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Intro:
Almost everybody has experienced social media one way shape or form, and while they might not realize it, it means that they have also experienced Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence and the media go hand in hand whether it be through their representation in movies or TV, use in the development of Videogames, or in online websites such as Twitter and Facebook. While many of us many not think of it, Artificial Intelligence effects our lives on a daily basis, which effects our opinion on its use. When you ask somebody for an example of A.I. they are most likely not going to say Twitter or Facebook because these websites do not fit into their definition. Instead they will most likely either say Ultron from "Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron," or Hal 9000 from the 1968 film "2001: A space Odyssey." While we may not think it, the media has made almost every single person experience Artificial Intelligence in some fashion even if we don't realize it.
"Globalization" by faith.e.murphy Murphy is in the Public Domain, CC0
"Social Media Keyboard" by Animated Heaven is in the Public Domain
Social Media:
If you have used social media then you have come into contact with Artificial Intelligence. While you my not think of it, artificial intelligence has played and currently plays a major role in what you see on social media. The most common A.I.'s you see tend to be related censorship, correcting spelling, and protecting copyright claims. For example, one of the more well known cases of a censorship A.I. was in 2018 when a program developed by Facebook claimed that the Declaration of Independence violated their rules regarding "hate speech." While this may been seen as a lighthearted mistake, the creation of A.I. for censorship purposes has been widely developed by the governments of the world as ways to control the flow of information.
Media Representation of Artificial Intelligence:
For every representation of a "good" artificial intelligence their is an evil "artificial intelligence." Or at least, that's what it feels like in this day and age. From Marvel and Terminator to Portal and Horizon Zero Dawn we see Artificial Intelligence being used as a villain just as often as a supporting hero simply because we don't know how to classify it yet. In todays day and age it would seem at first glance that whenever artificial intelligence is portrayed in a movie it can be classified as the villain. Some key examples of this being Marvel's Ultron, Matrix's Machine Entity, or Terminator's Skynet. Yet is all these movies we have supporting characters that are also A.I.'s working to help humanity. In Marvel we have characters such a Jarvis, Vision, and Friday. In the Matrix there is the Oracle who tries to lead the main characters on their journey, and in Terminator 2 we have a reprogramed machine working to help the protagonist. The public perception of Artificially Intelligent characters in the media is not inherently one of good or evil, but instead one of confusion since we still do not understand A.I. in the real world.
"Skynet Terminator Logo" by TriStar Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and/or the graphic artists is in the Public Domain
A Confused Populous:
What is it that drives the publics confusion regarding artificial intelligence? Is it simply it's representation in movies, television and videogames? Or is their a factor of the news that drives people and their understanding of artificial intelligence. In reality it happens to be a combination that is creating this misunderstanding. The narrative of artificial intelligence will usually be ether told as a simple "good vs. evil" story, which can be taken to extremes in media projecting a utopian or dystopian society. The narrative being told is meant to be sold to the public which is why it is important for the authors to push these narratives to their extremes. One example of this that many people are familiar with is the prospect of nuclear power. On one hand their is the destructive possibilities as demonstrated in the Chernobyl and Fukushima meltdowns. Yet on the other hand their was also the possibility for a new age of technology and what seemed to be a limitless energy source. In reality both of these technologies have their benefits and dangers, but it is the exaggerated representation in the media that confuses the peoples opinions.
References:
Maroti, C., & Martins, A. (2020, February 16). Expectation vs. Reality: AI Narratives In The Media. Understanding with Unbabel. https://unbabel.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-media/.
Grayer, A. (2018, July 5). Facebook apologizes after labeling part of Declaration of Independence 'hate speech' | CNN Politics. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/05/politics/facebook-post-hate-speech-delete-declaration-of-independence-mistake.
Cave, S., Craig, C., Dillian, S., Singler, B., & Taylor, L. (2018, November). Portrayals and Perceptions of AI and why they matter. Royal Society. https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/ai-narratives/AI-narratives-workshop-findings.pdf.
Hogan, M., & Whitmore, G. (2015, January 8). The top 20 artificial intelligence films - in pictures. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2015/jan/08/the-top-20-artificial-intelligence-films-in-pictures.
Kucera, R. (2017, August 15). The truth behind Facebook AI inventing a new language. Medium. https://towardsdatascience.com/the-truth-behind-facebook-ai-inventing-a-new-language-37c5d680e5a7.
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