Westworld

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Westworld isn’t your typical amusement park. Intended for rich vacationers, the futuristic park — which is looked after by robotic “hosts” — allows its visitors to live out their fantasies through artificial consciousness. No matter how illicit the fantasy may be, there are no consequences for the park’s guests, allowing for any wish to be indulged.  – Synopsis

Artificial Intelligence

AI has come a long way in recent years. We now have smartphone companions that help us achieve simple tasks, and some robotics teams are creating fascinating machines that are downright eerie. Elon Musk has said that his greatest worry/fear is that we will create AI that will eventually replace us. (Or destroy depending on how you look at it.)  That may sound crazy at first, but if you really think about it and look at the evidence, Elon Musk is absolutely correct. He has compared the way that AI will look to us as the way that we look at ants now: If ants come in our way, we will eliminate them without a second though, but we will mostly ignore them.

On the other hand, the wide access to all of the world’s knowledge has greatly improved the human’s quality of life. AI could continue to bring even greater knowledge, at improved speeds, directly to us in the future and aid us in many ways. AI can succeed at living longer while human bodies will eventually fail.  If you had the opportunity to upload your consciousness into the “cloud” and “live” forever, would you?

Emotional Impact

Westworld does to me what I look for in all great works of entertainment: It makes me feel. 086627adf69aef8838865ef46a1f8ebeWhat I really look for in form of entertainment whether it be books, TV shows, movies, or video games, is to have the writing be done so well that it hits me with some emotional impact. There are a few scenes that stand out to me in Westworld. (With most of them being in the second half of Season 2.) It is hard to not get choked up when you feel the pain of a loved one being taken away from you, or by seeing a mother just trying to defend her daughter at all costs. The show is written so well that character’s backstories culminate into these amazing climaxes of human emotion. kemple-westworldThe beauty behind Westworld, is that these emotions come from artificially created stories and people. The real question is: Does that make it any less real?

The Truman Show Delusion

One of my all time favorite films, The Truman Show, has a physiological syndrome named after it for people who believe that they are acting out their life as a reality show.

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Good afternoon, good evening, and good night! 

When I start to go down the AI rabbit hole, I always come to this delusion again. Westworld also makes me think about this delusion. In a park full of AI robots, and the guests can’t even tell who is real, what makes us think that real life would be any different? I could by typing this for only AI to read it and interact with me on what I am writing.

Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? 

Music

If you look at some of my old posts (Please don’t though. They are even worse than current posts…) you’ll see that I have an obsession with soundtracks from all forms of entertainment as well. I had to add a section here about how awesome Ramin Djawadi did in creating the soundtrack for this show. It blew me away the entire time, and I am consistently listening to it on spotify. Check out this rendition of The Rolling Stone’s Paint it Black:

My Takeaway

 

Westworld is one of the best stories that I have experienced, and some of the scenes are shot so beautifully, it reminds me of a work of art. You can tell a lot of care was put into setting up virtually everything about this show. Go check it out.

life of chaz

40 comments

  2. I loved the season 1 of Westworld. Season 2 was a little disappointing and slow in terms of the stories. Although, the plots were bang on. I am planning to watch the old 1973 one since a very long time as it was created by one of my favorite author ​Michael Crichton. Thanks for bringing up the music.

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    1. Season 2 descended into a blood bath. I gave up after the first couple episodes. This happens with various TV series that start with popularity so high the producers can’t resist a sequel, then the writers lack imagination or impose various bizarre twists onto the plot. Or in this case, just more mayhem.

      The opening sequence was very cool but also unrealistic. I don’t think this level of AI could be made like sewing a sweater, which is basically how the AI is shown being built. You wouldn’t go muscle by muscle, but rather something more holistic like the way DNA actually works in living embryos.

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  7. This is one of my favorite TV shows at the moment. It manages to entertain while touching upon many themes regarding philosophy and ethics. And the visuals are simply stunning … even when season 2 had some issues with pacing, it was impossible for me to look away.

    Love your post.

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  8. Agreed. I think West world has some of the best pacing on television I’ve ever seen. It’s brilliantly written, scary as hell, and so close to real that it makes me second-guess everyone around me. Great post.

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  9. Hi Chaz. Thanks for this. I am at a bad place in my life suffering with depression after I was made a victim for the past 4+ years. At least I know one person who knows I exist. I am living in a world where some getting away with horrendous crimes. Keep me in your thoughts.

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  11. Good post. Have you checked out Julian Jaynes and his theory of the bicameral mind? If not you should definitely check it out. That was the pop-science of the day that helped influence Michael Crichton on the original story.

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  13. I really like entertainment that makes me feel and think as well. John Gray, the philosopher and economist, destroyed Kurzweil’s transhumanist idea of uploading our mind into the cloud in his newest book.

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  15. I absolutely love the show, the acting is so good and the cinematography is some of the best I’ve seen. I am having a bit of withdrawal waiting for season three.

    And as for the Truman Show Thing, I was a kid when I watched that movie and for a week straight I was convinced that my parents were not my real people and that I was being filmed.

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  17. “Westworld does to me what I look for in all great works of entertainment: It makes me feel.”
    Loved this.
    Never heard of the show, but your post has certainly intrigued me! 😁🤓

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  20. Westworld is phenomenal! I think nearly every moment of it is a masterful work of art. I haven’t watched the second season yet – I’m almost scared to because the first season blew me away.
    I’m glad to see you give Ramin Djawadi a shout out – the more I listen to his work, the more I think he is a genius. The piano covers used on Westworld are entrancing.

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  21. I have just started with Season 2 now. And I can’t wait to read the book, watch the movies. And only with Westworld did I discover the musical genius Ramin Djawadi. And I’m wondering now … Was I even alive? Haha!

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  25. I wanted to watch Westworld, but haven’t yet. The whole premise fascinates me. I watch The Truman Show about once a year, and I always wonder what the knowledge that one has grown up and lived for other’s media consumption would do to a person’s psyche. It makes for an interesting mental exercise while I walk the dog. I adore many of Ramin Djawadi’s pieces, he’s a brilliant man. You should go read his thoughts behind his works on his blogs. I think you might enjoy it.

    Anyway, thanks for another thought-provoking blog piece!

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  26. That was amazing and nicely brought out…it is true that these advancement ni machine intelligence will surely give a boon to or effieciency but will also distrupt human dignity and safety…
    I have also covered many points regarding artificial intelligence…kindly read share and give ur opinion.
    https://auntknow.com/artificial-intelligence/

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  28. I especially liked the rendition of Paint it Black. I haven’t watched Westworld. Antenna TV and slow internet make it unlikely I will, but it would be something I’d love to check out.

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  31. There’s also an intriguing connection with what you discuss here, especially re. The Truman Show, and certain metaphysical paradigms which posit this world to be a dream or Illusion; also the Gnostic concept of reality (such as we think we know it) as “fallen” or false Creation.

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  33. Great programme – thanks for the write up.

    I always find the classical/ piano compositions of contemporary songs to be really effective and jarring. Gives you that juxtaposition of unease / familiarity that makes me think of Freud’s concept of the ‘uncanny’ and ‘uncanny valley’ when it comes AI!

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  35. AI, Emotional Impact, The Truman Show Delusion, Musci, and My Takeaway. These points of interest are my points of interest, therefore leading me to another try of Westworld.
    I have a problem with programs that have gratuitous violence. A friend told me that Westworld was another Game of Thrones with not just the plot and characters keeping a watcher riveted, but the sex and violence poured in to grab the attention of those who don’t revel in the characters. Thanks for giving me your insight to the show. Major kudos.

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  37. I’ve not seen the show, I watched the film when the show first came out. & I loved the Truman show too. & I’m not an AI, (as far as I know, the disclaimer’s because I’ve seen the original (director’s cut) of Bladerunner. It’s more a rabbit warren than just a rabbit hole).

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  38. Lovely review! Quite agree about the beauty of the soundtrack, I like to listen to it (especially the Heart Shaped Box orchestral versions from season 2) while working or studying and it just elevates me to some other plane.
    Also, if you haven’t already, check out Person of Interest (a series from the same creator), it is also a series on AI that is arguably better than Westworld.

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