What Interstellar tells us about intelligent machines
Welcome to the first issue of my monthly newsletter
I'll be sharing analysis and short stories about digital transformation, practical recommendations, or recommended reading on this platform.
This month, some thoughts about what Sci-Fi can teach us for better human-machine interaction.
Please enjoy!
While the hype surrounding generative AI thanks to ChatGPT and Co. has raised again the question whether AI, and in particular artificial general intelligence (AGI), will replace humans, I am much more interested in the question of how humans and intelligent machines will work together as this seems to me the much more realistic and more pressing question since we in fact already work together with intelligent machines.
Advances in AI research and development are likely to see the integration of various AI applications into our daily lives and hence we should think about, how those intelligent machines could work together with us. In this regard, it is probably no surprise that science-fiction gives us lots of material to debate. I want to specifically address the “Docking Scene” in the 2014 Christopher Nolan movie Interstellar (do yourself a favor and watch the scene, if only for the soundtrack).
As quick context: the protagonists are on a mission to save humanity in outer space and desperately need to reach a spaceship with their shuttle. They are racing after another astronaut who severely damages the spaceship in a failed docking attempt. Just as they are approaching the spaceship that would ensure their survival, they see it partially blow up and tumbling towards the orbit of the planet they just left, seemingly guaranteeing their death, and thus failing their mission also the end of humanity.
The shuttle is guided by two human astronauts, Cooper and Brand, who are supported by two intelligent machines, TARS and CASE. It is the interaction between those four subjects that I think is interesting for our current thinking about how to design intelligent machines in a way that they can optimally work together with humans.
Let’s go through the interesting aspects of the scene step by step:
1. Upon seeing the explosion, Cooper formulates a plan in his mind and accelerates towards the spaceship. CASE realizes the acceleration towards the damaged spaceship and comments that Cooper shouldn’t be wasting fuel as in CASE’s plan, the objective is now to maximize the reach of the shuttle. In contrast to Cooper, the intelligent machines rationally abandon the spaceship and the comment regarding saving fuel can be seen as the rational control on the human emotional impulse.
2. Undeterred, Cooper asks the intelligent machines to analyze the spin of the tumbling spaceship – a task that a machine with its data analytics capabilities is much better suited for than his human co-pilot- and reveals his intention of docking with the spaceship.
3. Following his orders, CASE does calculate the spin of the spaceship and provides the information to Cooper. Upon receiving his instructions to prepare to match the spin using the shuttle’s thrusters and thus enabling docking to the spinning spaceship, the intelligent machine again voices concerns acting as a rational counterweight to the impulsive human main character. Cooper, however, confirms the order, replying to CASEs “It’s not possible.” with “No, it’s necessary.”
4. Having accepted the new mission parameters, the intelligent machine aligns its actions to the objective of docking and not only continues to provide mission critical information to the astronaut but in a crucial moment where the human is having doubts about the viability of the plan, CASE encourages him to follow through with the chosen option – it being the only viable option now – by urging “This is no time for caution!”
5. Meanwhile, the second intelligent machine – TARS – is in the loading bay operating the mechanism needed to dock, relaying all needed information in the right detail to the human pilot, in conditions unsuitable to humans.
Now of course, this is science-fiction and the scene is written for dramatic effect, not as a product design handbook. Nevertheless, this scene holds interesting lessons for how we can design intelligent machines. Both intelligent machines in the movie are here to support the human and the mission he defines. Within those mission parameters they provide information or actions that cannot be done by the human and act as a counterweight to certain decisions that might jeopardize the defined mission or seem irrational. Those design decision for CASE and TARS make them invaluable team members for the humans in the movie and could act as inspiration for intelligent machines built today.
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