"Be Right Back"- AI Predicting Repeatable, Traceable Patterns of Human Behavior

Black Mirror, the Sci-Fi series on Netflix explores the indefinite possibilities regarding the advancement and incorporation of technology in humans' everyday lives. Technology can be a means to enhance our limitations or deficiencies. On the other hand, technology can be an impediment, acting as a buffer interfering with school, work, and social life. Therefore there is utility with the medium of technology because of the possible markets for its demand. However, there are dire consequences in these man-made creations when used improperly.  The ethical implications of technology arise when we are questioned with how living humans will interact emotionally and physically with robots, androids, and other human-like animated objects. Claims regarding the ethical theories of technology can be made in the Black Mirror episode "Be Right Back." Another note is that Mori’s Theory of the Uncanny Valley does hold true when discussing the aesthetics of robotics and how they interact with real-life humans. 

The episode's plot showcases a modest, young couple named Martha and Ash, living together in the near future. Tragedy happens when non-animated Ash, being hyper attentive to his handheld phone, dies in a car accident when returning a rented vehicle. Viewers should immediately make the connection that technology for simple to complex tasks yields consequences for its improper or dangerous use (being distracted by a phone while driving). Martha, now a widow and pregnant progresses through the modes of grieving. She struggles to maintain her sense of normalcy and resorts to communication using a new model of AI which recreates a deceased, loved one's patterns of behavior and communication using their social media footprint as well as electronic forms of communications. Technology today can trace patterns which challenges the proposition that humans are intrinsically unique. Furthermore, we are predictable in our patterns of behavior and thought. My personal disgust did not flare when non-animated Ash's memory and behavior was insulated in an animated program. My disgust occurred when the animated Ash tried to behave more like real Ash and became intimate with Martha.  

Martha is obsessively attached to the animated Ash whom shockingly is able to recreate non-animated Ash's memory and individuality. The ability to potentially prolong one's life by recreating their individuality using programmed robot is very controversial. A moral question is if it is natural to have an individual’s memory or being transcend mortality and be programmed in a robot. A question of relationship between humans and robots is if it is healthy to have sex with an animated object (humanoid Ash)? I would state that no it is not at all. I cringed when Martha became intimate with humanoid Ash. I just felt uncomfortable proving the Uncanny Valley is correct in its hypothesis- the more similar a robot resembles or behaves as a human; the more negative human reactions will be towards a robot. One point to make out is that non-animated Ash’s history of pornography was incorporated in the programming to make the sex more pleasurable. This reiterates the point of limitations of real-life humans and that technology is used to improve on our deficiencies.  

The way in which animated Ash was able to become better than non-animated Ash is the fact of its programming being from data and information the program had gathered about Ash from social media. Humans can be imitated merely as objects. This proves that we are not unique in nature for the advancement of technology progresses farther ahead in time. Our patterns of behavior and thought can be programmed into a machine hence data about real-life ash being implemented into a robot. Mori’s Theory of the Uncanny Valley holds true to the fact that my personal disgust peaked when animated Ash intimately had sexual relations with Martha. It is simply unnatural and erroneous to use objects for temporal pleasure. It is unnatural as well to transcend mortality by being programmed into a machine to prolong life.