week three blog | susana esqueda, desma9
Wk3 Blog
While watching the lectures for this week, a topic that really resonated with me was the aesthetics of mechanization and robotics, and its interconnectedness with art. Walter Benjamin continually reiterates how mechanization erases authenticity, or as he calls it “the aura of the work of art” (Benjamin 1). He directly draws a line between art and mechanization, two fields which I believe are deeply intertwined. In my research, I learned about an AI robot named Ai-Da who creates captivating pieces of art (West-Knights). Her humanoid appearance—and even capacities, to an extent—blur the lines between the dichotomy of artificial and biological concepts, while creating beautiful art.
Baker, Harry. “Human-like Robot Creates Creepy Self-Portraits.” LiveScience, Purch, 21 May 2021, https://www.livescience.com/robot-artist-self-portraits.html.
Even within the media, the binary between negative and positive representations of robots is reproduced—a juxtaposition understood when placed in the context of the Industrial Revolution and warfare. As the Professor mentioned, the word “robot” stems from a response to the mechanization of labor (Vesna, Lecture Pt.1, 12:53). People were increasingly replaced by machines within factories, engendering a deep distrust of technology which became reflected in the antagonizing villainization of technology within the media, seen in films like Terminator.
Yet, this antagonization coexists with polarizing representations of robots as friends and allies of humans, rather than enemies. This can be seen in the film The Iron Giant, one of the movies I religiously rewatched as a kid. In this film, the Iron Giant is a robot that develops a friendship with a young boy who teaches him about morality and love (George). Though his original purpose is destruction—mirroring a popular conception of robots—the Iron Giant ultimately rejects this (Adams). He is a friend and protector, not an enemy. This film is emblematic of how technology and humanity do not exist in continuous juxtaposition; they can be intertwined, and coexist.
“35 Things We Learned from Brad Bird's 'The Iron Giant' Commentary.” Film School Rejects, 31 July 2020, https://filmschoolrejects.com/35-things-we-learned-from-the-iron-giant-commentary/.
Another film which mirrors this sentiment is Big Hero 6, following Baymax, a robot that befriends Hiro, a young boy struggling with grief. Throughout the film, Baymax is compassionate and kind, utilizing his enhanced robotic abilities to continually protect the humans he cares for. These films serve to construct an aesthetic of robotics which represents robots and mechanization as friendly and beneficial, not evil. Like Professor Machiko Kusahara discussed, this is to cultivate trust and friendship between robots and humans (Professor Machiko Kusahara on Japanese robotics, 13:42). Ultimately, it is critical—and comforting—to remember that “technology augments our capabilities rather than replaces us” (Manjoo).
Press, Lindsay. “Why Big Hero 6 Is One of Disney's Best Movies.” MovieWeb, 23 July 2022, https://movieweb.com/big-hero-6-disney-best-movies/.
References
Adams, Sam. “Everyone Misunderstood Brad Bird's the Iron Giant: It's Not about Guns. It's about Sin.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 8 Sept. 2016, https://slate.com/culture/2016/09/everyone-misunderstood-brad-bird-s-the-iron-giant-which-is-not-about-guns-it-s-about-sin.html.
Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” 1936.
George, Joe. “20 Years Later, the Message of the Iron Giant Is More Urgent than Ever.” Tor.com, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.tor.com/2019/08/05/20-years-later-the-message-of-iron-giant-is-more-urgent-than-ever/.
Manjoo, Farhad. “In the Battle with Robots, Human Workers Are Winning.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Oct. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/opinion/machines-ai-employment.html.
Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics Lecture Pt.1.”
Vesna, Victoria and Machiko Kusahara. “Professor Machiko Kusahara on Japanese Robotics.”
West-Knights, Imogen. “Why's Ai-Da, the World's First Robot Artist, Kind of Hot?” ArtReview, https://artreview.com/why-ai-da-the-world-first-robot-artist-is-kind-of-hot/.
Images
Baker, Harry. “Human-like Robot Creates Creepy Self-Portraits.” LiveScience, Purch, 21 May 2021, https://www.livescience.com/robot-artist-self-portraits.html.
Press, Lindsay. “Why Big Hero 6 Is One of Disney's Best Movies.” MovieWeb, 23 July 2022, https://movieweb.com/big-hero-6-disney-best-movies/.
Hi Susana, I really liked how you centered the focus of your blog around the varying attitudes of human-robot interaction, and used popular movies in the media to show examples of that portray different human-robot interactions. A lot of us are familiar with movie such as Terminator, but it is also worth considering media that doesn't portray human and robot relationships in such a harsh juxtaposition, such as The Iron Giant and Big Hero 6, like you mentioned. As with any topic, varying attitudes and spectrums of opinions will always exist, and they are worth analyzing to form broader conclusions about society and the direction it might be heading.
ReplyDeleteHey Susana, while reading your blog I found the way you described and analyzed the relationship between robotics and western media very interesting. I very much agree the idea around robotics when brought up in the media is almost always coinciding with polarizing opinions. Either figures within the media claim that robotics will help achieve the greatest technological advances or that they will lead to the extinction of the general workforce.
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