This is a neat “Fictional Computers – Good vs. Evil” infographic that shows some of the most iconic computer artificial intelligence systems from sci-fi. There are so many cool supercomputers, whether in books or movies. Glow New Media thought it would be interesting to take a look at the good and the bad. Which side would you bet on?
Source: Glow New Media
I don’t see WOPR in War Games or the bomb in Dark Star as evil, no more than a small child is evil. WOPR metaphorically grows up in the final big scene and in doing so realises the futility of war, it translates the knowledge from the games into understanding that the only way to win a nuclear war is not to have one. The bomb doesn’t get a chance to grow up, to step beyond the purpose it was created for. It explodes because that is what it was created for, it rationalises doing so by imagining a religion. In some ways the bomb is an example of Descartes’ thought experiment around they only thing a being knows to exist are itself, it’s memories and the perception of reality from it’s senses could be hallucinations or the actions of some devil seeking to mislead that being. The bomb explodes because that is the only action available to it to resolve the situation.