Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-22-2021

Abstract

style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">This paper brings together three interpreters of the earthly city and the apocalyptic city—Jacques Ellul, Hunter S. Thompson, and John of the Apocalypse—to reflect on the future of our technological society. Focusing on expectations about artificial intelligence, it explores the future imagined at the 2019 re:MARS conference, “Amazon’s global AI event for Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space,” and the global stress test of these expectations a year later during the COVID-19 pandemic. What can we learn from the negative prophecies of Ellul’s style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Meaning of the City style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(1970) and Thompson’s style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dreamstyle="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(1972) as we explore emerging dreams about artificial intelligence? What can we learn from the often misunderstood but more affirming prophet of New Jerusalem about the creative role of artificial agency? Can these three creative visionaries help us gain a clearer understanding of how transformative technologies such as AI may affirm and realize human hopes and longings? Can this odd trinity help us imagine new eschatologies for our emerging technological society?

Copyright Status

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Download

Share

COinS
 
Copyright Status

The copyright and related rights status of this Item has not been evaluated. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.