For this week, I chose to analyze the videos “In the Age of AI”, by PBS Frontline, as well as Elena Rossini’s “The Illusionists” , a documentary produced in 2015. In both films, the narrators provide expository examinations of the societal impacts both AI and media influence has had on the younger more impacted generations, such as Millennials, Generation Z, and the youngest Generation, Generation Alpha. The PBS documentary focuses on AI, and the implications the technology has for the various parts of daily life, such as the future of employment, impact on society and societal norms, as well as the threat it may pose to governing systems, differing from the film, “The Illusionists”. The 2015 film, similarly analyzes how another form of technology, popular media, has influenced modern societal norms, such as beauty standards and consumer culture. Both videos consult experts who analyze the impact of the specific technology they are analyzing. The PBS documentary brings in Kai-Fu Lee, an AI expert, who discusses the potential AI has in revolutionizing society in a positive way, if it can be harnessed responsibly. In his analysis of the technology, Lee states that collaboration between the world superpowers is the only way to ensure that the technology is harnessed for good, an unlikely outcome. “The Illusionists” focuses on archival footage, such as advertisements from the 1980s up to the 2010s, with experts coming in to analyze the footage provided, and the impact this media has already had on the world. This video focuses, instead, on self-perceptions and how they have been impacted by media industries. This documentary works to expose how unrealistic body and beauty standards are perpetuated by mainstream media, and the impact this is having on younger generations.
Both videos highlight the extent to which new communication technologies can impact a society. The PBS documentary emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the way people live in their day to day life, from how they are governed, interact, and what the work environment looks like. The documentary further emphasized how important strategy and collective progress for the betterment of society is the only way to avoid abusing the power that comes with this new technology. In similar fashion, “The Illusionists” examines the role of technology, mainly advertisement media and social media, in changing culture; from ideas of beauty, to fashion sense, to sewing a sense of inadequacy in younger generations who can’t meet beauty standards, highlighting a need for ethical practice to avoid immoral advertising and media techniques. Both videos emphasize the need for a skeptical engagement with the modern communication technologies, and for those being impacted by these technologies to be aware, and ensure they are learned on the consequences of these life changing technologies.
Josephine Wollf’s editorial in the University of California Press, How is Technology Changing the World, and How Should the World Change Technology, echoes the views and thoughts of the both videos while making important observations on how “technologies are becoming increasingly complicated and increasingly interconnected”. These observations are critical in how technology users can begin to understand the way that technology, government, and society will be able to interact. The complexity of this task is echoed within the PBS documentary, which observes the power of new communication technologies, like AI, and stresses the importance of careful observation of the implications these objects have. Rossini’s film, in similar fashion, examines the impact of media and advertising, mass communication technologies, which AI has comparable potential, on society, being able to shift views. Wolff states, for the aforementioned reasons, there is a need for strong technology policy and variations in regulatory approaches to this technology due to the fact that this technology is becoming increasingly interconnected with all aspects of the world around the public.
Tobias Delin and Niklas Johanne’s examination of technology use and the impact it has on adolescents may, on the other hand, contradict the views seen in the two videos. Johannes and Dienlin assert that digital technology and the effects caused by the usage of technology vary depending on the type of use, with procastinary behaviors being associated with negative effects, while social engagement being linked to more positive outcomes. The others suggest that “moderate use is related to increased well-being” (Dienlin & Johannes, 2020), inferring that a number of the problems being discussed within “The illusionists” specifically could be prevented or limited alongside limited exposure to certain technologies. Both documentaries highlight the potential of technology, with the PBS documentary emphasizing the potentially positive effects of artificial intelligence, and Elena Rossini’s documentary exposing what negative impacts media has on societal norms and self-perception. Dienlin and Johannes state that “the current research still has many limitations” (Dienlin & Johannes, 2020), advising that what is known about these new technologies is widely speculation, and needs to be further investigated.
The videos, “In the Age of AI” and Elena Rossini’s “The Illusionists” provide a valuable insight into the potential dangers of new technologies, based on real occurrences that are apparent in daily life. While the documentaries highlight the potential positives of artificial intelligence and media, they also highlight the importance of ethical awareness and knowledge of the potential consequences that these new technologies may bring with them. These views are echoed through Josephine Wolff’s editorial, as well as the journal from Tobias Delin and Niklas Johannes’s examination of technology, and the impact it is having on the adolescent population. The insights provided by these videos and article emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach to navigating an ever-evolving digital landscape, with users being careful and considerate of the implications the media and technology they consume may have.
References
Dienlin, T., & Johannes, N. (2020). The impact of digital technology use on adolescent well-being. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 22(2), 135–142. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2020.22.2/tdienlin
FRONTLINE PBS | Official. (2019). In the Age of AI (full film) | FRONTLINE. In Kanopy. https://www.kanopy.com/en/uww/video/6085067
Rossini, E. (2015). The Illusionists – Abridged Version. In Kanopy. https://www.kanopy.com/en/uww/video/160006/160010
Wolff, J. (2021). How Is Technology Changing the World, and How Should the World Change Technology? Global Perspectives, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2021.27353