8: Reliability and Safety

The animated film Big Hero 6 offers a thoughtful exploration of the reliability and safety of technology within the context of computer processing, artificial intelligence, and its social implications. Set in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo, the story centers around Hiro Hamada, a young tech prodigy, and Baymax, a healthcare companion robot designed to improve human well-being. While the film primarily portrays technology as a force for good, it also highlights the potential dangers when advanced systems are misused or lack safeguards.

Baymax represents the ideal of reliable technology. Programmed with a set of ethical guidelines and health-focused goals, his design emphasizes safety, accessibility, and unwavering dedication to human well-being. Baymax’s reliance on algorithms and data processing lets him diagnose medical conditions, assess emotional states, and accurately recommend treatments. This reliability fosters trust and underscores the positive social impact of technology when built with user safety as a central tenet. Baymax’s design reflects the idea that the integrity of computer processing systems is vital for technology to be a reliable aid in day to day life.

However, the movie also illustrates the darker side of technological advancement through the antagonist, Professor Callaghan, who weaponizes Hiro’s microbot invention. The microbots, initially developed to improve construction and transportation, become tools of destruction when controlled by Callaghan’s corrupted programming. This misuse touches on the dual-use dilemma. Even the most innovative and well-intentioned creations can become threats if exploited by individuals with malicious intent or not enough ethical oversight. We see this with Baymax as well when Hiro takes out his green personality chip and exchanges it with a red personality chip that illustrates his anger and intent to harm Callaghan. There was nothing that prevented him from doing this and the issue was only solved when one of his friends Honey Lemon switched the chip back to the original docile green personality chip. Baymax was created to make sure that people are safe but if he is in the possession of someone who has different intents, his actions could change as well.

The narrative draws attention to the importance of ethical programming, transparency, and regulation in the development of advanced computer systems. Without these safeguards, new technology can be turned against people, leading to unintended consequences. 

From a social viewpoint, Big Hero 6 emphasizes the responsibility of creators to anticipate how their technology might be used in real-world scenarios. Hiro’s experience of creating the microbots with good intentions to them being hijacked by someone with bad intentions, is similar to the ongoing struggle those working with technology have with the implications of creating new technology with increasingly complex ethical concerns. 

In conclusion, Big Hero 6 emphasizes the dual nature of advanced technology. While tools like Baymax highlight the benefits of reliable and safe systems, the weaponized microbots remind us of the issues that come with insufficient safeguards and ethical oversight.

Keethana Jayamoorthy