Humans (British TV Series)
Humans is a British sci-fi television series produced by Channel 4, Kudos, and AMC. The first season aired on June 14th 2015, with two seasons following, each with eight episodes. The writers, Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley are also credited for Broadchurch, The Hour, and The Tunnel. Humans is based on the Swedish science fiction television show Real Humans, which also features consumer humanoid robots.
In Humans, the eerily human-like robots are called “Synths”, which are available for any consumer that can afford them. They can take care of the elderly, clean houses, drive cars, babysit children, and much more. The only thing distinguishing them from humans are their unnatural green eyes. The integration of synths into a reality similar to the current asses their potential influence on society. The main ethical questions in the show are: the future of artificial intelligence, human robot relationships as well as human relationships in the face of robots, and the reality of consciousness.
Contents
About Humans
Plot Lines
Humans is based in London in a parallel present, except it has synths.
- Plot 1 (central): Laura (Katherine Parkinson) and Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) Hawkins, parents of Mattie, Toby and Sophie, live hectic lives trying to take care of their family. They decide to buy a Synth and name her Anita (Gemma Chan). Anita is not only able to tidy up their house, but also their lives, making everything easier and helping the family to re-connect. However, Anita shows some signs of being slightly off, because of her extensive knowledge of the Hawkins family dynamics.
- Plot 2: George Millican (William Hurt) lives with his Synth Odi (Will Tudor), his government designated caretaker due to health issues. Odi, however, needs to be updated and often malfunctions, but George has formed a father-son bond with him. Because of this, authorities threaten to replace Odi in favor of a stricter, fully functioning Synth. George attempts to hide his relationship with Odi in order to continue living an unhealthy, but free, life.
- Plot 3: Leo (Colin Morgan) and his Synth Max (Ivanno Jeremiah) are bound at the hip. Max seems to be unlike other Synths for unknown reasons, and Leo is looking for someone from his past.
- Plot 4: Peter Drummond (Neil Maskell) works on the Special Technologies Task Force combatting any Synth related issues. During the season, he is presented with a case unlike anything he has ever seen.
Marketing
Before Humans announced its TV plot, they duped British consumers into thinking that Synths were available for purchase. Synths were initially listed on a fake eBay store, boasting 200,000 viewers and its first 72 hours (4). After the initial success, Persona Synthetics was created to pose as the company selling Synths to the public. In collaboration with Microsoft, Persona Synthetics made its debut on Regent Street in London with a faux pop-up shop. The storefront utilized screens with life-size Synths, boasting their varying abilities and advertising why would soon be in all households. Persona Synthetics took marketing to the next step, with a fully-functioning website (5). The company's slogan is "Bringing you products that are closer to humans than ever."
The initial Synth advertisements generated fear in the UK, with citizens concerned that Synths were actually available. This concern is exactly what the Humans marketing teams aimed for because it caused future viewers to question the reality of just how close this technology may be to creation (6).
Synth Creation
All Synths are played by human actors in an attempt to make them seem even more real to viewers. In order to train actors to become Synths, they had to attend Synth School in which they were taught how to rid people of human body language and gestures. Actor Gemma Chan who plays Anita explains, “It comes down to the fact that Synths are machines, ultimately, and every movement they make uses up energy and battery power so there has to be an economy and a reason everything’s done the way it is.” (3) This removal of human-ness from the Synths is a chilling reminder that robots should not have all human qualities. But in the television series, the Synths prove to have some sort of human-ness programmed inside of them.
Themes and Ethics
The Future of Artificial Intelligence
Humans' intent is to bring attention to the simple fact that artificial intelligence is not far off. Their marketing strategies enhanced this message and set the stage for viewers to understand that AI is part of their current lives. However, AI brings many ethical implications with it. Because intelligent machines are designed to do things better than humans can, it is important to consider when we will stop to look at just how much they know. Will we simply allow AI to grow or do we limit it?
perfect voyeurism? "covert watching or listening that is neither discovered nor publicized"
Human-Robot Relationships
Human robot interaction: what it means to be human and how technology will affect that - Example: synth strippers, is it reducing harm - Tech is already affecting our relationships so how would taking a step further into it affect it “Emotional impact that comes as the lines between humans and machines become blurred” (2)
Consciousness
Consciousness: do we understand it (3), what happens when synths become capable of feeling and emotion
ETHICS:
“explores themes of ai and robotics, focused on the social, cultural, and psychological impact of the impact of anthropomorphic robots called synths” (Wikipedia)
Sources: 1. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a620653/humans-channel-4-and-amcs-sci-fi-drama-releases-its-first-image/ 2. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/humans-new-amc-tv-show-debuts-36749/ 3. https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/humans/35663/humans-colin-morgan-and-gemma-chan-interview 4. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a647047/channel-4-explains-innovative-humans-marketing-campaign/ 5. https://www.personasynthetics.com/ 6. https://www.itv.com/news/2015-05-13/channel-4-dupes-viewers-into-thinking-robot-servants-for-sale/ 7. https://www.newsweek.com/new-show-humans-amc-dreams-electric-sheep-349839
