Famous actress wonders about AI, television culture and humanity

Rashida Jones, known for her appearances in sitcoms such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” spoke to the New Yorker recently to talk about her upcoming Apple TV+ show, which is about an artificial intelligence. Jones talks about the common comparison between emerging AI and Gutenberg’s printing press. People have always feared the disruption that new technologies bring, so why should we be afraid to embrace AI? Jones notes, however, that AI is a completely different beast than a collection of metal keys and ink blots. She said in the interview:

But the printing press never learned things we didn’t teach it. That’s the part I find scary. Much like the internet, it’s going to be the Wild West, and at some point it’s going to be so destructive that it’s going to have to be brought back into some kind of consensual operation. I don’t know how they’re going to do that. It feels like the darkest people control the internet now – everything from biowarfare to the dark web. I’ve always been obsessed with stories about growing technology and the fear of technology.

-Michael Shulman, Rashida Jones wonders what makes us human | The New Yorker

Copyright activists will be pleased that she mentions a “consent-based” approach. Much of the material AI collects is protected by copyright, forcing artists, writers and photographers to take legal action against Big AI. But if AI is unable to remove copyrighted content from the internet, its supply of raw material to draw from will be even more limited.

As an actress herself, Jones may have a little more sympathy for those whose livelihoods are more at stake due to the threat of algorithmic copycats.

Jones was also asked about the changing world of television and how TV studios are trying to adapt to the modern attention span. These days, shows are trying to create programs that are meant to be watched in the background while viewers scroll on their phones. Jones commented:

Listen, phones are addictive. They were designed to hook us. They were designed to change our behavior so we keep coming back. We all know that. But now it’s all compressed. You don’t go to a dark movie theater, hold someone’s hand and eat popcorn. I Love that, but we’re fighting now to make that the core of the business. And I think the problem is that people in charge don’t care about that sticky factor as much as they should. But I can also say that a show like this – it’s original, it’s weird, it’s its own universe – can still exist.

When I watch a movie with my friends, I usually see that almost everyone is scrolling through social media instead of looking at the TV screen. I find it hard to go two hours without checking text messages and emails these days. That’s the sad reality that the modern entertainment industry must contend with. Cultural commentator Ted Gioia noted that we now live in a dopamine culture. We no longer talk about mainstream entertainment devouring art. Now distraction devouring both entertainment and entertainment. And Art. These days, we can’t just sit down and watch a TV show without our phones. Yet actors like Rashida Jones believe that provocative and “weird” shows like her upcoming show are still worth producing and watching with focused attention.