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Harmony, the robot

Hi, A.I., the love stories of the future

Docs del Mes dedicates November to a film by Isa Willinger about our relationship with artificial intelligence.

Humanoid robots are a recurrent element in science fiction works. For example, in the middle of the 20th century, Isaac Asimov published the collection of stories that would make up his famous I, Robot, a set of stories about a not-too-distant future (the 21st century, to be precise) where intelligent machines coexist with humans. Well, today we are already in the 21st century and indeed, artificial intelligence is increasingly present in our lives. During the month of November you will be able to see for yourselves. Docs del Mes brings the film Hi, A.I. (Germany, 2019) by Isa Willinger to some screens in Barcelona, which reveals some aspects of our present and future relationship with artificial intelligence.

The fictional documentary Hi, A.I. presents situations where intelligent machines are used to fill the void that loneliness leaves in some people's lives. Harmony is the name of the woman-looking robot that Chuck buys to end his lonely life and share it with someone. Similarly, in Japan, Sakurai's grandson gives to his grandmother a robot called Pepper, a machine that will give her conversation and keep her cognitively active. But things don't always turn out as expected. The documentary shows that dealing with a robot is not the same as dealing with a person, and in order to maintain coherent communication the messages must be short, clear and unambiguous.

The documentary also includes the testimonies of people who work in the robotics sector. From their laboratories they reveal some key aspects of artificial intelligence and where we stand in the development of machines in which we can pour our emotions. The film has been nominated in numerous international competitions and, with it, Isa Willinger has won the award for best documentary at the German Max Ophüls Preis 2019 festival. A unsettling film with various perspectives on the present and future of our relationship with machines.

For more information click here.

Publication date: Tuesday, 27 October 2020
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