The Matrix Message on Human Race Possible Ill Fate
The hype of latest Matrix drives me to watch the original trilogy. Long story short, the Matrix is about an endless war between human and machine. The world where human live is called the Matrix or simulated reality. This simulation works under Machine’s control to keep human as their own energy source.
Those who are able to escape the Matrix will live in the real world. This real world has been the battlefield between human race and machine for a long time. Human’s only settlement, Zion city, is in the brink of destruction. Machine is trying to demolish the city only being stopped by their own supreme leader or the Deus Ex Machina.
The Deus Ex Machina has agreed to stop the invasion after Neo, the man who is believed as the chosen one, is able to stop a rogue program named Smith from invaded the real world. This rogue program has populated the Matrix entirely by possessing human body like a virus and duplicating itself multiple times.
The trilogy bring us well-crafted martial fights and sophisticated effects at the time. Despite its entertaining story, the trilogy try to re-echo humanity ill-fate when they are having to compete with machine.
The story of human against machine has been a long time tale since industrial revolution. Bands of factory workers in England who was known as luddites destroyed machinery which could threaten their jobs. Since then, every advancement that replacing human will face rejection at its inception.
In Indonesia, the story of luddites is still going in some parts of Indonesia. Gojek, Grab and any other mobility service cause rages from local providers.
The price they offer unarguably cheaper than local’s offering. Online mobility service also have delivery service ranging from food and short distance courier. Instead of evaluating their business, these local providers are banning online driver from entering their “territory”. As we may have known, their business are economically inefficient as new comer are able to offer lower price.
Yuval Noah Harari in his controversial book Homo Deus reasserts human vulnerability in the course of evolution. He describes that human is nearly identical to a data processing machine. We are only capable doing calculation slower and with fewer information than machine. However, we are better at drawing conclusion faster than them. Million times better than them.
Every advancement human has made aims to ease our life. From doing one task at a time to doing multiple tasks at a time without breaking a sweat.
At the same time, our advancements also erase certain jobs that can be automated. In short, economy is getting more efficient as fewer humans are needed to complete some tasks.
However, the certain way to be not outpaced by machine is constantly learning things that can not be automated. Many forums and books have concluded things like critical thinking, problem solving, and other skills requiring higher level of thinking.
If those things sound unattainable, at least we should have capabilities harnessing the machine so we can compete the machine or our fellow humans. As more information available, there is almost no barrier hindering us from learning new skills. Only our lack of enthusiasm stands in our way.
I remember a cynical line that comes from Morpheus when he describes the Matrix to Neo. “We marveled at our own magnificence as we gave birth to AI.” As we celebrating every advancement, another tombstone is made as the reminder of our gradual extinction. Only those who keep improving will outpace AI and survive.
