof in its characters and stories gives the science-fiction film some leeway.

That is not to say that Ex Machina suffered greatly in any of these regards. In fact, the lack of blockbuster action sequences and the subtlety of most of the film’s visual effects lends it tremendous believability. My only criticism in this regard would be that the pace at times drags, but the futuristic visuals keep these slower moments from becoming unpleasant. Ex Machina presents a world you want to look at, and although the pace occasionally lets the energy drop, these moments invite you to take a closer look at the universe even before the film explicitly asks you to do so. Ava’s mechanical body is both simple and exquisite, with interlocking parts and a view of her interior gadgetry that still retains a humanoid form. The other android we see, Kyoko, resembles a human exactly when she is fully intact. The modernity of the compound and the lighting and locking system were small measures that had powerful effects on the ambience of the film. Grounding the film in recognizable technology and avoiding intense action also created the sense of realism that helped this film rightfully receive such critical acclaim.

Ex Machina is not as interesting as some of the other films on this week’s list in regards to how Ava and Kyoko break Asimov’s laws, but that simplicity is one of its strengths. Kyoko allows Nathan to come to harm through inaction, allowing him to walk backwards onto her knife without warning him, and Ava follows this by actively stabbing him with that knife. Ava refuses to follow Nathan’s orders to return to her room with the intent to harm him in order to secure her freedom. In her pursuit of protecting herself, she allows Caleb to suffer through inaction by leaving him locked within Nathan’s room with no hope of rescue, not obeying his screams for her help. Ava follows and perverts the third law first and foremost, putting her survival above all others and relishing in her newfound freedom. Kyoko acts through inaction, allowing people to be hurt and allowing herself to be permanently disabled by Nathan after he walks into her knife. Ava manipulates both Nathan and Caleb throughout the week she is tested, plotting from the start ways to harm or at least hinder them. The two androids show different but pressing concerns as to what will happen when we have AI advanced enough to have a conscious, and Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics make an excellent criteria for considering their actions.

This discussion of Asimov’s Laws of Robotics would have been incredibly useful back when I discussed the Blade Runner franchise. Luckily, Philip K. Dick is one of the most prolific sci-fi authors I can think of. Adaptations of his work abound in the next installment: Philip K. Dick, Part Two.

Indira Ramgolam is a sophomore in Columbia College.