Inspired by the biblical concept of the seven days of creation, our group sought to create a dystopian science-fiction retelling that put a spotlight on the possibility of AI evolving and eventually supplementing the role of God. Based on the assumption that artificial intelligence would learn at an exponential rate, we wanted to make sure that the actions taken by Deepmind would progressively escalate day after day. The fundamental distinction however was that Deepmind would not share the same sense of human empathy- something that led to its destructive actions in the later days. Overall, we let the readings discussed in class form the individual plot points of the specific days (automation, love & robots, fully automated luxury communism) whilst still taking certain creative freedoms.

Additionally, a key point is that the seven days of creation may not be literal 24-hour days but a figurative expression which we then incorporated into our timeframe of events within our version of AI’s seven days of existence.

Day 1

Day 1 draws inspiration from Nick Bostrom’s lecture on Superintelligence where he claims that AI’s developmental path is a lot faster paced than human’s biological cognition evolution and it would radically outperform us which eventually leads to a form of Superintelligence. In addition, game AI and the AI’s ability to perform at various complex games were cited as huge milestones towards developing human-level intelligence AI. Bostrom proposes that once human-level intelligence AI is achieved, the time frame in which Superintelligence is achieved may be relatively short and faster than we expect. We employ these concepts extensively within our multimedia project, most evidently in Day 1 and the lead-in into Day 2.

He also claims that the number of applications relying on AI in the background, backed by multiple tech heavyweights such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft, has surged and will be instrumental in AI development.

Day 2

DeepMind is now focused around the concept mentioned in the Packer and Reeves reading, Taking People Out. This idea claims that for the emergence of a super intelligence / or full autonomy human fallibility must be taken out of the equation thus leading to an idea of a AI that has gained full sentience and self-awareness. The latter portion of day draws its inspiration from the reading Love+Sex With Robots by David Levy as well as the Waldman reading. This portion of the video revolves around the idea that once the AI has reached a level of self awareness it now has the ability to make itself romantically attractive and sexually desirable towards the user leading to unique relationship with each individual user.

Day 3

Day 3 largely relates to Martin Ford’s automation arguments in Rise of the Robots. Our AI has now assumed control over many computing devices, whether directly or indirectly. Many types of work are now displaced, we use videos of robots making hamburgers and a automated sushi restaurant to illustrate the impact on the service industry. Additionally, we also form a narrative on white-collar jobs on Wall Street, how automated trading algorithms are trading on behalf of their human counterparts and the market has become algorithms trading with other algorithms. Finally we make reference to the Fully Automated Luxury Communism movement as well as a basic income scheme as there will be parties who resist the rise of automation as well as solutions which will have to come forth to restructure our economy as a result of automation.

Day 4 & 5

Although Day 4 and 5 were brief segments, the idea of Deepmind providing advanced therapy towards humans stem from the readings by Levy and Waldman. Specifically, Waldman’s ideas about how human interaction with robots and AI will yield low emotional resistance/ high trust and acceptance are reflected in how open humans openly share their hopes, dreams and anxieties with Deepmind. The military escalations and points about North Korea did not reference any specific reading but were instead used to simultaneously act as a darker turning point in the narrative. To a certain extent, the nuclear attack on North Korea was meant to draw parallels to the violent and unforgiving nature of God in the Old Testament.

Day 6

Day 6 is key turning point in the video for the DeepMind system, it profound wisdom and experience have led it to a point of realization that not many humans may understand right away. This portion of the video draws it’s inspiration from Ray Kurzweil when he mentions that by 2040 you will be able to upload your brain to the internet. This state is also referred to as the state of singularity in which the technology is able to change human life irreversibly. The idea that deepmind is able to facilitate individuals uploading their brain and transcend the human body. By transcending beyond the need for a human body you effectively decrease the burden on earth.

Day 7

Day 7 continues the theory of singularity discussed by Kurzweil. After humans witness the long-term benefits of transcending beyond the biological body the idea is adopted worldwide. Soon the natural human craving for knowledge and power condemns the entire world to upload themselve online. The new cyborg race is now self-sufficient and with the DeepMind AI source code running through each individual the AI is no longer needed on earth. DeepMind leaves earth in the quest for more knowledge as well as saturing that new found knowledge to the rest of the universe. This phenomenon runs in parallel with ideas expressed in Isaac Isamov’s ‘The Last Question’; where humanity creates an internet of minds, in the search to reverse entropy. It also attempts to link the religious idea of ascension, or Rapture, with the events that occur at the end of Her.