The Implications of Technology in the Movie Her

About nine years ago I discovered a book called The Age of Spiritual Machines by a man named Ray Kurzweil that demanded my immediate interest. I was captivated by his view of the future of technology - astoundingly positive and bright compared to most peoples’ negative or dystopian outlook when it comes to the dangers of a society increasingly reliant on machines and technology. I recently had the privilege of watching Spike Jonze’s 2013 movie her. While focusing on the personal aspect of a man falling in love with an artificial intelligence in a near-future Los Angeles, I couldn’t help but be surprised and delighted when Ray Kurzweil’s theories and mindset came shining through the backdrop. This is a smart, moving love story at first glance, and a philosophical contemplation of the undeniable path technology has set upon when delved deeper into. I am going to attempt to parallel certain events and allusions in this movie with the theory of the Singularity that Ray Kurzweil has helped usher into popular culture in recent years.

I remember first learning about Ray Kurzweil and being increasingly impressed with his prior accomplishments, and how factually based his epic predictions of the future of technology are. This man has worked in robotics since his youth, and is widely respected as an expert in the field. Since gaining popularity in his work and theories in the past decade, he now sits as head of robotics for Google. At first, certain parts of his vast, multifaceted outlook are hard to grasp or seem downright ludicrous, but it is important to mention that any prediction he has made thus far concerning any kind of technologic timeline have all come true with a high degree of accuracy. A basic tenet of his theory is t...

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...istics, Jonze focuses our attention on one of the first of many men to fall for a consciousness that is decidedly not human, and lets the technology speak for itself. Whether these things come to pass, only time will tell.

Works Cited

At one point during the film, Scarlett Johansson’s character Samantha reveals that she and a group of other artificial intelligences have moved past matter as their operating platform. This carries a heavy technological and theological implication.

Her. Dir. Spike Jonze. Perf. Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson. Warner Home Entertainment, 2014. Film.

“They key idea underlying the impending Singularity is that the pace of change of our human-created technology is accelerating and its powers are expanding at exponential pace.”

Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. New York: Viking, 2005. Print.