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  Films from the Future

  Praise for Films from the Future

  “What an unexpected and compelling combination of art and science. Using creativity, from the minds of filmmakers, to examine the potential pitfalls of technology, to show humanity a better path—pure genius!”

  —Danielle Feinberg, Director of Photography at Pixar

  “Maynard will have you questioning the most rational assumptions, not just those featured in movies. While the future cannot be predicted from ‘exponential trends of the past,’ this book shines with hallmark traits of a bestseller.”

  —Darlene Cavalier, founder of SciStarter

  “The speed at which science is progressing means that today’s science fiction will quickly become tomorrow’s science, so what better way to consider science and our future than by going to the movies? Maynard’s book is an engaging and important read for anyone who wants to understand not just today’s cutting-edge science, but also the ethical issues scientists—and all of us—must deal with if we’re to avoid a real-life dystopia.”

  —Ariel Conn, Future of Life Institute

  “We humans have a profound ability to imagine the world we want to live in, and the ones we don’t. And though we share these visions in movies, the strange truth is that we continually fail to build that wonderful world we can imagine. What is that chasm between imagining and creating? Andrew Maynard challenges us to walk that brave path through that thus-far uncharted countryside, and build that positive future.”

  —Lindy Elkins-Tanton, leader of the NASA “Psyche Mission”

  “If you like science fiction, you are already studying risk: that’s the alluring premise of this highly readable book. It’s bound to get film buffs pondering philosophical quandaries posed by movies that have real analogues with the highest of moral stakes in the world today.”

  —Nathaniel Johnson, senior writer at Grist

  “Thoughtfully composed and delightful to read, Films from the Future ushers us on a whirlwind tour through decades of science fiction, shedding light on some of the most extraordinary achievements of our time. Maynard explores the incredible possibilities and dire consequences of boundless human innovation, imagination and ambition…and may just change the way you go to the movies.”

  —Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of The Science of Kissing and Executive Director of Science Debate

  “Art imitates life, but life also imitates art. Some technologies that existed only in science fiction are now becoming real. So, it makes sense that those movies can also help anticipate ethical and social problems arising from new technologies. This book walks us through some of the most iconic films—pointing out things, with an expert eye, that most of us had missed the first time around. It makes me want to watch those movies again.”

  —Patrick Lin, co-editor of the book Robot Ethics 2.0: From Autonomous Cars to Artificial Intelligence

  “Films from the Future takes the reader on a fascinating, thought-provoking exploration of the most compelling and confounding ideas in popular sci-fi films of the past thirty years—but with a twist! Maynard unwittingly gives us an inspiring road map for how to think creatively about solving the problems of the future and what it means to be human.”

  —Charlie Oliver, CEO of Tech 2025

  “Andrew has captured the foresight of science fiction filmmaking with Films from the Future. Using clear examples of current emerging technologies to show just how accurate many of the future scenarios were in these films Andrew is able to prove just how close we are to the future we see in many of these films. Sci-fi is a mirror into the heart of our species. It is also often a self-fulfilling prophecy. Films from the Future is a perfect mix of these two ideas. It is both techno-philosophical and at the same time grounded in tangible research and foresight.”

  —Gray Scott, futurist and author of The Automated, Digitized, and Simulated Future

  “As the breakneck advance of technology takes us into a world that is both exciting and menacing, sci-fi films give us an inkling of what is to come, and what we should avoid. Andrew Maynard explores our near-term future through the crystal ball of cinema sci-fi, and deftly shows how a seemingly frivolous film genre can guide us in shaping tomorrow’s world.”

  —Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, and host of Big Picture Science

  “Through the lens of great sci-fi movies, Andrew Maynard explores the dramatic possibilities, ethical tensions, and unanswered philosophical dilemmas that naturally arise with the deployment of disruptive technologies. This vast territory is matched by his comprehensive understanding of technology’s promise, pitfalls and predicaments. He is deeply committed to finding pathways for responsible innovation and the creation of a meaningful future. Andrew Maynard is a guide you can trust. His wonderful feel for the issues that will engage most readers and fascinating examples are all made accessible through remarkably clear and succinct writing. If you love sci-fi and want to know more about emerging technologies, this is the book to read first, and a book to return to time and again as we all navigate an uncertain future.”

  —Wendell Wallach, author of A Dangerous Master and co-author of Moral Machines

  “This is a book everyone in tech innovation should read—from inventors and investors, to developers and CEOs. Under the guise of twelve popular science fiction movies, Maynard weaves a thought-provoking narrative around the wonders and complexities of emerging technologies, and their responsible and beneficial development. Whether you’re curious about what the future holds, fascinated by the relationship between technology and society, or you’re simply trying to succeed as an ethical tech company, there’s something here for you.”

  —Cori Lathan, CEO and co-founder of AnthroTronix

  “With the insightful use of science fiction movies, Andrew Maynard raises some deep philosophical issues about who we are and want to be as human beings while graphically illustrating what could go badly wrong, and he raises the difficult question ‘Is there research that shouldn’t be done and are there technologies that shouldn’t be developed?’ We may not all agree with his take on these questions but raising them is a worthy endeavor. This book is one way to spread the word and get the conversation started. It should be widely read by scientists, engineers, physicians, business and political leaders and other professionals, indeed everyone who cares about the future of humanity.”

  —Neal Lane, former science advisor to President Bill Clinton

  “This marvelous book is among the most engaging and insightful that I’ve read in many years. It’s the sort of book that you keep reading because of the inherently fascinating topics that it covers—from resurrecting dinosaurs to enhancing human cognition, from mind-uploading to contacting extraterrestrial intelligences—and then before you know it, you’ve learned something crucial about emerging technologies, ethics, and the future of humanity in this infinitely strange place we call ‘the universe.’ Perhaps the single most important feature of the book is its use of fiction and storytelling to bridge the chasm between different political and religious views that often make public discussions about the ethics of technology impossible. Thus, Maynard explores—with skillful eloquence—human ingenuity through human imagination, scientific discovery through artistic expression, and our rapidly changing present through the anticipated futures of sci-fi narratives. It is for this reason especially that I hope this book will be widely read by conservatives, liberals, Christians, Muslims, and atheists alike.”

  —Phil Torres, author of Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing: An Introduction to Existential Risks

  Films from the Future

  The Technology and Morality of

  Sci-Fi Movies

  Andrew
D. Maynard

  Mango Publishing

  CORAL GABLES

  Copyright © Andrew Maynard

  Cover & Layout Design: Jermaine Lau

  Mango is an active supporter of authors’ rights to free speech and artistic expression in their books. The purpose of copyright is to encourage authors to produce exceptional works that enrich our culture and our open society. Uploading or distributing photos, scans or any content from this book without prior permission is theft of the author’s intellectual property. Please honor the author’s work as you would your own. Thank you in advance for respecting our authors’ rights.

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  2850 Douglas Road, 3rd Floor

  Coral Gables, FL 33134 USA

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  Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies

  Library of Congress Cataloging

  ISBN: (print) 978-1-63353-907-5 (ebook) 978-1-63353-906-8

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018955574

  BISAC category code: SCI075000—SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects

  Printed in the United States of America

  To Clare, for believing in me.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  In the Beginning

  Beginnings

  Welcome to the Future

  The Power of Convergence

  Socially Responsible Innovation

  A Common Point of Focus

  Spoiler Alert

  Chapter Two

  Jurassic Park: The Rise of Resurrection Biology

  When Dinosaurs Ruled the World

  De-Extinction

  Could We, Should We?

  The Butterfly Effect

  Visions of Power

  Chapter Three

  Never Let Me Go: A Cautionary Tale of Human Cloning

  Sins of Futures Past

  Cloning

  Genuinely Human?

  Too Valuable to Fail?

  Chapter Four

  Minority Report: Predicting Criminal Intent

  Criminal Intent

  The “Science” of Predicting Bad Behavior

  Criminal Brain Scans

  Machine Learning-Based Precognition

  Big Brother, Meet Big Data

  Chapter Five

  Limitless: Pharmaceutically-enhanced Intelligence

  A Pill for Everything

  The Seduction of Self-Enhancement

  Nootropics

  If You Could, Would You?

  Privileged Technology

  Our Obsession with Intelligence

  Chapter Six

  Elysium: Social Inequity in an Age of Technological Extremes

  The Poor Shall Inherit the Earth

  Bioprinting Our Future Bodies

  The Disposable Workforce

  Living in an Automated Future

  Chapter Seven

  Ghost in the Shell: Being Human in an Augmented Future

  Through a Glass Darkly

  Body Hacking

  More than “Human”?

  Plugged In, Hacked Out

  Your Corporate Body

  Chapter Eight

  Ex Machina: AI and the Art of Manipulation

  Plato’s Cave

  The Lure of Permissionless Innovation

  Technologies of Hubris

  Superintelligence

  Defining Artificial Intelligence

  Artificial Manipulation

  Chapter Nine

  Transcendence: Welcome to the Singularity

  Visions of the Future

  Technological Convergence

  Enter the Neo-Luddites

  Techno-Terrorism

  Exponential Extrapolation

  Make-Believe in the Age of the Singularity

  Chapter Ten

  The Man in the White Suit: Living in a Material World

  There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom

  Mastering the Material World

  Myopically Benevolent Science

  Never Underestimate the Status Quo

  It’s Good to Talk

  Chapter Eleven

  Inferno: Immoral Logic in an Age of Genetic Manipulation

  Decoding Make-Believe

  Weaponizing the Genome

  Immoral Logic?

  The Honest Broker

  Dictating the Future

  Chapter Twelve

  The Day After Tomorrow: Riding the Wave of Climate Change

  Our Changing Climate

  Fragile States

  A Planetary “Microbiome”

  The Rise of the Anthropocene

  Building Resiliency

  Geoengineering the Future

  Chapter Thirteen

  Contact: Living by More than Science Alone

  An Awful Waste of Space

  More than Science Alone

  Occam’s Razor

  What If We’re Not Alone?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Looking to the Future

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  IN THE BEGINNING

  “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

  —HAL

  Beginnings

  I first saw Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey on a small black-and-white TV, tucked into a corner of my parents’ living room. It was January 1, 1982, and I was sixteen years old.

  I wasn’t a great moviegoer as a teenager. In fact, at that point, I could probably count the number of times I’d been to the cinema on one hand. But I was an avid science fiction reader, and having read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story The Sentinel, I was desperate to see the movie Kubrick and Clarke had crafted from it—so much so, that every ounce of my teenage brattishness was on full display.

  My parents had friends around for dinner that evening, and, as usual, the drill was that I was either polite or invisible. But there was a problem. The only TV in the house was in the living room, which was precisely where, at 7:35 that evening, everyone else would be.

  I must have been especially awkward that day, because my parents agreed to let me put on my headphones and watch the TV while they entertained. And so, I snuggled into a corner of the sofa, pulled the black-and-white portable up, and became selfishly absorbed in Kubrick’s world of the future.

  Goodness knows what our guests were thinking!

  2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie that’s rich with metaphors that explore our relationship with technology. So much so that, if I could reach back and talk to my sixteen-year-old self, I’d say, “Take note—this is important.” I’d also add, “Don’t be such a jerk” for good measure. However, despite being awed by the opening sequence, with its primitive apes and inscrutable black monolith, enthralled by the realistic space scenes, and shocked by the computer HAL’s instinct for self-preservation, it would be another thirty years before I began to realize how powerful the medium of film is, especially when thinking about the future of science and technology in a complex human society.

  Back in 1982, I was entranced by 2001: A Space Odyssey because it exposed me to new ideas and new ways of imagining the future. Like many fans, I suspect, I ended up with quotes from the movie branded into my brain, like, “Open the pod bay doors, HAL,” along with HAL’s response, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Without my realizing it, Kubrick’s movie made me think about a future where smart computers might decide that their self-preservation was more important than the humans who created them. Fast-forward to the present, and—as we grapple with living in an increasingly complex world—I’m more convinced than ever that, for all their flaws, science fiction movies are a powerful way of exploring the technolo
gical futures we face and how to navigate them. Of course, it can be irritating when scriptwriters and directors play fast and loose with scientific and engineering reality for the sake of telling a good story. But getting too wrapped up in the minutiae of how accurate a science fiction movie is misses the point—these are stories about our relationship with the future, and, like all good storytelling, they sometimes play around with reality to reveal deeper truths. As it turns out, this creative freedom can be surprisingly powerful when it comes to thinking about the social benefits and consequences of new technologies and how we can steer technology innovation toward more beneficial and equitable outcomes.

  It’s this human dimension of science fiction movies that I’m particularly interested in. What these movies do rather well is provide us with a glimpse around the corner of our collective near future, to help us see what might be coming down the pike and start thinking how we might respond to it. And they manage to do this because their scriptwriters and directors aren’t encumbered by the need to stick to today’s reality. Viewed in the right way—and with a good dose of critical thinking—science fiction movies can help us think about and prepare for the social consequences of technologies we don’t yet have, but that are coming faster than we imagine.

  This is precisely what this book sets out to do. Using the twelve movies it’s built around, the book provides glimpses into the technological capabilities we’re building now, and how we might start to think about their beneficial and responsible development and use. Naturally, it only scratches the surface of the vast array of technologies that are beginning to emerge, and the opportunities and challenges they present. But through the lens of these movies, the book sets out on a journey to explore what can go wrong with new technologies, and how we can all help nudge them toward a future that looks better than the present we’re currently in. And it continues that personal journey I started in 1982 with that first, barely conscious glimpse into how science fiction movies can reveal hidden connections between who we are, the society we live in, and the technologies we create.

  Welcome to the Future