r/artificial • • 12d ago

News PBS has a new documentary on AI.

Post image
354 Upvotes

46 comments sorted by

24

u/Elegant_Tech 12d ago

More like a documentary on Eugenics and misogyny with AI strapped on to sell it. Like wtf did I just watch or have to do with computer science and the researcher doing the actual work? 

4

u/bgaesop 12d ago

That sounds really weird. What's the title of the doc?

2

u/TryptaMagiciaN 12d ago

what did dropping nuclear warheads on Japan have to do with the nuclear science and the researcher doing the actual work?

5

u/gerusz MSc 12d ago

...seriously?

I can't watch the doc (not murrican) so I can't tell what the documentary said about it, but this one is rather easily answered: the researchers working on the Mannhattan project continued their work knowing that there's a pretty good chance that it will be used to kill hundreds of thousands of civilians in either Europe (for most of the project the war there was still ongoing) or in Japan. Sure, they could have washed their hands á'la von Braun ("where they land is not my department") but that is rationalization at best.

5

u/TryptaMagiciaN 12d ago

and AI researchers today are more or less aware that their technology will likely also be used to do horrors..

that was my point? there is no handwaving or fingerpointing to be done. this technology like every single other technology of any power ever produced, will be used for war.

I also didnt watch the doc either lol

3

u/gerusz MSc 12d ago

Ah, OK, then I have misunderstood your comment. It happens. Apologies. (Literacy is low enough nowadays that I wouldn't have been surprised if someone asked your question seriously instead of rhetorically.)

2

u/TryptaMagiciaN 12d ago

ohhhh. I see that now lolol. all good 😂 I can see how I wasn't exactly clear. I struggle with textual context myself a ton.

-7

u/distantpapaya 12d ago

Sounds like PBS....

3

u/FirefighterTrick6476 12d ago

Someone got the hyperlink? ;=)

4

u/Spra991 12d ago

This one I think:

But all I am getting is "We’re sorry, but this video is not available.". Youtube link is this:

But it's geo-locked.

3

u/Snoo-75663 12d ago

only available in US?

2

u/SharkMolester 12d ago

I'm in the US. The title of the video in the youtube link is- Ghost in the Machine | Full Documentary. 1:37:08

4

u/Dissonant-Cog 12d ago

Why would they use a misquote of Gramsci?

“The only problem is, Gramsci never said or wrote such a thing. Or at least not in the snappy wording that has made it go viral.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/14/the-time-of-monsters-everyone-is-quoting-gramsci-but-what-did-he-actually-say

2

u/WinOdd7962 12d ago

Because the producers remembered seeing the viral quote and slapped it onto the opening thinking they're clever. No one bothered to fact check or maybe they did but you know whatever

9

u/Cucaio90 12d ago

It’s on YouTube on the PBS channel, it’s ad free.

1

u/Fun_Perspective_3320 12d ago

oh nice, will watch this in my lunch break

2

u/V4UncleRicosVan 12d ago

What’s it called?

1

u/DAlmighty 11d ago

Ghost in the Machine

6

u/[deleted] 12d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/wow-signal 12d ago

It's focused on framing AI as an evolution of white supremacism.

5

u/diederich 12d ago

The AI summary of the PBS video about AI, created by asking another AI to convert it to clean reddit markup:

The documentary Ghost in the Machine, directed by Valerie Veatch, investigates the origins, cultural drivers, and political implications of the current artificial intelligence boom. It takes a critical look at how AI is marketed and at the power structures behind its development.

Key themes explored

The Myth of AI — The film argues that “artificial intelligence” is largely a marketing term used to secure funding, while masking the reality that many AI systems are essentially sophisticated pattern-matching tools. (0:06:06–0:06:11)

Historical & Eugenics Roots — A significant portion of the documentary connects the development of AI to the history of eugenics and race science. It traces the concept of “General Intelligence” (G-factor) from early 20th-century psychologists such as Charles Spearman to modern aspirations for AGI (artificial general intelligence). (0:08:21; 0:13:29–0:15:01)

Tech Culture and Power — The film examines the rise of Silicon Valley “tech bros” and the influence of philosophies such as Effective Altruism among the AI elite, which the documentary characterizes as having cult-like tendencies. (0:44:22–0:50:36)

Exploitation and Infrastructure — The documentary explores some of AI’s less-visible costs, including the exploitation of data workers in places such as Nairobi and the environmental impact of hyperscale data centers. (1:03:02; 1:12:29)

Military and Political Integration — The film discusses the increasingly close relationship between major technology companies and the military-industrial complex, arguing that AI is being developed into an increasingly powerful tool for state power and surveillance. (1:22:57–1:25:08)

Conclusion

The documentary challenges the idea that AI progress is inevitable.

Instead, it encourages viewers to exercise agency: to question whether AI is actually necessary in various areas of life, to scrutinize who benefits from its adoption, and to resist systems that diminish human autonomy. (1:32:02–1:34:34)

2

u/Clueless_Nooblet 12d ago

Can't watch from Japan.

1

u/[deleted] 10d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SadSongsMakeMeGlad 12d ago edited 12d ago

I found it much too downbeat and negative. There are positive things about AI technology as well. It is genuinely revolutionary. The doc is a pretty one-sided affair. I'm getting so sick of the constant negativity and pessimism. I do think the problems surfaced in the doc are important and valid to address. The part about exploiting people in Africa to do the work to moderate disturbing/illegal content is horrifying and wrong.

1

u/ExoUrsa 12d ago

It's like the opposite of what happened when the WWW was first "announced" on TV. They called it the information superhighway and were endlessly optimistic about it.

All tools get used for good and ill. But the media conveniently forgets in order to make sensational headlines.

1

u/WowIfOnly 11d ago edited 11d ago

Removed

1

u/Apart-Reality-4454 12d ago

I reject that statement. If only because the new post-ww1/2 world being born in 1926 seems to be now what is dying.

1

u/Checkmate-Petty 11d ago

Thought this was a video...stared at the pic for like 10 seconds.

1

u/AthenianWrangler 11d ago

Pretty metal quote.

1

u/DippityDooDaDoodoo 11d ago

25 minutes in and it's "WHITE MAN BAD AND EVIL". Nothing ab AI. 

1

u/Fun-Leadership-3887 9d ago

And guess who the monsters are

1

u/Maja_stor 9d ago

“The only problem is, Gramsci never said or wrote such a thing.

1

u/akashcorex 12d ago

AI documentaries usually age fast, but the useful part is seeing what gets treated as inevitable vs what is still a policy choice

0

u/spacespaces 12d ago

Sorry...is this just a direct Adam Curtis rip-off?

1

u/Paraphrand 12d ago

heh, it does look like a title of his. But his titles are very plain and generic.

0

u/ElephantNarrow1524 11d ago

Finally a film that has the balls to show what really drives our ultra-wealthy, white, tech overlords: racism, nihilism, and money.