\ud83c\udf7f<\/p>\n
A few mild spoilers about Project Hail Mary below. Proceed with caution if you haven’t yet seen the movie (you should). Revisit after!<\/p>\n
In an era when hit movies at the box office often require<\/a> an<\/a> asterisk<\/a>, Project Hail Mary is clearly a massive, legitimate hit. At the highest level, the appeal is simple: it\u2019s good and it\u2019s the type of movie that practically demands to be seen in theaters \u2014 preferably on an IMAX screen. Such a combination isn\u2019t rocket science<\/a>, except that here, it is, quite literally.1<\/a> But having now seen the movie twice<\/a>, I also wonder if there isn’t something else at play. It\u2019s more delicate<\/a>, but perhaps just as potent.<\/p>\n We\u2019re currently living in a world where technology increasingly<\/a> is being seen as the bogeyman. For pretty much everything. As such, the future is looked at with almost a sense of dread. Part of it is understandable \u2014 already a large number of job losses<\/a> are being blamed on AI. And every headline you read hammers the point home: this is coming for everyone. Buckle up, because what\u2019s coming<\/a> is going to suck.<\/p>\n It\u2019s depressing as fuck.<\/p>\n But what if instead, technology and the future plays out similarly to how it has played out in the past? That is, there\u2019s a period of disruption as the world digests change and then\u2026 the world is better for it? Perhaps not universally, of course. But for the most part. We used to call this progress, but now we call it a problem.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just AI. Part of this is undoubtedly related to the fact that the Big Tech companies are now by far the largest businesses in the world, increasingly with their tentacles in every facet of life. Here’s where I’ll point out that the studio behind Project Hail Mary is<\/a>… Amazon MGM. And now AI threatens to cement that status and create a world where technology overtakes<\/a> pretty much everything<\/a> about humanity.<\/p>\n Again, that\u2019s the basic sense you get from everything you read \u2014 and also see. While I get that it\u2019s very \u201ctech bro\u201d to complain about critical coverage, I\u2019m also a part of this<\/a> \u2013 and I’ve been writing about this general idea for well over a decade<\/a>. While there has always been the lure of the dystopian future as a narrative, increasingly, it does seem like the only acceptable framing of the future. A happy 2050? Come on, no one will buy that! And perhaps no one will buy a ticket to that.<\/p>\n But Project Hail Mary counters this and hits the right mix, I think. The world of the future \u2014 which honestly doesn\u2019t even seem like much of the future, but apparently is set in the 2030s or 2040s in the book \u2014 is in trouble. But it\u2019s not technology that causes it \u2014 it\u2019s technology that might fix it. <\/p>\n I won\u2019t give too much away, but essentially, it echoes the themes of Andy Weir’s<\/a> previous book adapted to a movie, The Martian. Humanity is able to \u201cscience the shit\u201d<\/a> out of the problem. And it\u2019s technology that enables the science (and vice versa). It\u2019s a story as old as time in a way, humanity prevails. But now with the help of an alien. Which is only possible because of a ton of technology.<\/p>\n No one in this world is sitting around complaining about tech \u2014 and the alien is even gifted a \u201cportable Earth thinking machine\u201d at one point to much excitement! \u2014 they\u2019re leveraging it. Figuring out how to make it work for them to solve the problem at hand.<\/p>\n This strikes me as far more in line with the way the actual arc of technology has played out over time. Yes, there\u2019s initial fear, probably from the wheel on down, then we adapt and leverage the new capabilities to push the world forward. Why do we think AI or any other new technology will be different?<\/p>\n Perhaps because we always think it will be different.<\/p>\n I will obviously acknowledge that there is a chance<\/a> this time is different. That the AI shift is so profound that it plays out in ways that are both unforeseen and potentially problematic. But again, that\u2019s always the case with new technology. I choose to believe<\/a> that we\u2019ll figure out the best ways to leverage it. Because technology itself is not inherently good nor evil, it\u2019s how you use it. And unlike with nuclear weapons \u2014 the insanely preferred comparison for AI<\/a> \u2014 there are real and obvious upsides to AI (beyond ending a world war).2<\/a><\/p>\n Anyway, my point is simply that I think part of the reason why Project Hail Mary is resonating with audiences is because it\u2019s actually hopeful about the future of humanity using technology.3<\/a> And I feel like the reaction to the Artemis mission this past week speaks directly to that as well. People want to be excited again about a future in which we leverage the technology we\u2019ve created to do truly amazing feats.4<\/a><\/p>\n Perhaps the best scene in the movie is entirely unexpected and decidedly Earthbound. On an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean as they prepare for the \u2018Hail Mary\u2019 mission, Sandra H\u00fcller\u2019s Eva Stratt, the team lead, breaks free from her icy exterior for a moment to do a bit of karaoke. Her song of choice? Harry Styles\u2019 decade-old \u201cSign of the Times\u201d.5<\/a> It\u2019s completely unexpected but also fitting in so many ways. And it feels like a perfect encapsulation of Project Hail Mary itself being released right now: \u201cJust stop your crying, it\u2019s a sign of the times.\u201d<\/p>\n 2<\/a> Oh, war and AI you say<\/a>?.. \u21a9<\/a>\n<\/p>\n 3<\/a> Another bit of current pop culture in this vein: For All Mankind, the Apple TV show (of which I’ve long been a fan<\/a>) also about the future (well, technically the alternate past) of space travel. I’m not sure what to read into the fact that Big Tech is behind both of these more optimistic tech shows… \u21a9<\/a>\n<\/p>\n 4<\/a> At the same time, I do believe<\/a> there is a real messenger problem<\/a> with those trying to deliver<\/a> this technology to the masses<\/a>… \u21a9<\/a>\n<\/p>\n 5<\/a> The completely last-minute use of the song itself is a fun backstory<\/a> \u21a9<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udf7f A few mild spoilers about Project Hail Mary below. 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