Finally. After years and years of seeing AIs going rogue, we now have the pleasure of experiencing a “good AI” in a new film by Shawn Levy based on a story by Matt Lieberman and playing in cinemas right now. The AI I’m talking about is that of the NPC called Guy, a bank teller in Free City. He is good natured (if you can even say that of an AGI) and makes the virtual world he’s acting in a better place. I’m not going to review the film here, but cannot but express my joy at seeing an AI on the big screen doing good things.
Don’t get me wrong, this is far from a realistic portrayal of current AI capabilities. The film is not meant to educate about AI but to entertain. However, seeing something that uses AI for the “greater good” on the big screen is a first step to a more balanced public view of what this technology has to offer for society. It is clear that the onus is on the AI developer to use the technology responsibly … and I don’t want to even think about what it could have meant for the poor people of Free City if Antwan had had the technological skills to modify the AI for his purposes.