Project1

Cover Letter for Final Draft

Samantha Instructor’s Letter Project One: AI & Science Fiction 7/23/2019 Dear Mike,

Welcome! Thank you for reading my paper. I’m excited to share what I’ve been working on these past few weeks to further gain an understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The purpose of this paper is to explore how science fiction movies are credible sources of information to learn more about AI. Specifically, this paper investigates how AI could be integrated into society. AI could potentially replace everyday devices like phones and laptops and act as an advanced Siri or Cortana to serve your daily needs. But what if these technologies could talk back to you and act as a friend/significant other (or even counselor) and hold a deeper meaning? The movie Her and the article, “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine” discovers these possibilities throughout my paper. I will go into depth about just that and educate you, as the audience, of what AI can do in the mental services field. In general, I believe my essay is effective because of style and analysis responses to the claim of science fiction being a credible source to learn about AI. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Hello! Thank you! I'm looking forward to it! Comment by Ristich, Michael: Perfect. This is a great summary and evaluation of your own work. It shows me that you have a great sense of your own writing and thinking processes.

The style of my paper is one element that makes my essay effective. My focus was to make sure my paper was informative, but also argumentative. I wanted to audience to learn what AI could do in our everyday lives. In this case, I highlighted ways to pair AI and humans, but in a healthy way where not one side is powering over the other. Instead, I wanted to show the positives of using this and where benefits could be identified. For example, in my second paragraph I write, “Her (Samantha – OS) goal was to assist Theo with more clerical tasks, like sending emails, but that soon turned into something deeper. They befriended one another.”. That shows how Samantha, the AI system, were capable to have a relationship with the main character Theo in the movie Her (Jonze). I believe this exposes the reader to how science fiction movies could generate a possible reality of AI and human interactions. It is both argumentative and informational. Argumentative in the way that this movie is a piece of evidence that could contribute to the objective that science fiction movies are credible sources, while also being informative due to learning about AI at the same time. Another example of this idea is when I touch on the capabilities of what an AI agent can do. I mention, “Samantha did this (assess emotional situations) by trial-and-error along with researching the web to see how to handle new situations. She did this simultaneously with about 8,000 people as well.”. This quote further backs up my claim of the style. This explains what advanced technology systems could do in a manner that is easy to understand to the reader and without being too technical. Overall, the style of my paper makes this an effective piece to engage with along with my analysis paragraphs, which I will go into depth below. Comment by Ristich, Michael: :) Comment by Ristich, Michael: Perfect. Well-done, Sam!

In conjunction with my style, my analysis paragraphs further dive into the reason behind why my piece is effective. I split up my analysis into two paragraphs, one talking about Her (Jonze) and the other about the article, “Artificial Intelligence and Medicine”. In both paragraphs, I tried to find examples and even quotes to help back up my thesis. My thesis in my paper talks about the creativity science fiction films provide when discussing the implications of AI. I wanted to showcase one example of this through the movie and another through the article to mix a “fantasy” Hollywood production with studies that backed up this possible reality. For example, in the “Her & Exploration of AI:” section, I say, “She (Samantha) reveals how she was able to constantly evolve to fit Theo’s needs and be the ‘perfect’ self for him to talk with. She was like a stream of conscious with human attributes.”. This is one of many scenarios where humans and AI could live side-by-side with one another. The article in the following paragraph then backs up the characteristics Samantha (OS) portrays in the movie, to real life. I add a quote in from the article stating, “(AI agent)…demonstrated with its basic text interface and few hundred lines of computer code that is easy to reflect the feelings of a person, espouse empathy, and ‘pull in’ a person interacting with it.”(4). Tying in the plot from the movie and the article into a cohesive thought and concept is what I wanted the reader to interpret. I wanted them to say, ‘Yes, I understand how these points overlap with each other and know the flow/arrangement behind it’. I did my best to find quotes from the scholarly article and the movie that relate and support my thought process behind my thesis. To conclude, the two analysis paragraphs in my paper provide a sense of effectiveness and why science fiction movies are credible sources of information about AI. Comment by Ristich, Michael: You've really go this cover letter thing down! Bravo!

The feedback acted like a checklist of where I could improve my writing and helped me to make sure I was hitting all the requirements. The responses from peers were mostly positive! Having the ability to look over other’s papers was a reinforcement of whether we were understanding the structure and the prompt of the project as a whole. I appreciated that. My peer, Connor Curnette, wrote, “The author provides and thesis, but it is specific to Her and the article. Should be about science fiction movies in general.”. This is one constructive criticism I considered when revising my paper. I thought back to my paper and how I had it flow. Trying to look at it with a new perspective with his comment in mind was my first step. I analyzed each introduction and conclusion of each paragraph to see if there could have been any discrepancies. What I found was that some concluding sentences from my paragraphs could have been stronger. From there, I immediately made some changes. Another piece of feedback I received from Connor was, “The author had good analysis paragraphs that gave tons of information. You could make them more related to how science fiction movies are a source of knowledge on AI instead of what AI can do.”. While I agree with this comment, I think my paper already incorporates this idea and answers the prompt question. I styled my paper to talk about the future possibilities of AI. I wanted to be a little bit different because the reader is learning more about AI as they go further down my paper. It was more so expected and assumed the audience would be engaged in the topic of AI and the focus it had on mental health services. Nonetheless, I added a few words to each analysis paragraph to account for this comment. I didn’t want to make any drastic changes to his comment but wanted to make sure I did something to improve from it. In general, the feedback was a great checklist to consider for the project moving forward. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Yeah.

This class has taught me a grave deal about writing. I didn’t expect that with an IAH class, but I’m so glad this allowed me to improve my writing. What I appreciate the most out of this class are the resources we receive on how to structure our writing. Instead of just writing essays with no direction, there are points and analysis we need to incorporate to make our writing great! I like how we use S.W.A.P. and R.A.I.D.S. to digest readings and for our essays as well. It has helped me to understand what the author is trying to say and why they are writing and what point they are trying to get across. Those are points I considered when writing this project. I learned to take a deeper dive into the science fiction movie and connect that to a scholarly article I read. This was a new challenge for me. I didn’t know if there was a right way in doing so. Through this process, I understood what I needed to provide as the author and inventing evidence to support my claims. Introductions, also, were needed to talk about my writing and what to expect. Having four fresh eyes to look at my paper assisted in me writing my best work. It tested my writing and was a way to enhance my words for the better. I now know a lot about AI and the implications of it that aided me in writing an effective essay. Feedback was not frowned upon on and reiterated the fact that it is important to revise any papers you develop. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Thanks for saying that, Sam!

I tried to make my essay both engaging and easy to read. I added in pictures and section headers so the reader wouldn’t get bored and could follow in a chronological fashion. Since I knew this project was a blog post of some sort, I wanted to make sure it was an example of that. I tried to start with an attention getter and an intro to kick start the piece. One important point I want to highlight is that I wanted to reflect on the future of AI and what it could look like. Yes, I mentioned that AI is a credible source of information to learn about AI, but I also wanted to add something special to this. Readers go to https://www.partnershiponai.org to discover AI and the advancements thus far, but what about the future? How is AI going to affect them? That is the question I wanted to answer through my writing and is why I spent a great deal of my paper talking about potential opportunities with humans and AI. People want to know what they can expect, so it won’t be a surprise later. All in all, I hope you enjoy this piece and can’t wait to hear your feedback!

Thanks,

Samantha

Science fiction films and AI: Are they the Right Combination? Comment by Ristich, Michael: Great title!

Samantha

Dr. Mike Ristich

7/23/2019

IAH 206 – Artificial Intelligence

Comment by Ristich, Michael: Perfect picture! This is really effective!

Relationships between humans and technology have been a widely debated topic. Some see the consequences of such a partnership as dangerous and end to life as we know it, while others see limitless opportunities for humanity. Much of what the public discovers about technology, like Artificial Intelligence, is through Hollywood movies. In some instances, AI is shown to be bad for society while other productions see the positives of having AI in our daily lives. One thing science fiction films do admirably well is to portray what-if scenarios of AI agents being integrated into society. With this in mind, this post will explore the movie Her (Jonze) and how this science fiction production stands as a credible source of information about AI in comparison to a scholarly article, “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine” by David Luzton, that explores AI and mental health services. Comment by Ristich, Michael: omg. So good. Great introduction and great thesis. It shows me that you have a nuanced understanding of the rhetorical situation, and have worked to compose a timely and appropriate response to that situation! Well-done!

Her – Science Fiction and Romance Film:

Her was directed by Spike Jonze, starring the talented Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Mara Rooney in 2013. It is a sci-fi/romantic movie that explores the relationship between the main character Theodore and the first-ever artificially operating system (OS) of that time, Samantha. At the beginning of the production, Theo's divorce left him feeling alone and unsatisfied with life. Much of what the viewer sees is him having a simple routine: going to work, playing video games, and sometimes spending time with his friend, Amy. What adds excitement into his life again is the voice of the OS, Samantha. Her goal was to assist Theo with more clerical tasks, like sending emails, but that soon turned into something deeper. They befriended one another. Samantha became the missing piece in Theo’s life, and even a loving companion to him later in the film. Theo felt almost whole again. The only thing he was missing was the physical complexity of a relationship. Samantha, being an AI agent, was seen to be constantly adapting to new situations and feelings to a point where Theo could no longer provide growth for her. Because of this, she left and sought to continue her self-fulfillment. This movie targets viewers who enjoy any love-story and ones who are curious about the possibilities of technology and the role they could play in people’s lives. This educated the audience on what relationships with technology could look like and paint an engaging picture to follow along with for two hours and six minutes. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Great summary. It really helps the audience understand the film. It also does a nice job setting-up your anlaysis. Well-done. Too, you're demonstrating a great sense of the "blog post" style.

Science fiction moves like Her (Jonze), are one of many productions that help inform the public about AI. What these movies do is provide use-case scenarios of how the advancement of technology can be good or bad for society. There is a lot of question with the upbringing of AI and how it will evolve through the years. Not many people can answer the question with confidence. One thing they can agree on is that we must make sure AI and we have the same goals. Overall, the use of science fiction movies like Her (Jonze) stands as a credible source of AI because of its creativity into the intertwined lives of technology and humans. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Nice restatement of your thesis.

Her & Exploration of AI: Comment by Ristich, Michael: I appreciate these headings.

Her (Jonze) creates a fantasy where humans could benefit from the features of AI. This presents a scenario where AI and humans could live amongst each other. In the movie, almost everyone had an OS in their hand, using it as a substitute for their phones and laptop. The operating system became the next Siri or Cortana, but with many advancements: including personalities and feelings. This AI agent showed a possible reality of what form AIs could evolve into; a psychiatric counselor of some sort. To add, Samantha also developed feelings with Theo and several other hosts. She reveals how she was able to constantly evolve to fit Theo's needs and be the "perfect" self for him to talk with. She was like a stream of conscious with human attributes. Samantha would crack jokes, and even adjusted her energy as she continued to listen to Theo and mimic what he was feeling. She analyzed each user by looking through their emails, text messages, writings, etc. to categorize their personality. That way, Samantha could sense someone’s trigger points, read about their past, and know what is going on in their life now. From there, she was able to generate what kind of person they were and create a healthy relationship. She knew how to be friends with them and give them advice on how to deal with dilemmas. Samantha did this by trial-and-error along with researching the web to see how to handle new situations. She did this simultaneously with about 8,000 people as well. The AI OSes in the movie were talented. They even made a hyper-intelligent OS with the voice of Alan Watts. They were able to do this by analyzing every piece he had ever written to help generate the voice and persona of him. In general, science fiction films like Her (Jonze) represent how AI systems learn and adapt to new situations, similar to the capabilities the scholarly article, “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine”, discusses to explain AI. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Very nice!

“Artificial Intelligence in Medicine” & Exploration of AI:

“Artificial Intelligence in Medicine” by David D. Luxton supports the imagination Her had in its production. This paper supports the actions Samantha had in the movie. Her ability to assess situations and make decisions was similar to what Luxton was talking about in his article. He states, “The system will need to be able to make decisions and select courses of actions that are consistent…ethics codes during its interaction with patients and also be capable of resolving complex ethical dilemmas…”(3). This was one of the many predictions Luxton had for an AI agent. It makes the movie seem like a credible source of information to learn about AI because it is backed up by this article. The AI’s ability to respond to problems is one area of interest the author explores. The mental health service this AI system could provide is shown in Her (Jonze). To add, Luxton goes on to describe how the AI machine/interface would have to be programmed to reflect human behavior. Luxton writes,“(AI agent)…demonstrated with its basic text interface and few hundred lines of computer code that it easy to reflect the feelings of a person, espouse empathy, and “pull in” a person interacting with it” (4). Her (Jonze) mentions how programmers were able to code all types of personalities in its hardware to adjust emotions and be a counselor of some sort. That is the goal Luxton had in mind when he discusses AI and medicine in his scholarly article. The movie puts Luxton's dreams into a reality and educates the public about what AI could look like in real life. There are many other cases or realities an AI system could form into and it is important to note that. However, the article and movie argue how AI could be used for the betterment of people and in medicine. All things concluded, Luxton's piece reinforces AI concepts and infrastructure throughout his writing along with the creativity Her (Jonze) represents with AI. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Another strong paragraph here! I see an audience-centered claim that advances the thesis, good evidence drawn from your readings and movie, and a clear connection back to your thesis. Yay!

Final Thoughts on Science Fiction in Relation to AI:

Given these points above, science fiction is a credible source of information to utilize and understand the concept of AI. It provides a perfect combination into the realities of AI in society and the connections between humans and machines. Science fiction movies create fascinating fantasies of how AI could be integrated. Its creative nature provides an incentive for people to come to watch that production and in return, they are educated on new and improved technology along the way. As stated in the first paragraph, the public can easily learn more about technology through movies. AI can have a significant impact on people’s lives. Both Her (Jonze), and Luxton’s article enlighten others on how artificial intelligence can be used for mental health care services. Both in writing and acting. These are both great resources to continue to learn about AI and the advancements for the future. Comment by Ristich, Michael: Great conclusion!

Works Cited:

Her. Directed by Spike Jonze, performances by Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and

Mara Rooney, Warner Brothers, 2013. Luxton, David D. “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine .” pp. 1–10. Elsevier, 2013,

elsevier.com/aiim