HBO Max is looking to create a very symbolic look at the end of the world using The Three Little Pigs of all stories as Raised by Wolves makes it abundantly clear that this will play a big part in the show’s overall plot. So far the cast looks as though it will be comprised of a few well-known names that people might recognize, among them Travis Fimmel of Vikings fame on the History channel. As with many post-apocalyptic stories, Raised by Wolves looks to take advantage of the idea that the world has been largely destroyed by the ongoing conflict that has made the earth a largely uninhabitable place where life is exceedingly difficult and human children have been left in the care of two androids that are to see to their well-being and education as they grow. The particulars of the story are not fully developed as of yet thankfully since knowing too much might make this series appear less inviting. As it stands now the show looks like it might be able to offer a few very impressive and spine-tingling chills, though it does bring back memories of the movie I Am Mother from Netflix in a few ways, as this familiar trope has been used before when thinking about the preservation of humanity using AI. Whether Ridley Scott was using this as part of his inspiration or not it’s interesting to see the parallels that can be drawn, but it’s also worth thinking that things might pop off in a very different direction once the show is allowed to fully develop.
The trailer makes it clear that humanity is at a major impasse when survival is a tenuous thing at best and machines must aid the species in continuing even while the constant struggle continues to tear at the fabric of the story. The seeds of mistrust are bound to be sown however when it appears that a concerned individual comes forward to state that the androids taking care of humanity are likened to the big bad wolf from the tale of The Three Little Pigs. This is interesting in a way since the AI that is left behind to safeguard humanity, or those that have nearly destroyed it, are typically those that were set in place with the best of intentions, but eventually found that their programming would not allow them to continue forward as their creators intended. The problem with leaving machines in charge is that at one point or another there’s bound to be no one left to continue the programming and the evolution of what’s needed and what parameters might have to change. As a result, this tends to leave the AI to evolve on their own, and as it’s been seen in many movies, AI doesn’t always evolve along the same chaotic course as human beings and end up clinging to the rules that humans created but rarely follow to the letter.
So far the show looks absolutely thrilling, not to mention that it’s likely to explore the philosophy of humanity putting their trust and their lives in the hands of AI, a this is a hot topic that many directors have enjoyed touching upon in a lot of different movies and TV shows over the past few decades. As our attitudes towards AI have changed, so too have our outlooks when it comes to entertainment and practical applications. If anyone has been paying attention the development of AI has continued to be pushed in many ways that might be interesting to some and frightening to others since thanks to our vivid imaginations it’s become easy to mistrust machines that can think, and yet at the same time it manages to invite the chance of taking a great load off of humanity as another workforce could be expected to take on a great deal of responsibility, risk, and overall labor. But is that the right thing? This show and many others are likely to make a lot of people think when it comes to the use of AI since to be fair, exploitation is the name of the game when it comes to having someone or something else take care of one’s responsibilities. It feels easy to assume that should AI ever be given the type of responsibility they’re given in the movies and TV shows that someone would end up fighting for the rights of all AI at some point. In the movies and on TV though, the issues that many believe would come to light tend to be the biggest issues to worry about. But when humanity is on the brink and the AI is responsible for bringing us back or shoving us off the edge there’s plenty to worry about. At this point, the show should be something to talk about once it releases, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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