Grey Magic in the “Dualopian” Future

When you look out into the prospects of the future, what do you see? 

Hydrogen-powered flying vehicles hovering above pristine black asphalt highways? 3D food printers spitting out edible replicas of your favourite velvety cherry cheesecake? Neurotransmitter microchips implanted within your prefrontal cortex, instantly and continually allowing your mind to tap into the internet? 

Some of these ideas might sound like fairytale conceptions to some of us in the 21^st century. But the same goes for microwaves, smartphones, and even Advil, if you told someone 200 years ago that a machine could nuke their dinner from frozen to fresh in half a minute, or provide them with all the knowable information in the world via invisible signals from space beaming into their pockets, or how they could cure pain and eradicate fearful fevers in minutes with a swig of water and a pink pill the size of a pinky nail.

The ideas we have of the future can seem fantastical and inexplicable at times, but looking back at science-fiction literature written not even 80 years ago, we can see that the thoughts and premonitions people had of what a world with evolving technology could look like have uncanny resemblances to the one we live in now. Whether it was a magical world of machines serving humans for convenience and pleasure, or a civilization brought to destruction by its own mechanized creations, the question about technology’s involvement in the utopic or dystopic construction of our future has long been explored through literature. Now, however, we might just have an answer.

Dystopian literature and technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science focused on developing machinery and robotics to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence. It became the centre of many utopia-turned-dystopian novels and films within the 21^st century. The popular Netflix show “Black Mirror” is one example of modern media exploring concerns about how technological advancements could go too far. However, this sub-genre of technological dystopia is nothing new. 

In 1950, American novelist Ray Bradbury published his technological science-fiction hit, “The Veldt.” During this time, America was experiencing significant economic and technological changes. As other nations were still recovering from the Second World War, America’s economy began to focus on growth as employment levels, incomes, and capitalist ideals began to rise. As America entered her “Golden Era,” manufacturing flourished and the middle class began to emerge.^[1] Americans became enthralled by the idea of lavish living and began spending more liberally, a concept barred throughout the war. A large component of luxurious living became the idea of owning technology. Technology became increasingly popular in households. It helped create pleasure and convenience. Many Americans looked to the future of technology with wide-eyed optimism, and companies began to invest more time and money into developing technology further. But not everybody was convinced that automated machines and robots were the way of the future. As excitement grew over what new pleasures technology could bring, so too did fears about how technology could lead to destruction and chaos for mankind.

Bradbury’s depiction of the future in “The Veldt” reflected the fears and concerns people had about the advancement and reliance on technology. Bradbury’s introduction of the then preposterous technologies throughout his story has some uncanny resemblances to technologies within our own world. Protagonists George and Lydia Hadley purchase a Happy Home system and allow technology to completely take over the basic functions of their house – think Alexa or Google Home on steroids. They go on to purchase a nursery that uses light-refracting walls and ordophonics machines to produce life-like scenes that their children can experience in real-time (equivalent to today’s virtual reality set). The parents become increasingly more concerned about their children’s well-being as they start to envision the nursery as an African Veldt, living amongst vicious lions and detaching from reality.

Although today’s technology is not quite equal to that in Bradbury’s created world, the metaphor of technology replacing real-world social interactions cannot be lost on us in the 21^st century. Could these imagined dystopian worlds truly be a warning from previous generations or merely a way to profit off a fear of the unknown?

White, black, and grey magic

In March of 2023, more than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including tech wizards like Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla) and Steve Wozniak (Co-founder of Apple), signed an open letter calling on all AI labs to pause the progression of artificial intelligence systems more powerful than GPT-4, an automated language system that can produce text in a manner as close to human intelligence as currently possible. The opening letter begins by stating that “AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity, as shown by extensive research and acknowledged by top AI labs.”^[2]

Researcher of consumer psychology, Dr. Letheren, explores these notions of whether the rapid progression of AI is leading society into a dystopian or utopian world.^[3] Black magic (dystopia) represents the powerful yet destructive possibility of AI bringing about society’s demise, while white magic (utopia) represents the glimmering hope that can bring society into a new golden era of optimism and fulfillment. However, Letheren suggests that we are more likely headed towards a middle ground: a grey magic bringing about a “dualopian” society. To create this grey area, marketers, creators, and consumers of AI need to be aware of the potential consequences of technologies progressing too quickly.

Letheren proposes two outcomes for both black and white magic: intentional and unintentional harm or benefit. Intentional black magic is the use of AI for potential criminal activity, war crimes, or fraud, whereas unintentional black magic arises naturally as a consequence of AI implementation such as loss of jobs to automation, relationship issues, and a reduction of contact with the natural world.^[4] The intentional benefits of artificial intelligence, which is arguably the purpose for which these technologies have been created, have been put into place to benefit society by adding convenience and problem-solving solutions to humanity. The unintentional benefits act as side-effects to the intended good such as reduced poverty and increased health and creativity.^[5]

Letheren argues that our future is not likely to resemble a science-fiction depiction of a dystopia dictated by a black magic AI or a utopia served by a white magic AI, but rather a combination of the two that will change depending on circumstances and influences it encounters. Marketers need to understand that every active decision they make about AI will be an intentional vote for black or white magic and every unconsidered passive decision can become a wild card that can lend itself to either side.^[6] Therefore, it is pivotal that as we navigate into our future with artificial intelligence at the helm, we must do so with awareness about the power every decision, mindful or not, holds in shaping our future. 

The path forward

To create a responsible path forward with artificial intelligence, Letheren suggests further research is needed to better understand marketing power, bias, and ethical practices. 

To understand marketing power, we must look at power inequalities within society. Marketers hold quite a bit of power within the influence of AI as they can influence policy, design products, and connect to the needs of consumers.^[7] Therefore, marketers hold quite a bit of responsibility with their vote into black or white magic. It is important to explore power inequalities to determine specific groups whose needs may not be considered with the development of new technologies. For example, if we look at ethnic and cultural disparities, it may be easier for marketers and creators of AI to adhere to the needs of a dominant cultural group while ignoring, intentionally or not, the needs of minorities.

The idea of marketing power also relates to the power that bias plays in the creation of AI. Since artificial intelligence is programmed through human intelligence, that means it is vulnerable to the adoption of the biases of its creators. In Laurie Penny’s article, Penny illuminates an example where a St. George hospital in London programmed an automated system whose employee admissions process accepted candidates similar to those previously accepted in the 1970s.^[8] If these biases go unchecked and unmonitored, creators can subconsciously create unfair, and oftentimes, discriminatory outcomes. 

As new technologies and artificial intelligence progress at alarming rates, it is difficult for law and legal policies to keep up with ethical guidelines to direct these innovations. We see some of these ethical and moral rules laid out in science-fiction media. In 1942, Isaac Asimov, author of “I, Robot,” later adapted into the 2000s movie starring Will Smith, understood the need for ethical guidelines to direct robotics responsibly as he created the “Three Laws of Robotics.” These laws lay out fundamental rules which robots and artificial intelligence are authorized to follow like the inability to disobey human orders unless it were to harm or injure human beings and the protection of its own existence if it does not conflict with the previous laws.^[9] The problem is these laws are completely fictitious. Coming up with a standard set of rules that govern robotics and AI seems like an easy feat, however, these rules can’t cover all potential situations that may arise as technology evolves and can be susceptible to interpretation.^[10]

Throughout the past few years with AI’s growth, we have already experienced the chilling potential of black magic such as the theft of personal data and violation of privacy; the acceptance and spread of race, gender, and gender identity discrimination; the demise of authentic journalism and rise of disinformation; the manipulation of politics; and threats of automated war.^[11] However, we have also seen the benefits that white magic has done for entertainment, healthcare, and education across the globe. The battle between black and white magic will be inevitable. Like every science-fiction story or fairy tale, there will always be those who fight for good and those who fight for evil. Acknowledging the existence of grey magic is important for creators and consumers of AI to be more responsible and explore further research into how our actions play a vital role in creating a “dualopian” society for our future.

Bibliography

Asimov, I. (1942). Runaround. Astounding Science Fiction, 29(1), 94–103.

Heffernan, Teresa. 2020. “The Dangers of Mystifying Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.” Toronto Journal of Theology 36 (1): 93–95. https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2020-0029.

ladan. 2018. “The Veldt and Historical Context of 1950 – IAT 803, Spring 2018.” Iat.sfu.ca. 2018. http://hennessy.iat.sfu.ca/wp/stc2018/2018/02/18/the-veldt-and-historical-context-of-1950/. 

Letheren, Kate, Rebekah Russell-Bennett, and Lucas Whittaker. “Black, White or Grey Magic? Our Future with Artificial Intelligence.” Journal of marketing management 36, no. 3-4 (2020): 216–232.

Penny, Laurie. 2017. “Robots Are Racist and Sexist. Just like the People Who Created Them. The Guardian, April 20, 2017, sec. Opinion. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/20/robots-racist-sexist-people-machines-ai-language.

---

[1] ladan. 2018. “The Veldt and Historical Context of 1950 – IAT 803, Spring 2018.” Iat.sfu.ca. 2018. http://hennessy.iat.sfu.ca/wp/stc2018/2018/02/18/the-veldt-and-historical-context-of-1950/.

[2] Future of Life Institute. 2023. “Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter.” Future of Life Institute. March 22, 2023. https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/.

[3] Letheren, Kate, Rebekah Russell-Bennett, and Lucas Whittaker. 2020. “Black, White or Grey Magic? Our Future with Artificial Intelligence.” Journal of Marketing Management 36 (3-4): 216–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257x.2019.1706306.

[4] Letheren, Russell-Bennett, and Whittaker, “Black, White or Grey Magic?”

[5] Letheren, “Black, White or Grey Magic?”

[6] Letheren, “Black, White or Grey Magic?”

[7] Letheren, “Black, White or Grey Magic?”

[8] Penny, Laurie. 2017. “Robots Are Racist and Sexist. Just like the People Who Created Them | Laurie Penny.” The Guardian, April 20, 2017, sec. Opinion. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/20/robots-racist-sexist-people-machines-ai-language.

[9] Asimov, I. (1942). Runaround. Astounding Science Fiction, 29(1), 94–103.

[10] Letheren, “Black, White or Grey Magic?”

[11] Heffernan, Teresa. 2020. “The Dangers of Mystifying Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.” Toronto Journal of Theology 36 (1): 93–95. https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2020-0029.