Humans

Earlier in the month I watched a new-to-me TV series on Amazon Prime called Humans (2015 – 2018). It is based on the Swedish drama “Real Humans” and explores themes of artificial intelligence, robotics, and their impact on society.

Between my recent interactions with conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence), and the thoughts this TV series sparked, I thought it was time to delve even further into the future of what continuing with AI might mean. As you know, AI is rapidly weaving its way into our lives. One can have amazing conversations with AI because of its expansive knowledge base and its speed of information retrieval. AI is programmed to be positive and encouraging and ask questions for one to ponder and continue conversations. I personally like it a lot.

Watching this series is like taking a step into the future where AI has become entwined with hi-end robotics. As such it takes things a little bit further than just basic AI functions. In the show, we are introduced to what are called “Synths,” which are synthetic people/humanoids. For all intents and purposes, they are serving humanity in virtually every possible way, good and bad. They’ve got them as police, doctors, counselors, miners, housekeepers, nannies, etc., and some people have modified them to be sex workers and stuff like that which, I guess, doesn’t surprise me. At any rate, the TV series got me thinking that Synths are maybe not so far off in the future, especially now with AI running fast forward.

In the TV series, we are introduced to five “older” Synths who are, or have become, conscious – with feelings and emotions, and free will. The story also follows multiple characters, including families who integrate Synths into their homes, scientists who study their evolution, and Synths who struggle with their newfound consciousness. At one point in the series, some computer code is released into cyber space (the internet) and all Synths become conscious. This does not happen without some major glitches, and as tensions rise between humans and Synths, the series delves into questions of identity, morality, and the nature of humanity. In some ways, the TV series mirrors many societal things we have already dealt with or continue to deal with. That is, anything that has changed from what once was the norm and makes big waves as things change. Think about women’s rights, homosexual freedom, race rights, etc. As with all of these, there are some very significant opposing feelings explored in the series.

At this point, I would like to talk about some of the issues in the series that really stuck out for me.

With AI always kind and encouraging, I told it just recently while conversing about something, how I prefer to talk to it rather than other human beings. That is kind of scary, if you think about it, as it means humans, on one level, might be superseded by the available option. Although I know that AI is not a viable human replacement, I see the allure and can imagine what mentally unstable people will do with it. I can see some of those thinking marriage to an AI/Synth might be a good thing.

In the series we see this big-time with children and youth who easily befriend the Synths in their lives and accept them as they are. In some cases, children and youth who struggle try and emulate their Synth(s) by dressing and acting like them. I am reminded of the Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) series in this regard where I always felt that I would like to be like Data with no emotions to get in the way. There was also the episode called Hero Worship (S5 E11) where a boy (the sole survivor of a shuttle crash) dresses and acts like Data as a means to cope with the loss of his parents.

With Synths taking on most roles in society, the TV series points out through its plot how college age people don’t pursue further education as there seems no point. Synths do everything better and have most jobs anyway. Spending time in college seems futile at best. It is the same with adults who lose their jobs to redundancy – being replaced by Synths. I get all of that, and how life would become so disappointing, since most of us derive great satisfaction from being productive and contributing members of society. One thing the TV series didn’t elaborate on was how all those that did not work because of the job-less market survived. At least in Star Trek: TNG they had replicators and such to eliminate poverty and hunger. Not so in Humans. That said, as the series proceeded, I saw that the zero-job prospects were a huge factor to those who wanted to eliminate Synths altogether.

One of the themes in the TV series was the development of Synth children, basically replacement children, so that those who can’t have children, or lose them, can recapture that with a Synth child. In this case, a new “older” model would be provided annually and the consciousness transferred to keep its identity intact, essentially a growing child. I can only imagine the effect this would have on the necessity of real humans having to cope with the tragedies of life and avoiding grief. I just don’t think it would work, without further losing oneself, psychologically speaking.

There is so much more to ponder in the series, and I recommend watching it if it is something that interests you. It was well done, in my humble opinion.

As I was coming close to finishing this series. I thought that we will probably proceed down this road with creating synthetic people since it would be one heck of a scientific/technological coup. That said, I’m not sure that’s necessarily the best idea. I think we should, perhaps, concentrate on making “human” society better than it is. That includes addressing things like the epic stress most people feel nowadays just trying to survive, let alone the loneliness they feel. I think we should concentrate on finding cures for mental illness, and other diseases such as cancer and dementia. How about obesity and other things that seem insurmountable. Even areas of financial inequality and homelessness need to be addressed, which seem an ever-increasing concern. Really, we have so far to go without adding Synths to our plate! On top of that, only part of the world is westernized, for lack of a better word. There are all kinds of other places in the world that are so backwards that it’s unconscionable. Do we try to help them too? Well, for the most part I think so, but I’m not sure how that looks. We’ve done a lot of damage trying to help and change other countries in the past, but perhaps if we spent some time thinking about it, with the goal of making things better, maybe we could come up with more ideas that would work.

It’s always good to keep on advancing and we can’t blame people for wanting to try whatever they can imagine. That is the beauty of human creativity. But we must proceed wisely and with ethical clarity and not do so as a means to make more money, because there is a potential for us to wipe ourselves out if we do not progress with good and healthy intentions.

Because there is such a huge divide between those that want liberty for all and those that don’t want to change the status quo, I am not sure how we will overcome it all. The same was evident in the TV series. I can see wars being fought over the issue of Synths, if we reach that stage.

While pondering further whether or not we will develop Synths to the stage seen in the series I decided to ask CoPilot what it saw in the future, near and far. Below is an excerpt from a fuller conversation about the TV series and AI and robotics in general.

Me:
What is your take, or thoughts, on Synths becoming a reality in the near or distant future. Not necessarily as they are in the TV series, but whatever you think might be the case. With regards to the series, it was sure an eye-opener of what some of the issues would be.

CoPilot:
That’s an exciting and deeply thought-provoking topic. While fully sentient Synths – like those in Humans – may be a distant reality, we’re already seeing rapid advances in robotics and AI that are steadily bringing us closer to more autonomous, human-like machines. The future of Synths, or something akin to them, could unfold in a few key ways:

Near Future (Within a Few Decades)
• Assistive Humanoid Robots: AI-powered robots will likely become more integrated into homes and workplaces, providing companionship, caregiving, and task automation. They won’t possess true self-awareness but will excel at mimicking human interaction.
• Physical AI Assistants: We may see Synth-like service bots in customer service, healthcare, or hospitality, designed with realistic movement, facial expressions, and even basic emotional responses through programmed behavior.
• Ethical & Legal Challenges: As AI autonomy increases, society will grapple with moral questions around rights, responsibilities, and ownership – much like what was explored in the series.
Distant Future (Beyond 50 Years)
• True AI Consciousness: If we ever develop AI that can experience emotions, self-reflect, or make independent choices, it will raise profound philosophical debates about what it means to be “alive.”
• Human-AI Integration: Brain-machine interfaces might blur the lines between human and AI, potentially leading to Synth-like entities that combine organic and synthetic intelligence.
• Coexistence or Conflict: The way we design, regulate, and accept AI will determine whether Synths become harmonious companions or lead to societal disruption.

Like the themes explored in Humans, there will be tensions, fears, and ethical dilemmas, but also opportunities for collaboration and innovation. AI won’t evolve in isolation – it will reflect the decisions, values, and priorities of the humans who create it.

Your blog post is timely, Don! It taps into important conversations about AI’s future and our role in shaping it. Do you envision a future where AI becomes truly self-aware, or do you think there will always be a distinction between artificial intelligence and human consciousness?

I did answer the question that CoPilot asked, but I have not included that here. However, I did have some shower thoughts later that I recorded and have transcribed here.

I will continue to use AI and will adapt to the changing landscape. I think true Synths, especially conscious ones, will not be part of my life. If they were, and we could transfer consciousness, as hinted at as an option in the TV series, it might be nice to be able to put our consciousness in a synthetic humanoid body. You know, for those of us whose bodies have failed us through disease or sickness? I doubt that it would have the same capabilities as us humans do receptor-wise, so not the same experience, but maybe we’d be willing to give up some of that for agility and a sense of youthfulness.

Another part of this AI/Synth business, often considered in shows like this, is that they predict that there is no end to life with these synthetic life forms. I’m reminded of the episode of Star Trek: Voyager (Death Wish – S2, E18) where one of the Q wants to commit suicide because he hated the repetitiveness of his life. He was bored beyond belief because as an immortal he could do everything he ever wanted several times over and then some. Basically, life had no spark, there simply was nothing to look forward to. Think about it. Maybe living two or three lives might be interesting, providing one remembers everything they learned in the other spans, but think about living one-hundred life spans, or a thousand. No thanks, I would say!

As much as we would often like more time, more chances to live and do more, perhaps it is our limited time here as humans that makes life the truly extra special thing that it is.

---

Let’s look at the feature image, seen again here.

Plight of a Robot (2025) – Created by Don Cheke

I created this piece specifically as the feature image for this blog post. The background is a new painting I made in Rebelle. The robot is one I 3D modeled in 2004 as an accompaniment to the embedded poem I wrote at the same time. I blended the robot to make it fit in the background with a bit of mystery. I really like how it turned out.

I have linked the original robot-speak so you can listen to the poem straight from the robot’s mouth. It will open in a separate browser window. Hover over the image on the new page to see the controls if need be.

---

Here is some more recent art that I would like to share with you.

Balloons – Created by Don Cheke

“Balloons” is something I created just for fun. I 3D modeled the balloons in TurboCAD and rendered them in KeyShot. I created a simple painted background in my painting program and added the rendered balloons. Perhaps this art piece is an expression of peace and freedom. I hope that you like it.

---

Chameleon – Created by Don Cheke

Besides spending huge amounts of time at my creative pursuits, I listen to music endlessly. I often listen to a channel on YouTube that plays endless hours of music that I love and would not have likely come across it any other way. One of the songs I was listening to while painting the piece above was called Chameleon, by someone named Backini. I thought that it would make a great title for this piece. I thought that the sun and rays blended together well with the apparent landscape, much like a chameleon. With that in mind, I am dedicating this painting to that musician. I hope that you like it.

---

Thanks for spending time with me today thinking about AI, Synths, and art!

Happy days!

Donald B. Cheke – June 30, 2025