Affective Embodiment and the Transmission of Affect in Ex Machina

Fahn Fahn

doi:10.3390/philosophies4030053

Abstract

The focus of posthuman thought centers on a shift in the humanistic paradigm; focusing on a state of existence that lies beyond being “human”, including bioengineering, artificial intelligence, and synthetic embodiment. Inspired by continuous breakthroughs in the research and creation of artificial intelligence, science fiction has moved beyond the realm of portraying artificial intelligence that is capable of conscious thought to speculate upon a future creation of machines that feel, and initiate feeling in return. The influence of posthuman discourse is prevalent in science fiction film narratives and demonstrates a heavy emphasis on the deconstruction of humanity’s belief in our unique emotional capabilities. This paper draws upon Alex Garland’s 2015 original film and screenplay Ex Machina as textual reference to explore posthuman prospects in AI by envisioning possibilities where emotional capacity no longer separates humans and machines. In a world where artificial intelligence could be given artificial life, how is affect addressed, and redressed? This paper argues the importance of affective embodiment and material experiences in AI that shape the future of posthuman becoming.

Highlights

The focus of posthuman thought centers on a shift in the humanistic paradigm; focusing on a state of existence that lies beyond being “human”, including bioengineering, artificial intelligence, and synthetic embodiment
Our future is an “emerging system of world order analogous in its novelty and scope to that created by industrial capitalism; we are living through a movement from an organic, industrial society to a polymorphous, information system” [1]
Our lives are intricately linked to digital applications and our identities uploaded to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn

Summary

Introduction

The focus of posthuman thought centers on a shift in the humanistic paradigm; focusing on a state of existence that lies beyond being “human”, including bioengineering, artificial intelligence, and synthetic embodiment. The rise of artificial intelligence grew from a constructed knowledge of the human body as a machine [5,6]. A renewed interest in embodiment and human–machine connectivity in the 1990s sparked experiments on interactions with the machine; aiming to construct an artificial intelligence capable of learning through affective experiences [14,15].

Results

Conclusion