by Patrice Downing, Contributing Writer
19 years later, and iRobot is really happening! OK, VIKI isn’t really on the loose trying to annihilate humanity, so you don’t have to go storing your iPhones and laptops in a lead-lined box and unplugging your Google dots just yet. That being said, Killer Robots, the latest installment in the Unknown docuseries on Netflix, explores just how close military A.I. is getting to similar cyborg sentience. After watching this, I’m not so sure I want Alexa living in my kitchen anymore.
Overall, the format, editing, and interviews all follow a very traditional documentary format, interviews interspersed with B-roll of the subject being discussed. No fancy graphics or animations, but given the subject matter, and that most of the interviews are with either military personnel or research scientists on government contracts, it comes across as rather clinical. I wouldn’t mind that so much if the information being covered was more exciting or innovative, but for a work that was recently released, it feels very late-‘90s early ‘00s. The military uses drones to scout out locations people either cannot or should not venture: no way (insert sarcastic tone here)? Again, this is something that would have seemed more interesting 20 years ago when the technology was in its infancy, not at a time I can order it on Amazon and have it on my doorstep by lunch tomorrow. Drones are being programmed to extrapolate their finds based on factors such as movement or heat (if it’s 98.6 degrees, it’s probably human): again not exactly breaking news that this tech exists.
This doc comes across more like a video being shown to high school students to get them interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs to encourage them to pursue that career path. I would 100% consider watching this with someone in that age range to get them interested in the ways the technology they use for entertainment is being used to influence medicine, disaster recovery, and other military actions, but be warned, I think any parent wanting to view this with a younger audience should absolutely view it ahead of time to determined if the content is right for their child. Battle conditions, disaster recovery, terrorist attacks and bioengineered weapons are all covered, and may be topics that can not only be scary, but require an open dialogue or conversation you may want to prepare for ahead of time.
I did find some of the more analytical parts of the algorithmic creation process interesting. An example is given about asking the A.I. to make sure there is milk available. But as the engineers explain, it’s not just about having A.I. determine if the milk is already out, but if it’s getting low, where to get more milk, how to get the milk, the frequency milk is consumed, and more. All of this to get to the A.I. to a point where it no longer is determining whether you have milk, but it is always procured and available without any outages and the benefits this type of innovation could have. I know they are focused on military applications here, but think about the advantages that kind of assistance could have once it trickles down to public availability in medical settings or for caregivers of elderly or those with special needs.
Another team was working with molecular sequencing and accidentally found out exactly how extraordinary both the volume and the lethality of results generated by A.I. computations could be when you cut the human aspect out of the equation. They were preparing for a lecture and wanted to test a theory they expected to be impossible, and were proven oh so very wrong. The scariest part is that these are people working to improve science for the betterment of mankind, and they accidentally themselves into a horrifying discovery about the dangers of A.I.
Overall, Unknown: Killer Robots is really just a general overview of what A.I. is currently doing to aid in military applications, and the potential it has to improve while still touching on the inherent dangers. Due to its length and the fact that it covers military applications, that’s really about all you can expect. It’s by no means a must see, but I’m not sorry I spent the time watching it.
Rating: It’s Just Okay
Unknown: Killer Robotsis currently streaming on Netflix
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