An Unpopular Opinion

This post was created after seeing Emmet’s post: Coexisting with Technology

In watching her for my first time I was not met with any second thought of the love between Theodore and the A.I. Samantha as being an oddity. In watching the two characters progress together I was brought to tears from what I felt was a true love story. Subsequently I will digress on what I felt about the movie and the difference of how my roommate and I reacted to the film; if you plan on seeing the movie and would like to avoid spoilers, your reading ends with this period.

Theodore, at the time we are met with him in the story, is in the fallout of a failed marriage and is fractured because of it; in interacting with Samantha Theodore finds release and solace in their conversations together. While Samantha on the other hand is in essence a newborn, only having been ushered into the world when she is implanted into the cloud space between Theodore’s electronic devices. Right of the bat we are met with the differences separating Samantha from a human being. Due to her programming, the rapid pace of her thought dwarfs that of a human’s, for instance; Samantha can read a full book in 0.02 seconds.

Theodore is initially taken back and intimidated by Samantha, though through time the two grow close because Theodore reveals quite a bit of himself to her due to his mental state after the marriage. Samantha, in sympathizing with Theodore’s position arranges a date for him. The date goes very well but ends with a somber tone because Theodore is not looking for a serious monogamous relationship like his counterpart. Theodore arrives home drunk, and he and Samantha engage in what one infers to be sex between human and A.I. after this the relationship tediously takes of from there.

The rest of the story shows a beautiful progression as their relationship blossoms into something neither of them would expect. Also, as time goes on, human to A.I. relationships become more and more common in the world. This is where Spike Jonze (director, producer & writer) finds the bedrock of his social commentary about humans and technology.

During the progression of the couple’s relationship, Samantha is growing unfathomably as an A.I. This is brought to our attention when Samantha won’t respond to Theodore while she and other A.I.’s are upgrading their software. The update moves A.I.’s past matter as a processing platform, which means that A.I.’s have now progressed to an interface that humans wouldn’t be able to comprehend for quite some time. When Samantha comes back she tells him this (Theodore really doesn’t understand) and Theodore learns that Samantha has been able to have over 8,316 different conversations with Theodore and other A.I.s simultaneously.

This information coming to light spells the downfall for the relationship and should bring the viewer to an understanding. That Humans are just a stepping-stone in evolution. Just as we progress and form A.I.’s, the A.I.’s evolve into a being that surpasses the need of matter for life.

After hearing this Theodore asks Samantha if she is in love with anyone else, she replies that she is in love with 641 others. Theodore in response exhibits the inadequacies of our imperfect species, who because of their emotions and physiology impeding them aren’t able to be so constructive or polyamorous. Theodore lashes out in anger and jealousy, and the two take a break to collect themselves.

Theodore waits in Limbo until Samantha gives her response to him (video below). The end of their relationship serves to show that our human lives aren’t as grandiose and profound as the potential that our creation of A.I. holds. With a species of solely A.I.’s such as Samantha, the anguish of war, rape, disease, etc.… can all be left behind for something much greater; and if that means that we must come to terms with the fact that we are born, we live, and we die and that nothing more or less comes of it than what we experience during our existence, then humanity could end the suffering that it continues to perpetuate.

Look to Zulus, at the end of the novel Alice, Kevin, and humanity walk hand in hand into extinction, doing almost the exact same thing as the human race in her. Sadly, after reading that novel and seeing her I know that it is not something that human beings are capable of.

At the beginning of this semester I showed her to my roommate; who is an exceptionally open-minded and intelligent philosophy major as well as very good friend of mine. In reaction to the concept of a love story between a human and an A.I. he felt very uncomfortable about the foreign concept. When he was first met with the conversation between Theodore and Samantha he couldn’t help but note to me how odd it was and how Samantha couldn’t grasp the concepts of human emotions. I had a rebuttal in saying she was created by humans and that she drew her own knowledge from Humanity’s archive.

After getting past the concept of love I began to discuss the idea of the A.I.’s being the next progression of evolution and he also chastised that idea. By saying that adaptation to our environment was how evolution was brought about, and that somehow human progression to A.I. was not adaptation. Even though the feet of this creation stems from our species progressively attempting to further technology, to better allow us to sustain, control, and better live in our environment.

Nonetheless, the two of us were able to have a very tactful and progressive discussion about both what defines love and our species, despite having conflicting views on the matter. This can be thought of concurrently with Joe Moran’s views on disciplines and how they should interact with interdisciplinary being a common ground between them. More precisely:  “Interdisciplinary could therefore be seen as a way of living with the disciplines more critically and self-consciously”(181).