Week 3 Robotics + Art 

Upheaval more than a century into the Industrial Revolution, and more than 100 years ago: An International Workers of the World union demonstration in New York City in 1914
https://theconversation.com/what-the-industrial-revolution-really-tells-us-about-the-future-of-automation-and-work-82051

In the reading of “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Benjamin analyzed how mechanical reproduction destroys the idea of uniqueness and tradition, as Professor Vesna mentioned in her lecture. He argued, “The total function of art is reversed. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice -- politics.” In the epilogue, he also inferred his thought about industrialization,” the horrible feature of imperialistic warfare are attributable to the discrepancy between the tremendous means of production and their inadequate utilization in the process of production to unemployment and lack of market” (Benjamin 1936).

On the other hand, in the reading of “The word of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction,” Douglas Davis has a different perspective. In the reading, he argued that the work of art in the age of digital reproduction is trying to tell us that “each fragment, each image, each sound is unique, personal, quivering with the sense of self.” He valued the Internet as a platform where artists can interact with each other, new mode of thinking, art-making and deep personal touching can occur.  

One Million Internet Users Created This Piece of Art
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-million-internet-users-created-piece-art-180962867/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752/

I think these two readings represent a general trend of our view on industrialization today. It is full of conflicts between benefits and social risks. For instance, our attitudes on artificial intelligence with robotics are conflicted and different based on different cultures. On the one hand, we have a promising view of the convenience and benefits AI can bring us. For instance, in the automobile industry, autonomous vehicles driven by AI provide mobility to people with disability.

On the other hand, we are afraid of the social risks posed by an AI and robotics, such as unemployment and even threatening the life of humans. In the movie Ex Machina, Ava, the humanoid robot with AI, killed Nathan, her owner, by deceiving his friend Caleb, and left Caleb trapped in an isolated building. The movie portrays robotics as evil and deceitful. This theme is contrasted with the Japanese culture and their views on robotics as friends to humans, as mentioned by Professor Kusahara.  It is fascinating for me to learn about how different cultures respond to industrialization and robotics differently based on their histories which influence their perspective of weighing risks and benefits.


References:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction.” The MIT Press, 1995. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

Dupzyk, Kevin. “Rewatch: Why 'Ex Machina' Is Even Scarier Four Years Later.” Popular Mechanics, Popular Mechanics, 16 Jan. 2019, www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a25749315/ex-machina-double-take-data-harvesting/.

Vesna, Victoria  “Robotics.” Lecture 1.

Vesna, Victoria and Machiko Kusahara. “Robotics.” Lecture 4.