From: Robin Hanson (hanson@econ.berkeley.edu)
Date: Fri Apr 09 1999 - 17:27:40 MDT
OK, all the buzz on this list about the movie "the Matrix"
got me to see it. My review: ich.
On the positive side I guess you might say they take the ideas
of virtual reality and artificial intelligence seriously.
(Then again you might not.) And it had a lot of action &
violence (no sex) for folks who like that sort of thing.
SPOILER WARNING: DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!
On the negative side, humans cloud the skys to take solar energy
away from AIs, who then grow humans as energy sources, putting
them in a virtual reality to distract them from being eaten?!
Special humans born with an ability to hack the AI's operating
system better than the AIs?! AIs who have to run and chase
things in their virtual reality rather than just deleting the
relevant files?! AIs too stupid to out guess spunky humans
or to find the hidden human "city" on an Earth run by AIs?
A fight for human freedom lead by an all-knowing "oracle" who
gives orders and explains little? Pleeaase.
An engrossing cartoon perhaps, but hardly a fruitful basis
for thinking about the future. Similar but better movies
were Dark City and Total Recall.
Robin Hanson
hanson@econ.berkeley.edu http://hanson.berkeley.edu/
RWJF Health Policy Scholar FAX: 510-643-8614
140 Warren Hall, UC Berkeley, CA 94720-7360 510-643-1884
after 8/99: Assist. Prof. Economics, George Mason Univ.
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