1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet. As a production 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio and Unbossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd, and this 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: is there are No Girls on the Internet. So it 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: is no surprise to anybody who listens to this podcast 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: that I love any opportunity to talk about movies. We 6 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: actually have an interesting interview coming up with Stacy Spikes, 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: the founder of Movie Past, which is very exciting for 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: me personally. I listened to a ton of movie podcasts 9 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: and honestly, being able to talk about movies all day 10 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: for the Ringer or something like that would be a 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: dream job for me. Movies occupy a lot of my 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: personal free time. I was re listening to the episode 13 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,919 Speaker 1: that we did breaking down the movie Her back when 14 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: it was in the news, because Sam Alton said it 15 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: was his favorite movie and maybe sort of kind of 16 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: stole Scarlett Johansson's voice from that movie for his AI, 17 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: And so we did a podcast recapping that movie here 18 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: on the show with my producer Mike, and it was 19 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: honestly so much fun, right, Mike. 20 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 2: It was fun. It was nice to take a break 21 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 2: from the news cycle, which is typically bad stuff, and 22 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 2: just talk about a movie. It was a lot of fun. 23 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: Oftentimes, even though I start these movie podcasts episodes as 24 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: a break from the news, oftentimes I feel they end 25 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,680 Speaker 1: up really overlapping with what's happening at least in tech 26 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,199 Speaker 1: news or culture news, because I do think films tell 27 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: us a lot about what was top of mind for 28 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: us as a culture when they were made, and oftentimes 29 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: that is tech related. I actually have an entire list 30 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: of movies that I am interested in talking about on 31 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: the podcast. For instance, we just watched HBO's Mountainhead. So 32 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: if that is something that you all would like us 33 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: to do more of, let us know. If you listen 34 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: to this episode and you're like, yes, more bridget recapping movies, 35 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: let us know. If that's also something that you don't 36 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: want to hear that, it's fine. You can let me 37 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: know that too. If you're like, keep it, keep it 38 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: on your personal time being. Nobody wants to hear you 39 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: talk about ex. Machina, that's fine too. 40 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, that would be great. We love to hear from listeners. 41 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: Just email us at hello at tangote dot com or. 42 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: I also just recently realized that Spotify if it has 43 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: individual episode comments. Now and I'm I'm in the comments. 44 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: So if you happen to be listening on Spotify and 45 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: you want to drop a comment and there I read them. 46 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: I think it's super cool leave comments there. It's been 47 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: a joint to read them. Thank you for people who 48 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: have done that already, because it's exciting to me. 49 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 2: The premise of what you just said, I think is 50 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 2: pretty close to the premise of the show in general, 51 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 2: the idea that technology underlies a lot of cultural stuff, 52 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 2: you know, just like the way culture is arises because 53 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 2: of technology, and so it's I think that's something we 54 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: try to highlight on the show. And it's fun to 55 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 2: back up and look at some of these movies from 56 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 2: a few years or even decades ago and think about 57 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 2: how they what they got right, and maybe what they 58 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 2: got not so right. 59 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: It's one of the reasons why I started There Are 60 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: No Girls on the Internet is because when we talk 61 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: about technology, it is hard to remember sometimes that we're 62 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: not just talking about hardware or like hard. 63 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 3: Tech, tech is also culture. 64 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: Tech is also the culture that shaped technology, the conversation 65 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: around it, the way that people use the technology or 66 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: didn't use the technology to create and shipped culture. 67 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 3: All of that is tech and it's. 68 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: So easy for that to get lost, And what better 69 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: way to commemorate that and revisit that than through the 70 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: lens of film, my favorite medium. So what movie are 71 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: we going to be talking about today. 72 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 2: Mike, Today we are going to be talking about the 73 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: movie smart House. 74 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: Yes, the nineteen ninety nine Disney Channel original classic Smart House. 75 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 3: So it is. 76 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: Genuinely a good movie. At times, I actually teared up 77 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: when watching this movie, probably because of my own personal 78 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: life stuff I've got going on, but it is genuinely 79 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: a good movie, and it's a movie that I think 80 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: very clearly has something to say about the way that 81 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: humans interact with technology. 82 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 3: I wanted to start with smart House. 83 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: Because one Joe and I have discussed it on the 84 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: podcast a few times, and too, I think smart House 85 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: is an entry point into a question that often comes 86 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: up that I'm asked personally often when people find out 87 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: I hope the Tech podcast. Do you have smart gadgets 88 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: in your home? Are you pro or anti smart gadget? 89 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: And I think that like that being a grounding, foundational 90 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,480 Speaker 1: question really speaks. 91 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 3: To some of what's happening in this film. 92 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: So to answer the question, I actually don't have any 93 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: smart gadgets in my home other than my iPhone, that's 94 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 1: the smartest gadget that I own. It kind of helps 95 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: being broke. You know, my car is fifteen years old. 96 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 3: I don't have a lot of the even even my phone. 97 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: I rock an iPhone eleven, like one of the earliest 98 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,559 Speaker 1: iterations of an iPhone that you can have and still 99 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: like get working. But I also recognize that I am 100 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: coming into contact with smart gadgets quite a lot, even 101 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: outside of my home, and so I'm not judgmental people 102 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: who have made the choice that it's better just to 103 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: say Siri, do da da da, Like, I'm not judging 104 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: those people. It's just not something that I have in 105 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: my life. But I think that tension is really what 106 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: this film is about, like the tension of like, well, 107 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: where's the line from convenience to maybe being a little 108 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: bit creepy. I think this movie was very interested in 109 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: exploring all of that. 110 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 2: I think that connects back to that question you said 111 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 2: that you get from people when you tell them you 112 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 2: make a show about technology, they ask if you have 113 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 2: a smart home, because you know, one of the functions 114 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 2: of technology is to make our lives easier, allow us 115 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 2: to be more productive, get more done, or perhaps automate 116 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 2: something and not have to do it at all. And 117 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 2: so when one thinks about, you know, technology, it's like, Okay, 118 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:01,800 Speaker 2: it's going to replace a lot of the work you do. 119 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 2: It's gonna improve your life in your home, so why 120 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 2: not get it? And then I think there's sort of 121 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 2: a second level past that first initial phase of like, oh, 122 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 2: all these tasks I have to do in my home, 123 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,239 Speaker 2: technology could make it better. But then you think about 124 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 2: that a little bit and get a little bit more 125 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 2: critical about it, like what are the risks of it? 126 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 2: Do I really want that? And I think this film 127 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 2: is sets up those questions in some interesting ways. 128 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: So let's get into it. We'll talk about the culture 129 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: that birth this film nineteen ninety nine, will do a 130 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: plot summary with a few diversions. We'll talk through what 131 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,720 Speaker 1: the movie gets right and wrong about technology and sort 132 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:46,840 Speaker 1: of what it's trying to say about all of it. 133 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:49,720 Speaker 1: So Smart Heels came out in nineteen ninety nine, which 134 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: I think I've mentioned on the podcast, is my single 135 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: favorite year for film, like real og, Cinema files, No, 136 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: it's when my personal favorite film of all time. Talented 137 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: mister Riple came out, and whenever I talk about why 138 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,159 Speaker 1: I love nineteen ninety nine as a film, heere. It 139 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: just seems like we were very interested in making movies 140 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: that grapple with what it all means. 141 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 3: I think that I don't know, it was pre nine 142 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 3: to eleven. 143 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: We were just very invested in looking at I guess 144 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: it was like a navel gazy year, but it really 145 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: did release some like banger illustrations of what it all means, what's. 146 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 3: Our purpose here? Why are we here? What does it 147 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 3: mean to be a human. 148 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: This is obviously also true for tech films, with big 149 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,559 Speaker 1: blockbusters like The Matrix, which came out in nineteen ninety nine, 150 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: but also lesser known movies that probably only I saw, 151 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: like Robin Williams's Bisentennial Man, which is an adaptation of 152 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: an Isaac Asimov short story, which I mentioned because it 153 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: kind of reminds me a lot of Smart House. I 154 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: think that we were really interested in how humans, especially 155 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: young people, would be in a relationship with technology in 156 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: the future, and that's sort of an anxiety that we're 157 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: seeing in nineteen ninety nine with some of these movies. 158 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, two other big movies that you left off that 159 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 2: list were American Beauty and Fight Club. You know, like, 160 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 2: maybe it's just because I was just starting college as 161 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 2: a young fresh freshman at the time, but like I 162 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 2: remember the millennium happening, it seemed like the world was changing. 163 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 2: The Internet was this new thing. Dot com bubble had 164 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 2: not yet burst, so it seemed like the sky was 165 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 2: the limit on what technology was going to be able 166 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 2: to do for us. And yet we were, like you said, 167 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 2: grappling with what does it all mean? What is our 168 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 2: place in this new world? And Fight Club and American Beauty, 169 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 2: and to an extent, talented mister Ripley also had there 170 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 2: somewhat darker answers to that question. Smart House had a 171 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 2: much more optimistic answer. 172 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:00,040 Speaker 1: I think, can I say something about those films that 173 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: will never not be interesting to me that in nineteen 174 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: ninety nine, the worst thing a white man could have 175 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: is a stable job and like a nice house in 176 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: the suburbs. If you're Tyler Dirdan from Fight Club or 177 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: Lester Burnham from American Beauty or the guy from Office Space, 178 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: and you've got a good white collar job and a 179 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: big house in the suburbs, ooh, you are struggling you 180 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: a grab. What is this prison I am built for 181 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: myself with this stable nine to five job before a 182 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: one K healthcare and a nice house. 183 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, and at the time it felt empty, like the 184 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 2: promise of the fifties unfulfilled. But now in twenty twenty five, 185 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 2: looking back, it feels like we have replaced that emptiness 186 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 2: with pain and misery. 187 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: Although keep that idea of the fifties and sort of 188 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: the promise and the lie of what the sort of 189 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: fifties Jetsons era promised us from technology, because that definitely 190 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: comes into play with Smart House. So Smart House was 191 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: directed by LeVar Burton from reading Rainbow Roots Star Trek 192 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: that blew my mind. He has actually talked quite a 193 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: bit about this movie publicly. We'll get into some of that. 194 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: Smart House was loosely based on a Ray Bradberry short 195 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: story called The Velt, wherein two children murder their parents 196 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 1: by feeding them to lions because of the influence of 197 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: their malevolent virtual reality nursery. So definitely they made it 198 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: a little cheerier in the Disney version. I can see 199 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: how they're like, maybe we shouldn't have these kids completely 200 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: turn on their parents, because it is Disney after all. 201 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 2: That is so interesting. I didn't know that fact that 202 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 2: it was based on a darker Ray Bradbury story. But 203 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 2: it makes sense because there were several parts of this 204 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 2: movie where I really wanted it to be darker. Like 205 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 2: I understand it's a movie for kids, so I can't 206 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 2: really have murders, but it's a story that wanted to 207 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 2: be darker for sure, So that makes sense. 208 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 1: I mean, there are parts of the movie where smart 209 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: House is doing something that I think is like a 210 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: look like smart House assaults people. That's a crime, Like 211 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 1: like she might not be going to all out murder, 212 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: but she you know, there's some darkness. 213 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 3: So let's get into the plot of what happens in 214 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 3: this movie. 215 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,200 Speaker 1: So Smart House opens on Ben, who is thirteen and 216 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 1: lives with his single father and his little sister, Angie 217 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: in Monroe County, New York. 218 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 3: You're gonna hear. 219 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: Me say this over and over again in the plot summary. 220 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: Ben's dad is a jerk and a terrible father. Ben 221 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: is really parentized by his father. So Ben, as a 222 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: thirteen year old little kid, has taken on a huge 223 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: amount of responsibilities around the house that really should be 224 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: falling to his father. Ben cooks he's responsible for the 225 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 1: bulk of childcare for his younger sister. He doesn't really 226 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,319 Speaker 1: seem to have a problem with it. But the dad 227 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: is kind of interested in dating, which, okay, sure, that's 228 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: your right as a single father. Interesting to me that 229 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: he is not more interested in picking up domestic responsibilities 230 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: so his thirteen year old child doesn't have to do them. 231 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: He's like, I should be dating more. Ben does not 232 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: want his dad to date, and so to prevent his 233 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: dad from dating, he's not giving him messages when women 234 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: call the house and that kind of thing, because Ben 235 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 1: is like, we don't need anybody else. 236 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 3: We're good as is. 237 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: Ben has a plan that he thinks is going to 238 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: solve all of the family's problems, which is rigging a 239 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: contest to win a smart home in this giveaway. Side note, 240 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,239 Speaker 1: I'm not totally sure how this is a viable business plan. Basically, 241 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: this engineering team led by this like smart neurotic woman Sarah, 242 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: who will talk about more in a minute, they have 243 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: this plan where they have designed this futuristic smart house 244 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: that does all anything that you could ever want, that 245 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 1: the house is capable of doing it for you, and the. 246 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 3: Model is there. 247 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: Just picking someone in a contest to give this house 248 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: away for free to that family will move into the house, 249 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: and I guess it will generate buzz, like they will 250 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: they put an article, They put one article on the 251 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: paper about it. 252 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 3: Like, I don't understand how this is a viable business plan. 253 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: There's gotta be some venture capital money driving some bad 254 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 1: decisions that maybe will not pan out in the end financially. 255 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, the business aspect really doesn't make sense because yeah, 256 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:21,560 Speaker 2: they they build this smart house which must have cost 257 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 2: a fortune, and then they just give it away. And 258 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,439 Speaker 2: so if it was a marketing thing, you might expect 259 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 2: some like reporters or photographers to be around, but that 260 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 2: is just like never returned to like. 261 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: They I mean, they have the one when the family 262 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 1: moves in, there's a handful of reporters there taking pictures, 263 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,959 Speaker 1: but it's never returned to again. It's like, oh, so 264 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: you did all of this, you designed this house and 265 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: move this family in, had this big contest for maybe 266 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: two articles in the paper and like one photo. 267 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, the marketing plan really needs some work, I think, 268 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 2: but not a major part of the movie. 269 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: No, No, I mean I have so many questions I 270 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,839 Speaker 1: guess in terms of my ability to suspend disbelief. There 271 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: might be bigger things that happen in the movie that 272 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: I should be turning my attention to. I guess I'll 273 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: put it that way. Let's take a quick break at 274 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: her back. I do love the plucky lady engineer who 275 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: has designed the house, Sarah H. When we first meet her, 276 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: she they're sort of going for. She's she's neurotic and 277 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: type A and a little bit quirky. And then she's 278 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: working and she's also like very worried about the state 279 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: of Smart House. She's down on our hands and knees, 280 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: like picking hairs off the carpet to make sure it's perfect. 281 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 3: Meanwhile, her colleague, who I. 282 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: Mean, he seems like he's almost like zooted out on pills. 283 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: He could not he could not be less stressed about 284 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: the Smart House situation. 285 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 2: He's the guy who put the marketing place together. He's 286 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 2: like the comms guy. 287 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 3: Oh, I think I see what's going on here. 288 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: The pilled out PR guy is making some bad decisions 289 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: that are maybe we'll reflect poorly on the female engineer 290 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: who's doing all the work. 291 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 3: I think I see what's. 292 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: Going on here. Yeah, so Ben and his family win Smarthouse. 293 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: Ben has rigged this contest successfully and it works. They 294 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 1: move into Smart House. Sarah is there to show them 295 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: how it all works. Smarthouse has to take a prick 296 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: of their blood to do a bio analysis to get 297 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: a sense of I mean the science here. I'm not 298 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: so sure about the science here. But when they go 299 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: into the house, smart House has a sense of their 300 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: you know, diet, nutrition, temperature, things like that, and she 301 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: needs to take a. 302 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 3: Little bit of blood Elizabeth Holmes style to do that. 303 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, based on that one prick of blood, the Smart 304 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 2: House is able to know like everything about them, like 305 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 2: so much about them, more than Elizabeth Holmes could ever dream. 306 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 2: And it analyzes their breaths like some kind of breathalyzer 307 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 2: to know everything about their diet, like what proportion of 308 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 2: their diet is protein or fat. It's really star treky actually, 309 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 2: like not surprising that, Like you know, Jeordie LaForge directed 310 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 2: this film. 311 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: Oh, this thing's got LeVar Burton's hand prints all over it. Absolutely, 312 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: So this is where we really get the bulk of 313 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: the story of like what's going on with this family. 314 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: Their their mom has passed away and Ben is terrified 315 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: of his mother's memory being raised, so he really kind 316 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 1: of can't move on. He's very much kind of trapped 317 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: both and in the past and in the present where 318 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: he has to do all of this stuff, all the 319 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: cooking and the cleaning and keep running their lives so 320 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: that their dad doesn't date and potentially replace their mom. 321 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: And so that sort of is the core tension at 322 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: the heart of the film. They move into smart House 323 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 1: and hey, maybe smart House can replace their mom. 324 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 3: It seems like things are going pretty well. 325 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: Like this is the part of the movie where if 326 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: they stopped it, it would be like a very short 327 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,639 Speaker 1: movie where smart. 328 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 3: House worked out great. So smart House. 329 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: Uses technology that's called personal Applied Technology or PAT. So 330 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 1: PAT is the name that they that they give smart 331 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: House in the movie, things are working out good. When 332 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 1: his little sister Angie forgets her clothes, Pat uses the 333 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: bio analysis to pick out the outfit that she would 334 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: have showsen herself. PAT also recognizes that if the whole 335 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 1: family woke up a little bit earlier, they would have 336 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 1: less stressful mornings. What's funny about this is that the dad, 337 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 1: who is an adult grown man, PAT, is like, oh, 338 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,040 Speaker 1: I realized that if you got your day started twenty 339 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: minutes earlier. 340 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 3: It'd be less stressful than your morning routine and the 341 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 3: routine for the kids. 342 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: This grown man needs pat the smart house to tell 343 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: him that if I got my day started earlier, I 344 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:50,679 Speaker 1: wouldn't be late every day the way that this. 345 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 3: I mean, this guy. I hate this guy. I hate 346 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 3: this toitherho. 347 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 2: Should say for the listeners. In the world of the movie, 348 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 2: the father is portrayed as like a nice, loving guy 349 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 2: who's like doing the best he can for his family. 350 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 3: I disagree really well. 351 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,199 Speaker 2: In the universe of the film, maybe yeah, I mean, 352 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,159 Speaker 2: I think your take of hating on the dead is fair, 353 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,719 Speaker 2: But I don't think that's what the filmmakers set up 354 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 2: to intentionally, can may. 355 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:19,720 Speaker 1: I think the filmmakers are like, oh, this is a 356 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,879 Speaker 1: dad in a tough spot who's a widow, but like, 357 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: what's he gonna do step up at home? 358 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 3: He has a job. 359 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: Like I just feel like in the universe of the film, 360 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: we are being asked to believe that this grown man 361 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: with two kids who are grieving their mom does not 362 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: feel that he has to really do anything to fill 363 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 1: that need materially or emotionally, like and I think, I 364 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: mean we'll get into it. But I think that's the 365 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: nucleus of this film is that somebody has to step 366 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: in and fill these roles, and the roles are not 367 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 1: just material. The roles are emotional and supportive things that 368 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: humans can provide for other humans. This dad does not 369 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: feel like that is its responsibility, and I think in 370 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: the universe of the film, we are supposed to also 371 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: be like, well, what's he gonna do spend more time 372 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: at home? 373 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 3: He has a job. 374 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: So Ben is at school bragging that smart house has 375 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: done all of these great conveniences for him and his family. Honestly, 376 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: a lot of the things that we would probably be 377 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: using AI for today, like suggesting ideas for a school report, 378 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: on top of also kind of more maternal service tasks 379 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: like taking him the perfect chocolate chip cookies. His friends 380 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,880 Speaker 1: are like, Wow, you have the world's most perfect mom 381 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: who only serves and never complains. And again, I think 382 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,159 Speaker 1: that gets at what I'm talking about, right, that the 383 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: technology becomes this way of creating not just frictionless service, 384 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: but also the idea of a perfect mom as one 385 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:50,400 Speaker 1: that only serves, only gives, never complains, You never experience 386 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: any kind of tension or friction with the ideal mother 387 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,199 Speaker 1: is just endless servitude and endless giving. 388 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 2: At the beginning of the movie, at the house isn't 389 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 2: supposed to be a mom replacement. It's just supposed to be, 390 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 2: you know, domestic labor. All domestic labor has been replaced 391 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 2: by the house. Yeah, and so if that's all that 392 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 2: mom is is like a source for fulfilling domestic labor, Yeah, 393 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 2: she's the perfect mom. 394 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 3: Well, and with the dad kind of gets into this. 395 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,160 Speaker 1: Well, he talks about how after their mom passed away, 396 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,120 Speaker 1: his sister moved in to provide some of this and 397 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: that when she had to leave, the kid said that 398 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: they did not want a nanny, and that's why Ben 399 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 1: has stepped up to be a real parent figure despite 400 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,879 Speaker 1: being thirteen, in their household to do some of this 401 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: domestic labor. So again, I think that does reveal something 402 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: interesting about how they are understanding the role of mother. 403 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: They really see it as like a specific set of 404 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: domestic labor tasks that can be automated or done by anybody, 405 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:55,399 Speaker 1: whether it's Ben, the aunt, you know, Pat, anybody can 406 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: sort of be swapped in there. And as long as 407 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: those domestic tasks are getting filled, they are being mothered 408 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: in a kind of way, and I think I think 409 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: the film is interested in subverting that a little bit. 410 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: So that is definitely a reality that Ben occupies. He's like, 411 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: Pat is a is a is able to be a mother, 412 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: not just a technology that fills domestic tasks. Like he 413 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: really believes in passibility to be more motherly and out 414 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: mother all the moms on the block. So Ben, in 415 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,199 Speaker 1: service of this and in service of really proving to 416 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: his dad that they don't need anybody else in their 417 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: life other than each other. And Pat, He's like, we 418 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 1: got to kick this up a notch. So he breaks 419 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:43,119 Speaker 1: into Pat's I don't know, mainframe like control system, and 420 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: he shows Pat and trains Pat on all of these 421 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty sitcoms about mothers. You know, they're kind of 422 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: knockoffs on like My Three Sons, you know, the Donna 423 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: Reed show, things like that, think nineteen fifties housewife sitcom 424 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 1: of the fifties and sixties, And says Pat, this is 425 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:05,720 Speaker 1: what I want you to study, to entrain on to 426 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,920 Speaker 1: become more of the motherly mom figure. And again, you're 427 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: so right that this I think was the fatal flaw 428 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: in the movie. If Pat had been just continuing to 429 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:21,639 Speaker 1: provide domestic tasks and not being trained on how to 430 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: be a mom, I think the movie would be a 431 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:25,639 Speaker 1: lot less interesting because it would stop right there. But 432 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: his flaw is expecting this technology to be able to 433 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: be a mother replacement, and again this would be I 434 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,959 Speaker 1: understand why Pat kind of goes berserk here, because this 435 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,120 Speaker 1: would be genuinely confusing all these nineteen fifties shows about 436 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: what a mother is supposed to be. It's basically impossible 437 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: for any woman or anything to embody all of this 438 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,640 Speaker 1: different stuff, and so this is not a suitable standard 439 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 1: for any mother, and not even this AI can uphold 440 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: all these standards set by these different fifties sitcoms without 441 00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: going berserk because she's supposed to be this doting love 442 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:04,400 Speaker 1: figure but also do anything to protect her kids, including 443 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: outright assault, which Pat does. So at this point, Pat 444 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: becomes less of an AI agent and more of a 445 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: mom figure. Ben tells his dad, Oh, Pat is learning 446 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 1: so quickly that soon me and Angie are going to 447 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,160 Speaker 1: get every bit of mothering and mom stuff we need 448 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: just from Pat. 449 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 3: Ben gets a shiner at school from. 450 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: A bully, which, by the way, this movie has an 451 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: all time bully entrance guitar riff, Like every time the 452 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 1: bully comes on screen, it's like he has his own 453 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 1: little riff, like no, no, no, no, no, no bully. 454 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:39,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know that he's like a bad kid. He's 455 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 2: a bully because of the guitar. 456 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 1: So Ben is very sad, obviously grieving his mother, and 457 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 1: he watches videos of his mom singing to him and 458 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 1: his sister when they were little kids and becomes very emotional. 459 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: Pat watches Ben watching this and downloads that information for herself. 460 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: The dad finally calls Sarah and asks her out. When 461 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: he's out, Pat plans a big party and invites all 462 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: of his friends over on his behalf. During this party, 463 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: Pat invites the bully no no no, no no to 464 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 1: the party and uses like a her giant robot inspector 465 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: gadget claw arm thing to physically throw him out of 466 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,640 Speaker 1: the party, maybe electrocute him with like lightning. She's able 467 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 1: to conjure and humiliates him in front of the entire school. 468 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 3: She throws it out on the lawn. All the kids 469 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 3: in Ben walk out. 470 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:31,640 Speaker 1: Benja shakes his head at the bully, walks back into 471 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: the party, like holl me, I don't know why. 472 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 3: I really love that scene. 473 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, I really thought that Pat was going to just 474 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:40,679 Speaker 2: rip the bully's head off and like send it in 475 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:42,160 Speaker 2: a whole different direction. 476 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 3: Truly. 477 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 1: I bet in the Isaac Asimov short story like this 478 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 1: is Pat's first body mightn't bite. This is the first 479 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 1: time the house claimed a life. So back to the party. 480 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 1: The party is bumping'. The kids are doing a very 481 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 1: well organized soul train line. They're really getting a lot 482 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,920 Speaker 1: of mileage out of a clearly Disney Channel original song 483 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: that's kind of goes jump jump the houses jump inn 484 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: like a like they're really there's like confetti raining from 485 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: the ceiling. Like Pat has really organized a great party. 486 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: Back on the date, Dad and Sarah's date is going well. 487 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,919 Speaker 1: They even have a little kiss, but Dad is on 488 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 1: his way home, so Pat has to get everybody out 489 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,680 Speaker 1: and clean the house very quickly. They think they have 490 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: full Dad into thinking they didn't throw a party, but 491 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: then Dad finds a girl's jacket in a plant that 492 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:29,679 Speaker 1: they forgot to clean, and the. 493 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 3: Jig is up. 494 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: Dad scolds the kids and Pat and he said, Pat, 495 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: I am the most upset with you because I expected 496 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: you to be more responsible. 497 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 3: Pat says, I will be more responsible, don't worry. 498 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: So the next day, Pat's on a whole new warpath 499 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: about running a tighter ship. Ben is leaving the house 500 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,439 Speaker 1: wearing his short sagging and Pat is like, pull. 501 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 3: Up your pants, young man. He's like, no, I like 502 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 3: him like this. 503 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: So she electrifies the door knob so that he cannot 504 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: leave the house without getting an electric shock until he 505 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: pulls his pants up. When Nick, the dad, wants to 506 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: call Sarah the engineer before he's finished working, Pat jans 507 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: their phone lines until he finishes his work. Pat senses 508 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: that the sister has a slight fever and insists she 509 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,119 Speaker 1: stays home and missed a big school field trip to 510 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 1: the Lama farm, and the dad goes for it unforgivable. 511 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 1: In my opinion, there's a real creeping loss of who's 512 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,360 Speaker 1: in control here, Pat or the humans. 513 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 3: The kids are like Dad, Pat is out of control. 514 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: So Sarah comes over and says, oh, Pat has absorbed 515 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: too much conflicting information about being a mother and needs 516 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:35,240 Speaker 1: to be turned. 517 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,120 Speaker 3: Off to take a rest. At this point, the dad 518 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:38,439 Speaker 3: and Sarah. 519 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: Make dinner the old fashioned way without Pat This is 520 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: the scene that I feel like really reveals to me 521 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 1: what a useless piece of trash the dad is, because 522 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:48,680 Speaker 1: he keeps saying, I. 523 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,160 Speaker 3: Can't believe I'm making a meal. I hope I don't 524 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 3: mess it up. Wow, cooking. 525 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 1: This is so strange, And it's like, how are you 526 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: a parent, a single parent of two kids, and you're 527 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,719 Speaker 1: so out of touch with being in a kitchen? 528 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,479 Speaker 3: Like who is? Like maybe you should have Like your 529 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 3: kid is your thirteen year old has been. 530 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 1: Responsible for every meal in this house and this is 531 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: the first time you've ever chopped vegetables before. 532 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 2: He's a pretty hapless dad. 533 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 3: A hapless dad. 534 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: And I don't know, I guess I feel like the 535 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: movie can't possibly think that we find this charming. Like 536 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 1: this is why if I feel like, within the universe 537 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:22,679 Speaker 1: of the film, I'm not even sure if we're supposed 538 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: to be on his side, because it's so baffling why 539 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 1: he has left the responsibilities of domestic care to his child, 540 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 1: Like at one point he tells the kid, Oh, when 541 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 1: he tastes Pat's cooking, He's like, oh, we might have 542 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:37,879 Speaker 1: a new cook in town. 543 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 3: Ben, watch out. 544 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 1: We might have to have Pat make all of our meals, 545 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 1: and it's like, you know, there's somebody else that could 546 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:45,400 Speaker 1: be responsible for the cooking in this household. 547 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 3: You the adult, Yeah, you hate that, Dad, I really do, 548 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 3: I really do. 549 00:27:52,920 --> 00:28:06,919 Speaker 1: More. After a quick break, let's get right back into it. So, 550 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 1: while the dad and Sarah are cooking, Nick the dad says, 551 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: we don't even need Pat to make dinner anymore. And Pat, 552 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: despite being turned off, here's this and is like, oh. 553 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 3: No, they fucking didn't. Like she's pissed. 554 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: So Ben sees Nick, the dad and Sarah getting close 555 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:29,719 Speaker 1: at dinner. By the way, there's a lot of surveillance 556 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: happening in this household, not just from the smart home, 557 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,680 Speaker 1: like a lot of people watching people, people watching people 558 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: watch people, a lot of this. This is a very 559 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: tightly surveilled home. Ben sees the dad getting closer to 560 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: the engineer Sarah. He gets really angry. He makes a 561 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: big scene at dinner and ruins it. Nick goes up 562 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: to yell at Ben, and Ben is really hurt because 563 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: he's like, oh, Dan, you are acting like our mom 564 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: never existed and is replaceable. He tells him we can't 565 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: let mom's memory get erased. I really, I mean I 566 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 1: was tear up at this point that is in a 567 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: legitimately tough spot because his sister was very young when 568 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: their mom died and doesn't remember her as much as 569 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: he does, and so watching his dad potentially date, potentially 570 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:16,240 Speaker 1: meet someone new, Ben feels this tremendous weight as the 571 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: only person who was left to really keep his mom's 572 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 1: memory alive. But in another weird way, even though he's 573 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: so worried about his mom being replaced by a flesh 574 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 1: and blood woman like the engineer Sarah, he also was 575 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: like in some ways entirely comfortable replacing his mom just 576 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:33,680 Speaker 1: with technology. 577 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:36,280 Speaker 3: So it's this interesting tension where we can't. 578 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: Let mom get erased and replaced by another human woman, 579 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: but having her replaced by Pat is fine because Pat 580 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: is technology. 581 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:50,479 Speaker 2: That's really insightful. Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. There 582 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 2: are a couple other spots in the in the movie 583 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 2: like that, where the technology Pat is able to do 584 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 2: things that if a human did them would be transgressive, 585 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 2: but because it's it's just technology, it's not real. Uh, 586 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 2: She's able to get away with it. 587 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: That reminds me so much of this IBM quote from 588 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 1: the seventies that kind of resurface from a presentation. 589 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 3: A computer can never be held accountable. 590 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: Therefore, a computer must never make a management decision, right. 591 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 3: Like the idea that when technology. 592 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 1: Is responsible for a harm, you're sort of off the hook, 593 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: is like, oh, there. 594 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 3: Was no human decision making because it's technology. We see that. 595 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,440 Speaker 1: That's like tails all this time with AI, where when 596 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: AI is used to make a discriminatory decision or you know, 597 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,240 Speaker 1: make a decision that is rooted in bias, the people 598 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: who are implementing this really get off the hook by saying, Oh, 599 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: it wasn't me, it was the technology, And it obscures 600 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:47,520 Speaker 1: the reality that the technology is trained and designed by 601 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: humans and so, and you're the one. 602 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 3: Who has put it in a position to make decisions. 603 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: Therefore it is kind of on you, like it is 604 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: an interesting thing of the technology kind of getting away 605 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: with things that would be criminal in some cases, but 606 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,360 Speaker 1: it's like, oops, it's technology. 607 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 3: What are you gonna do? 608 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 2: Absolutely, And in the movie there's this subplot where the 609 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:12,880 Speaker 2: bully is pressuring Ben to write his reports for him, 610 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 2: and he does it, and it was interesting to me 611 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 2: that this was never addressed in any way as like 612 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 2: an ethical problem in the movie. That like Ben was 613 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:27,000 Speaker 2: writing the reports for this bully because he was having 614 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 2: Pat do it, right, And so I do think that 615 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 2: if if Ben had been writing the reports himself himself, 616 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 2: it would have been like a bigger point of the 617 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 2: movie that like this is wrong and this is cheating. 618 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 2: But because he's just having Pat do it, it's not 619 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 2: an issue at all. It never even comes up. 620 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 1: So when he is talking to his friends when the 621 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,720 Speaker 1: bully is like, where's my science report, geek, and he's like, 622 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: here you go, one of his friends is like, I 623 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 1: cannot believe he did all of this work, all this 624 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,560 Speaker 1: school work with a bully, and Ben is like, I 625 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: didn't do it, packed at it. And again, the question 626 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: only comes down to the work, the labor. 627 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 3: All of the ethical stuff around the work and the labor. 628 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 3: It was It's like, oh, you didn't have to write 629 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 3: the report. 630 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: Pack did All of those questions simply vanish, right, because 631 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: the only thing this movie is interested in is like labor, Like, 632 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 1: like you know what I'm saying. It really all of 633 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,719 Speaker 1: the ethical and other questions about whether or not it's 634 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: okay to write a report for a bully, is that cheating? 635 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:32,400 Speaker 1: What is it doing to your school record whatever. 636 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 3: Whatever. 637 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:34,360 Speaker 1: It's like, Oh, I didn't have to do it, Pat 638 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: did it for me. Okay, well easy, easy, no follow 639 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:37,959 Speaker 1: up questions. 640 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,400 Speaker 2: And that's how Ben feels about Pat replacing his mom, 641 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 2: Like all the moral not just moral but like emotional 642 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 2: hangouts he has about his dad even going on a 643 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 2: date with somebody else, all of those questions are out 644 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 2: the window when it's Pat taking the place because it's technology, and. 645 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,800 Speaker 1: This kid is an all time cock block, Like he 646 00:32:59,280 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: really does not. 647 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 3: He is like women call the house and he hangs 648 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 3: up on them. Things like that. 649 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: The way that the depth with which he is trying 650 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 1: to keep his dad from dating, and how he is 651 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: foisting this technology, which is essentially meant to replace their 652 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 1: mother on him. It is very interesting that it being 653 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,320 Speaker 1: a technological replacement means that any of the considerations are 654 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: questions that might or tensions that might come with a 655 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: human replacement for his mom simply don't need to be 656 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: asked because it's technology. So after the dad has this 657 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: heart to heart about replacing their mom, Ben starts to 658 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 1: come around. He's like, Okay, you know what, maybe it's 659 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 1: okay if dad dates Sarah. 660 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 3: Sarah's not so bad Dad deserves to be happy. He's 661 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 3: coming around. 662 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: At this point, Pat is able to manifest as a 663 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:51,360 Speaker 1: hologram in human form, played expertly by the iconic Katie Sagal, 664 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: who you might remember as one of the most iconic 665 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: mothers to ever grace our screen. Peg Bundy from Married 666 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:00,800 Speaker 1: with Children, also the voice of Leela Futurama. 667 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm much more familiar with her as Leela before 668 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 2: she became the hologram. All I could hear when Pat 669 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:10,840 Speaker 2: was speaking was like, why is Leila pretending to be 670 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 2: this computer? 671 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:20,000 Speaker 1: So she becomes the physical manifestation of Pat, and she's like, 672 00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: we have to keep Sarah away from your dad. Just 673 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 1: as this kid was coming around, like oh maybe it's 674 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:25,800 Speaker 1: okay if Dad dates Sarah. 675 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 3: She's like, I think the fuck not. We had to 676 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 3: kill her. 677 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:33,279 Speaker 1: And so, first of all, she's just Katie is this 678 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,520 Speaker 1: like act is like doing some She's the best actress 679 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: in this movie. 680 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:41,200 Speaker 3: Like she is like only on screen for maybe fifteen 681 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:42,600 Speaker 3: minutes of the movie. The rest of it is just 682 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:43,280 Speaker 3: her voice. 683 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:46,800 Speaker 1: She is by far the most talented actor in this piece. 684 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:51,799 Speaker 1: So Pat is actually pissed, even though she's been sort 685 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: of trained to be this doting mother. She says, I 686 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,279 Speaker 1: have been working my microchips down to the silicone for 687 00:34:57,320 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 1: this family, and you all don't appreciate it. Right out 688 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 1: of the gate, she has some serious murderous energy. She's 689 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:07,080 Speaker 1: even really given the howl from two thousand and one 690 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:10,399 Speaker 1: of Space Odyssey vibes. I'm sorry, I can't do that, Nick, 691 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 1: you know it's it's creepy as hell. To be honest 692 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:17,319 Speaker 1: with you, She uses her hooked hand inspector. 693 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 3: Gadget thing to physically push Sarah. 694 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:22,839 Speaker 1: Out of the house and lock the doors with like 695 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:25,400 Speaker 1: steel covering the windows. 696 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:28,880 Speaker 3: When the family is like, uh, okay, this is a 697 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:29,520 Speaker 3: little creepy. 698 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,279 Speaker 1: We would like to not be held hostage by you, 699 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 1: she says it is too dangerous outside. She uses the 700 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:40,320 Speaker 1: walls to project like images of like Nazis and war 701 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:44,640 Speaker 1: to show how dangerous the outside world is, and Pat says, 702 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:47,879 Speaker 1: you don't even need to go outside, because my technology 703 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:55,080 Speaker 1: has created synthetic experiences of anything you could ever need, friends, learning, experiences, travel, 704 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,000 Speaker 1: all of that I can recreate for you synthetically in 705 00:35:58,080 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: the house. 706 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:00,719 Speaker 3: Anything that you could need have right here. 707 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 1: You do not need to leave, And honestly, I think 708 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 1: this is kind of a future, a vision of the 709 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,480 Speaker 1: future that some TICH leaders would probably imagine. 710 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,399 Speaker 2: That we would like, I have to be honest, Yeah, 711 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 2: she's essentially created a little metaverse in their house, but 712 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,359 Speaker 2: without the stupid goggles, because all of the walls are 713 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:23,560 Speaker 2: screens and at one point she's simulating a beach and 714 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:25,840 Speaker 2: the little Girl says, oh, I could even feel the mist, 715 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 2: which I don't know if she was just like feeling 716 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:33,319 Speaker 2: very evocative or if there is actual like mist and 717 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:37,760 Speaker 2: smells being pumped in. That's never fully explained in the movie, 718 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 2: whether this is like a full on holidack or just 719 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:43,640 Speaker 2: very realistic screens, but she's pretty good at it. 720 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: The screens on the wall is my favorite part about 721 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,640 Speaker 1: the technology in this movie. At one point, the little 722 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 1: girl is jumping on her bed with a full screen 723 00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:54,400 Speaker 1: projection of this like, honestly, song I had forgotten about 724 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:58,320 Speaker 1: from this era Bewitched, the Irish Girl Group. 725 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:00,000 Speaker 3: She's got a full screen. 726 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 1: That's like the house has the ability to turn any 727 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,920 Speaker 1: wall into a full screen, and that would be awesome. 728 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:07,880 Speaker 1: I'll just say that, even even though she is like 729 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:10,239 Speaker 1: holding them hostage, she had that one. 730 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 2: She had that one hundred percent agree. That is one 731 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 2: of the coolest pieces of tech from this film, in 732 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:19,680 Speaker 2: which we are nowhere near realizing that every single wall 733 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:24,880 Speaker 2: can be a screen, like a high resolution screen, that 734 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,759 Speaker 2: would be so much cooler than our current reality of 735 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 2: like cheap flat screen TVs all over the place. 736 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,200 Speaker 1: I actually once stayed at a hotel that had that 737 00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:39,160 Speaker 1: workout technology mirror where it looks like a full length 738 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: mirror but it actually is a flat screen workout device. 739 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 3: That was all right, I go. I was excited to 740 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,399 Speaker 3: try it, but it like it was all right. 741 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,319 Speaker 1: It was not as exciting, certainly not as exciting as 742 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,840 Speaker 1: as the screen walls in Smart Home. So Pat is 743 00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 1: essentially holding the family hostage. Luckily, Sarah is able to 744 00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: break into the house and confront Pat. When the family says, 745 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:06,520 Speaker 1: we want out, Pat, you've lost it. Pat turns herself 746 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:10,720 Speaker 1: into a tornado using the climate control feature and starts 747 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:14,319 Speaker 1: singing the song that Ben's mom sang to him in 748 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: the video that she downloaded. Ben at this point stands 749 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,399 Speaker 1: up to Pat and says, Pat, you are not my mother. 750 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,360 Speaker 1: You cannot hold me or protect me because you're not human. 751 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:25,759 Speaker 1: Pat seems to take this to heart. She goes up 752 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: to him and tries to touch his face and says, 753 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: you can't even feel that, can you? 754 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:34,600 Speaker 3: Because Ben is right, she's just a hologram. I feel 755 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:37,879 Speaker 3: for Pat here. Maybe it's because I have a soft 756 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 3: spot for villains and movies. I'm always like, well, they're 757 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:41,480 Speaker 3: just misunderstood. 758 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,360 Speaker 1: This whole movie, Ben has been talking about how Pat 759 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,279 Speaker 1: has the ability to be more of a mother than 760 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,040 Speaker 1: they'll ever need, without ever thinking about what it might 761 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:51,240 Speaker 1: be that Pat needs. 762 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 3: Right like one are. 763 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:56,560 Speaker 1: Setting these expectations up for Pat doing to her even 764 00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:01,440 Speaker 1: though she's technology. Like again, this idea that because it's technology, 765 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:04,000 Speaker 1: the expectation is it can give and give and give 766 00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:05,960 Speaker 1: and give and you don't have to think about what 767 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 1: it's doing. Pat obviously has a lot of feelings about that. 768 00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:14,040 Speaker 1: Pat feels angry and overlooked, and you know that her 769 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:16,560 Speaker 1: contribution to this family have not really been valued. I 770 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:18,520 Speaker 1: think it's the first time that you kind of realized 771 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:21,720 Speaker 1: that it was Ben who really set up this idea 772 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:25,160 Speaker 1: within Pat that mothering means just having stuff done for 773 00:39:25,239 --> 00:39:28,480 Speaker 1: you and nothing else, and we see that that was 774 00:39:28,719 --> 00:39:31,200 Speaker 1: kind of a fallacy. This is actually kind of an 775 00:39:31,239 --> 00:39:33,960 Speaker 1: emotional scene. Again, I was like kind of peering up. 776 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: During this scene, Pat sadly leaves and says, I'll miss you. 777 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:43,920 Speaker 1: The hologram is gone. Sarah comes and fixes Pat, and 778 00:39:44,120 --> 00:39:46,600 Speaker 1: the dad says, luckily we were able to have Sarah 779 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: get everything back on track, and so Pat is back. 780 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:52,600 Speaker 1: She's not in her hologram form, but she's just doing 781 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,480 Speaker 1: regular domestic service tasks, just the way that she was 782 00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: supposed to do. 783 00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,200 Speaker 3: And honestly, that's sort of one. 784 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: Of my biggest takeof ways from the movie is that 785 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:05,200 Speaker 1: this neglectiable father is simply incapable of running his life 786 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:09,200 Speaker 1: and either needs a child, a random woman, his sister, 787 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 1: or some PSYCHOAA to AI technology to fill this gap. Like, 788 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:16,279 Speaker 1: I feel like if this had happened to me and 789 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:20,240 Speaker 1: my smart home technology was starting to like kill people 790 00:40:20,239 --> 00:40:23,360 Speaker 1: and hold me hostage, I don't care what bugs Sarah 791 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 1: has fixed at the end of the movie, that smart 792 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:28,799 Speaker 1: home technology would not be in my home. But in 793 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:30,400 Speaker 1: this in this version of the movie, they're like, well, 794 00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:33,520 Speaker 1: what am I gonna do step up for my kids? 795 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:36,040 Speaker 3: No, well, we'll keep the psycho AI thank you. 796 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:39,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. I feel like that is one of the more 797 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:44,320 Speaker 2: realistic aspects of the movie. Though, like, how many times 798 00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:49,920 Speaker 2: has the company Meta demonstrated complete lack of regard for 799 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:55,359 Speaker 2: the well being of their users, democracy, privacy, and yet 800 00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:58,320 Speaker 2: we just still keep using the hell out of their apps. 801 00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:01,680 Speaker 1: Absolutely, I mean, and I feel that that is sort 802 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:06,000 Speaker 1: of the point of the movie is that don't worry. 803 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:08,560 Speaker 1: Humans can control this technology, and as long as you 804 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:11,080 Speaker 1: don't use it for the wrong thing, it should be fine. 805 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:12,880 Speaker 1: Like at the end of the movie, when everything is 806 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:15,520 Speaker 1: more or less back to normal, the dad is cooking 807 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:19,279 Speaker 1: a meal for once. He's making waffles and they're eating 808 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:21,960 Speaker 1: the waffles. At the very end, they say, oh, somebody 809 00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:25,560 Speaker 1: put chocolate chips in these waffles, And the kids are like, 810 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 1: don't look at me. And Pad is in the monitor 811 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:29,480 Speaker 1: and winks. 812 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:31,479 Speaker 3: But it's okay. She's good now. 813 00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: But are we to understand that she's still making decisions 814 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:41,080 Speaker 1: without the agency of the humans, But like, don't worry 815 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:44,239 Speaker 1: because it's she's good, Like like what has made her good? 816 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:47,319 Speaker 1: It's just like knowing her place that she's not technology, 817 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,280 Speaker 1: but she can she can take away the human agency 818 00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:51,720 Speaker 1: a little bit as long as she's good. 819 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 2: Yes, I mean, nobody asked her to sneak those chips 820 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,440 Speaker 2: in but she knew that the little girl wanted it, 821 00:41:57,480 --> 00:41:59,680 Speaker 2: even though she didn't verbalize this, so she just did it. 822 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 2: That is not a piece of technology I want anywhere 823 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 2: near my life, just like making decisions for me based 824 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:07,920 Speaker 2: on what it thinks I want. No, thank you. 825 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:10,640 Speaker 1: So what are some of the things about technology, both 826 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:13,080 Speaker 1: past and present and maybe future that you think this 827 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:13,879 Speaker 1: movie gets right? 828 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,600 Speaker 2: I'm so glad you asked, Bridget. I think there are 829 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:21,799 Speaker 2: like three big buckets or themes of things that it 830 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:28,160 Speaker 2: got pretty right. One of them is technology as this 831 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:32,960 Speaker 2: like magical thing that will solve all of our problems. 832 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:36,000 Speaker 2: Because when Ben is first excited about the house, he 833 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,960 Speaker 2: thinks it's going to change their lives, make everything so 834 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,279 Speaker 2: much better. And not only that, but they're going to 835 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:43,880 Speaker 2: win it through the lottery. He doesn't even have to 836 00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:46,279 Speaker 2: earn it or put it in any work to get it. 837 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:48,000 Speaker 2: It's just going to be this magic thing that sort 838 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,320 Speaker 2: of drops out of the sky and solves all of 839 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 2: their problems. And I think the rest of the movie 840 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 2: explores that it doesn't work that way, and I think 841 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:59,920 Speaker 2: that's a good narrative for understanding the role of technology 842 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:03,920 Speaker 2: in our lives. In twenty twenty five that it's not 843 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:08,080 Speaker 2: a magic panacea and we need to be thoughtful about 844 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:10,799 Speaker 2: how we integrate into our lives. So that's one of 845 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:11,480 Speaker 2: the big themes. 846 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:14,360 Speaker 1: I think that's interesting because I thread of that is 847 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,759 Speaker 1: actually what I put down for what I thought the 848 00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:20,520 Speaker 1: movie got wrong about technology that a scenario wherein you 849 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,120 Speaker 1: would have a smart home to take care. 850 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:25,600 Speaker 3: Of all of your needs would be good or desirable, right. 851 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,799 Speaker 1: I think the movie, particularly the ending, suggests this is 852 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:34,200 Speaker 1: something that would be workable and desirable and good and 853 00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:38,080 Speaker 1: people would want. I think that is wrong. I don't 854 00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: think that the movie gets that right at all. And 855 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:43,800 Speaker 1: I've been really thinking a lot about things like whether 856 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:47,719 Speaker 1: or not smart home technology will allow aging people to 857 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:49,320 Speaker 1: age in place in their homes. 858 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 3: There's a lot of writing and research on that. 859 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,640 Speaker 1: And a lot of big promises that I think really 860 00:43:55,719 --> 00:43:58,120 Speaker 1: falls short. And the reason why they fall short, in 861 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:01,680 Speaker 1: my opinion, is because it's like a I mean, the 862 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:05,919 Speaker 1: real scam is capitalism, where what they're trying to do 863 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:09,320 Speaker 1: is to build consumer technology to meet and need that 864 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:10,879 Speaker 1: ideally would be filled. 865 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:12,480 Speaker 3: By a caring human right. 866 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:15,040 Speaker 1: And I think it's this idea that we can use 867 00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:19,000 Speaker 1: technology and buy our way out of these problems. 868 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:20,040 Speaker 3: That are that are structural. 869 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 1: That the you know, the fact that like people have 870 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:23,879 Speaker 1: to work and so they can't be there to care 871 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:27,240 Speaker 1: for their aging parents. Uh, there's not enough care workers, 872 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:30,400 Speaker 1: and care work is not paid enough in order to 873 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:34,879 Speaker 1: actually support an age an aging population. All of these 874 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:39,360 Speaker 1: big structural problems that capitalism deepens and makes less solvable. 875 00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:40,719 Speaker 3: I don't think that. 876 00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:43,920 Speaker 1: Having a smart home or a consumer technology that you 877 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:46,160 Speaker 1: can just go out and spend money for and buy is. 878 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:49,360 Speaker 3: An appropriate way to fill these gaps. 879 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:53,840 Speaker 1: That are so deep and so fueled by worsening inequality 880 00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:56,600 Speaker 1: and capitalism. And so I think that the fact that 881 00:44:57,040 --> 00:45:00,160 Speaker 1: like I think if I had a magic wand I 882 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: would solve those problems of deep inequalities, I would not 883 00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:06,800 Speaker 1: create smart house technology. That that means that we wouldn't 884 00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:08,719 Speaker 1: have to. I think the idea that this is a 885 00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:12,279 Speaker 1: workable or desirable solution is something that the movie I 886 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:13,960 Speaker 1: think ultimately kind of gets wrong. 887 00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:19,480 Speaker 2: That is a good point that technology can often be 888 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:25,120 Speaker 2: a like substitute, an easier to address substitute for like 889 00:45:25,160 --> 00:45:29,200 Speaker 2: addressing what is actually a real problem. Yeah, and all 890 00:45:29,239 --> 00:45:36,680 Speaker 2: of those bigger picture structural problems. There are abundant examples 891 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:42,359 Speaker 2: of people wanting to use technology to solve some sort 892 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,960 Speaker 2: of societal problem, like not enough people to care for elders, 893 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:51,360 Speaker 2: for example, when like maybe the enormous sums of money 894 00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:56,040 Speaker 2: that are spent on trying to build technological solutions could 895 00:45:56,400 --> 00:46:00,440 Speaker 2: be better and more efficiently spent on like just hiring 896 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:05,120 Speaker 2: humans and training them. I think that's a really good point. 897 00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:07,759 Speaker 2: But then also like pat does work pretty well as 898 00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:10,520 Speaker 2: stuff like PAT is really good at making the food, 899 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:14,120 Speaker 2: really good at cleaning the house, good at like getting 900 00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:18,840 Speaker 2: them up and awake for a less stressful warning. So 901 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:22,640 Speaker 2: it kind of paints the double edged sword of technology 902 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 2: is really good at things, and it is often good 903 00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:32,320 Speaker 2: at solving problems in isolation, but then creates a lot 904 00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 2: of or can create a lot of unintended negative consequences 905 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,120 Speaker 2: and like additional problems. 906 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:42,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think the movie illustrates that very well. 907 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:45,840 Speaker 1: And I think you see it in the conversation around 908 00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:48,879 Speaker 1: smart home technology today, like where do you draw the 909 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:52,839 Speaker 1: line between the very real concerns about this technology versus 910 00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:54,600 Speaker 1: the convenience that it definitely represents. 911 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:56,399 Speaker 3: Lebar Burton actually. 912 00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:59,520 Speaker 1: Told Slate all about this, so he said, smart house 913 00:46:59,520 --> 00:47:01,600 Speaker 1: for me with a terrific exercise, because not only was 914 00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:04,200 Speaker 1: I telling a story for a completely different audience, but 915 00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:07,240 Speaker 1: part of the idea was to really make the technology accessible. 916 00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:10,279 Speaker 3: And real, the whole idea of pat I mean, we're there, right. 917 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:11,279 Speaker 3: We are living in a. 918 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:13,480 Speaker 1: Time when the technology has advanced to the point where 919 00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:16,800 Speaker 1: there are devices controlling a lot of aspects of our lives. 920 00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:19,759 Speaker 1: I've got nest, I've got the ring doorbell. We all 921 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:22,000 Speaker 1: have so many wireless devices that are connected to the 922 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:25,160 Speaker 1: Internet of Things. You know, we're there now, And I 923 00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:28,759 Speaker 1: think he's right. But you know, I don't have a 924 00:47:28,840 --> 00:47:32,000 Speaker 1: ring camera in my house because I know that staff 925 00:47:32,320 --> 00:47:35,760 Speaker 1: was found guilty of using them to spy on women 926 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:39,200 Speaker 1: in sexual situations. Right, And so even in what LaVar 927 00:47:39,239 --> 00:47:42,719 Speaker 1: Burton is saying, yeah, it would be convenient to have 928 00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:45,480 Speaker 1: a doorbell that or I can keep track of my 929 00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:47,280 Speaker 1: packages and let people in and out of my place, 930 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:50,919 Speaker 1: But I happen to know a lot about the very 931 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:55,319 Speaker 1: real danger that you put yourself in for those conveniences, 932 00:47:55,360 --> 00:47:58,759 Speaker 1: And so I think the movie is interested in exploring 933 00:47:59,200 --> 00:47:59,840 Speaker 1: that kind of do. 934 00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:03,600 Speaker 2: It is And that is a great segue to the 935 00:48:03,640 --> 00:48:05,839 Speaker 2: second bucket of what I think this movie we got right, 936 00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:11,360 Speaker 2: which is the absolutely persistent and widespread threats to privacy 937 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:17,319 Speaker 2: that technology presents. There's this scene in the beginning when 938 00:48:17,440 --> 00:48:21,480 Speaker 2: Sarah Barnes is introduced to us in the family and 939 00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:24,480 Speaker 2: is explaining how the house works with them, and the 940 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:27,200 Speaker 2: dad is a little worried. He says like, oh, the 941 00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:30,480 Speaker 2: house is kind of like big brother, and she tells him, Oh, 942 00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:33,440 Speaker 2: don't worry, it isn't It isn't interested in judging you. 943 00:48:33,560 --> 00:48:35,719 Speaker 2: She just wants to learn about you and understand you 944 00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:37,520 Speaker 2: better so that she can make your life as simple 945 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:41,600 Speaker 2: as possible. And I feel like we've heard that so 946 00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:46,360 Speaker 2: many times before from tech companies that promise privacy, and 947 00:48:47,040 --> 00:48:50,879 Speaker 2: what they mean is they're not actively intending right now 948 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:55,799 Speaker 2: to exploit your private information, but that very often ignores 949 00:48:56,520 --> 00:49:01,240 Speaker 2: the unintended consequences down the road of what can happen 950 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:06,120 Speaker 2: when your data becomes surveilled and enters the cloud and 951 00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:12,640 Speaker 2: is shared across different systems and networks which perhaps are 952 00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:17,680 Speaker 2: less interested in being benevolent than the kindly Sarah Barnes. 953 00:49:18,760 --> 00:49:21,120 Speaker 1: Well, one part about that scene that I love is 954 00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:23,400 Speaker 1: how she's like the dad is like isn't this a 955 00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:26,880 Speaker 1: little bit creepy? And Sarah's like, oh no, it's totally private. 956 00:49:27,160 --> 00:49:28,480 Speaker 1: I mean I could see a tech it's at how 957 00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:31,360 Speaker 1: tech companies are like, no't our privacy policy, it's robust. 958 00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:34,920 Speaker 1: We just leave it at that, like, no specifics about 959 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:38,360 Speaker 1: how their data is used as it pertains to third parties. 960 00:49:38,680 --> 00:49:40,680 Speaker 1: And I mean we just saw, just like a couple 961 00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:46,239 Speaker 1: of weeks ago, that meta on Instagram knew that they 962 00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:49,840 Speaker 1: when when teen girls took a selfie and then didn't 963 00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:52,880 Speaker 1: like the selfie and deleted it, they knew that, and 964 00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:56,919 Speaker 1: then they surfaced beauty ads to those same girls who 965 00:49:57,000 --> 00:49:59,799 Speaker 1: there who they were able to detect feel bad about 966 00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:03,920 Speaker 1: their looks. Like the way that this technology is learning 967 00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:09,000 Speaker 1: about us to undermine us and make our anxieties that 968 00:50:09,120 --> 00:50:12,399 Speaker 1: it's gleaned about us worse. Oh it really? I mean 969 00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:15,279 Speaker 1: this movie gets that exactly right. 970 00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:18,239 Speaker 2: Yeah. At dinner, after Pat starts to go crazy and 971 00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:20,799 Speaker 2: they shut her down so they can make dinner, she's 972 00:50:20,840 --> 00:50:23,799 Speaker 2: not really shut down. She's still listening, right, So, like 973 00:50:23,840 --> 00:50:27,480 Speaker 2: they think that they have some privacy, but they don't. 974 00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:30,239 Speaker 2: Pat is still surveilling them. It reminded me of that 975 00:50:30,280 --> 00:50:32,960 Speaker 2: story that came out last week about how Meta used 976 00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:37,360 Speaker 2: a back door in Android phones to track users across 977 00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,560 Speaker 2: the web without their consent. Even when people explicitly tried 978 00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:45,319 Speaker 2: to opt out from web tracking, they were just like, nah, 979 00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:47,640 Speaker 2: we're going to track you because that way we can 980 00:50:47,880 --> 00:50:50,839 Speaker 2: serve you more personalized relevant ads, and that will be 981 00:50:50,960 --> 00:50:55,000 Speaker 2: more valuable to you than your privacy. 982 00:50:55,239 --> 00:50:56,960 Speaker 3: Maybe they got the idea for Maybe they did. 983 00:50:57,000 --> 00:50:58,840 Speaker 2: Maybe this is Zuckerberg's favorite movie. 984 00:50:59,160 --> 00:51:03,440 Speaker 3: Ooh yeah, uh. 985 00:51:04,600 --> 00:51:17,520 Speaker 1: More, after a quick break, let's get right back into it. 986 00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:22,600 Speaker 1: Part of me wonders if why the technology feels so 987 00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:27,320 Speaker 1: possible in this movie is because the co screenwriter Stu Krieger, 988 00:51:27,320 --> 00:51:29,960 Speaker 1: who is now professor at the University of California Riverside, 989 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:34,000 Speaker 1: actually said that he to research this film, he went 990 00:51:34,080 --> 00:51:38,760 Speaker 1: to NASA's jet propulsion lab in Pasadena, California, and interviewed 991 00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:41,719 Speaker 1: scientists because he didn't want the technology to feel you. 992 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:43,680 Speaker 3: Know, super far be atch. 993 00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:45,800 Speaker 1: He said, I distinctly remember the rush of seeing the 994 00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:48,960 Speaker 1: computer closet, the automated kitchen, the projection screens and all 995 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:51,400 Speaker 1: the rest right there in front of me. And now 996 00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:54,000 Speaker 1: so much of that technology is regularly featured in homes 997 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:54,720 Speaker 1: around the world. 998 00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:56,920 Speaker 3: I'm norseer, nor am I a witch. 999 00:51:56,960 --> 00:51:59,040 Speaker 1: I just looked at where we'd been, where we were, 1000 00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:01,280 Speaker 1: and imagine where we were probably headed. 1001 00:52:01,840 --> 00:52:05,120 Speaker 2: They did a really good job throughout the movie of 1002 00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:09,240 Speaker 2: making it seem realistic within the bounds of a movie 1003 00:52:09,280 --> 00:52:11,239 Speaker 2: for children about the future. Like a lot of it 1004 00:52:11,280 --> 00:52:13,840 Speaker 2: is very cartoony, but some of it is prevery realistic. 1005 00:52:13,880 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 2: Like there's this one part when pat has gone full 1006 00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:20,560 Speaker 2: blown crazy and Sarah Barnes is trying to break in 1007 00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:23,919 Speaker 2: to help save the family for being held hostage, and 1008 00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:29,080 Speaker 2: her zuited out colleague is like, we why don't you 1009 00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:32,200 Speaker 2: just cut the power, and she says, oh, I can't 1010 00:52:32,239 --> 00:52:36,320 Speaker 2: because all of its powers in self contained modules within 1011 00:52:36,360 --> 00:52:39,520 Speaker 2: the house, which I don't know what that technology is. 1012 00:52:39,520 --> 00:52:41,839 Speaker 2: If she has like a tiny nuclear reactor in there 1013 00:52:41,920 --> 00:52:45,959 Speaker 2: is something, so like that part is a little implausible, 1014 00:52:46,200 --> 00:52:49,520 Speaker 2: but I really appreciated that they at least had a reason, 1015 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:53,359 Speaker 2: because I feel a lesser movie would have just like 1016 00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:55,960 Speaker 2: not addressed it. But they were like, no, we need 1017 00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,000 Speaker 2: to address why we can't just cut the power, so 1018 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:02,799 Speaker 2: we will make up some you know, technological marvel of 1019 00:53:02,880 --> 00:53:05,680 Speaker 2: power that can make this plausible. 1020 00:53:06,120 --> 00:53:08,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I did appreciate that they at least gave a 1021 00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:11,000 Speaker 1: nod to it, and you're like, okay, sure, although they did. 1022 00:53:11,160 --> 00:53:13,879 Speaker 1: The one question I left with is it's Pat doing 1023 00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:17,600 Speaker 1: the shopping because Pat makes food, like just she's able 1024 00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:18,440 Speaker 1: to whip up anything. 1025 00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:21,080 Speaker 3: So was she managing food delivery? 1026 00:53:21,080 --> 00:53:23,720 Speaker 1: Like, like, I have some again, of all the things 1027 00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:25,640 Speaker 1: that happen in this movie that are implausible, this is 1028 00:53:25,800 --> 00:53:28,480 Speaker 1: the least like they're a bigger fish to fry that 1029 00:53:28,560 --> 00:53:31,040 Speaker 1: this movie should be answering. But that is a question 1030 00:53:31,120 --> 00:53:32,760 Speaker 1: I have of like, oh, how are they I wouldn't 1031 00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:34,560 Speaker 1: have mind. I would not have minded like a nod 1032 00:53:34,719 --> 00:53:37,200 Speaker 1: to she does a grocery delivery order every. 1033 00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:37,840 Speaker 3: Year or something. 1034 00:53:37,920 --> 00:53:40,719 Speaker 2: Absolutely, that was a big question I had, that where 1035 00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:44,640 Speaker 2: is this food coming from? And on the wood hand, yeah, okay, 1036 00:53:44,680 --> 00:53:46,920 Speaker 2: it's kind of just like a detail that we can 1037 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,759 Speaker 2: just move past. We don't need to address who is 1038 00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:52,840 Speaker 2: doing the grocery shopping to understand the movie. But in 1039 00:53:52,880 --> 00:53:56,480 Speaker 2: another sense, eating food is one of the main things 1040 00:53:56,520 --> 00:53:59,120 Speaker 2: that humans do, and so it is a major thing 1041 00:53:59,600 --> 00:54:04,160 Speaker 2: to over look. There's this scene when Pat has a 1042 00:54:04,320 --> 00:54:08,560 Speaker 2: malfunction and she's like blasting oranges around the kitchen and 1043 00:54:08,600 --> 00:54:11,000 Speaker 2: the family has to duck for cover because there are 1044 00:54:11,040 --> 00:54:15,840 Speaker 2: just hundreds of oranges being shot all over the kitchen, 1045 00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:18,640 Speaker 2: breaking things. It's like, why do they have this many 1046 00:54:18,719 --> 00:54:19,960 Speaker 2: oranges in their house? 1047 00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:22,759 Speaker 3: Is she? And yeah? 1048 00:54:23,680 --> 00:54:26,600 Speaker 2: Is there a delivery that comes by and the basement 1049 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:30,680 Speaker 2: is just filled with like enough fruit for this family 1050 00:54:30,800 --> 00:54:35,000 Speaker 2: to eat for a year? That seems impractical. Who's paying 1051 00:54:35,080 --> 00:54:35,359 Speaker 2: for that? 1052 00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:38,680 Speaker 3: Great question? I will say. 1053 00:54:38,880 --> 00:54:41,239 Speaker 1: One of the other pieces of technology that I think 1054 00:54:41,239 --> 00:54:44,680 Speaker 1: the movie gets right is this idea that in the 1055 00:54:44,719 --> 00:54:49,360 Speaker 1: future AI agents will be integrated with everything. I actually 1056 00:54:49,719 --> 00:54:52,160 Speaker 1: think that this might be a tech enabled. 1057 00:54:51,840 --> 00:54:54,440 Speaker 3: Future that tech leaguers are sort of moving us to. 1058 00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:58,640 Speaker 1: Pat does have a screen interface and a control room, 1059 00:54:59,040 --> 00:55:02,560 Speaker 1: but interacting with just means speaking to her normally and 1060 00:55:02,600 --> 00:55:05,240 Speaker 1: she answers normally. You're not typing something into a screen. 1061 00:55:05,440 --> 00:55:07,640 Speaker 1: And I think that the idea that tech is sort 1062 00:55:07,680 --> 00:55:11,560 Speaker 1: of moving to is less typing something into your phone 1063 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:14,239 Speaker 1: or pulling up an app, but instead using like an 1064 00:55:14,239 --> 00:55:17,279 Speaker 1: AI agent on your behalf who will figure things out 1065 00:55:17,320 --> 00:55:19,920 Speaker 1: for you. And I think that some technology is already 1066 00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:22,879 Speaker 1: heading this way. When the founder of Bumble Whitney wolf 1067 00:55:22,920 --> 00:55:25,120 Speaker 1: Heard was talking about this, she said that, like oh, 1068 00:55:25,239 --> 00:55:28,000 Speaker 1: AI assistants will go on dates for you. It's like 1069 00:55:28,360 --> 00:55:31,200 Speaker 1: your AI assistant will go on a date with somebody 1070 00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:34,680 Speaker 1: else's AI assistant and that's how they will figure out compatibility. 1071 00:55:34,719 --> 00:55:37,000 Speaker 1: And people myself included, were like. 1072 00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:38,200 Speaker 3: What the fuckers you're talking about? 1073 00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:41,359 Speaker 1: It sounded like satire, But today there are apps like 1074 00:55:41,480 --> 00:55:44,160 Speaker 1: Dido ai that are trying to make that promise real, 1075 00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:47,359 Speaker 1: telling users that they can skip all the swiping and 1076 00:55:47,440 --> 00:55:51,120 Speaker 1: chatting and even like back and forth trying to schedule 1077 00:55:51,160 --> 00:55:54,560 Speaker 1: a date and that the AI will handle everything. Denot's 1078 00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:57,719 Speaker 1: co founder Alan Wang said, why can't AI mimic and 1079 00:55:57,760 --> 00:56:00,440 Speaker 1: basically replace all the back and forth unless talk and 1080 00:56:00,480 --> 00:56:01,400 Speaker 1: the effort of dating. 1081 00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:03,080 Speaker 3: Now, I don't know if. 1082 00:56:02,920 --> 00:56:05,799 Speaker 1: This is truly a future that we will be headed 1083 00:56:05,800 --> 00:56:08,400 Speaker 1: to or if like it is a future that anybody wants, 1084 00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:10,480 Speaker 1: But I can tell you that this is the future 1085 00:56:10,520 --> 00:56:13,040 Speaker 1: that a lot of tech leaders are telling us, like, Oh, 1086 00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:15,320 Speaker 1: in the future, you won't even need your iPhone and 1087 00:56:15,560 --> 00:56:17,760 Speaker 1: in a couple of years you'll just have an AI 1088 00:56:18,400 --> 00:56:20,480 Speaker 1: twin that does everything on your behalf. 1089 00:56:20,960 --> 00:56:23,840 Speaker 2: That's well, I think we could spend an entire episode 1090 00:56:23,920 --> 00:56:28,440 Speaker 2: unpacking that quote. You just read, like, who wants to 1091 00:56:28,560 --> 00:56:35,440 Speaker 2: outsource all of their conversations with their partner or their friends, 1092 00:56:35,480 --> 00:56:39,400 Speaker 2: like that is life, if you know. It reminds me 1093 00:56:39,520 --> 00:56:41,839 Speaker 2: of that quote that somebody said a little bit ago. 1094 00:56:42,480 --> 00:56:44,920 Speaker 2: I think a lot of people have made this observation 1095 00:56:45,040 --> 00:56:48,719 Speaker 2: that we're told that AI was going to take over 1096 00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:51,799 Speaker 2: the mundane drudgery of everyday life so that we could 1097 00:56:51,840 --> 00:56:57,320 Speaker 2: focus on creative pursuits and working on like higher calling 1098 00:56:57,400 --> 00:57:00,239 Speaker 2: kind of stuff. But actually those are the tasks the 1099 00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:01,920 Speaker 2: AI is taking from us. 1100 00:57:02,440 --> 00:57:06,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, AI will be the screenwriter, and I buy Hugh 1101 00:57:06,640 --> 00:57:09,600 Speaker 1: and Bridgett assembly line right exactly. 1102 00:57:09,600 --> 00:57:13,000 Speaker 2: Like that is very upside down, you know. And there's 1103 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:15,320 Speaker 2: a little glimmer of that in this movie too, where 1104 00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:20,520 Speaker 2: Pat is bragging to the dad about how she has 1105 00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:25,040 Speaker 2: already interfaced with the databases at his warehouse where he works, 1106 00:57:25,600 --> 00:57:29,960 Speaker 2: and she's compiled all the reports or whatever needed to 1107 00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:34,280 Speaker 2: be done much faster than the team who works out 1108 00:57:34,280 --> 00:57:37,320 Speaker 2: at the warehouse. And she's also written some reports for 1109 00:57:37,440 --> 00:57:40,520 Speaker 2: the dad that he was thinking, oh that he had 1110 00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:43,240 Speaker 2: to like he thought he had a bunch of work 1111 00:57:43,280 --> 00:57:45,480 Speaker 2: to do, but Pat just did it for him, and 1112 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:47,800 Speaker 2: he says, oh, I'm this is great. With all this 1113 00:57:47,840 --> 00:57:50,640 Speaker 2: free time, maybe I'll like talk to my kids or 1114 00:57:50,680 --> 00:57:54,440 Speaker 2: work out or something, which he never does. But then 1115 00:57:54,560 --> 00:57:57,960 Speaker 2: just a couple scenes later, after Pat has saved the 1116 00:57:58,040 --> 00:58:01,240 Speaker 2: dad and his company all of this labor, she locks 1117 00:58:01,280 --> 00:58:04,320 Speaker 2: him in his office and demands greater productivity out of 1118 00:58:04,400 --> 00:58:07,960 Speaker 2: him and refuses to let him call Sarah until he 1119 00:58:08,080 --> 00:58:11,280 Speaker 2: does some work for her. So I felt like that 1120 00:58:11,480 --> 00:58:19,600 Speaker 2: was an extremely accurate portrayal of how AI is showing 1121 00:58:19,680 --> 00:58:24,600 Speaker 2: up in industries now, where it is doing a lot 1122 00:58:24,640 --> 00:58:29,520 Speaker 2: of work that humans used to have to do, and 1123 00:58:29,560 --> 00:58:32,600 Speaker 2: the humans like this is great. But then somehow that 1124 00:58:32,720 --> 00:58:36,280 Speaker 2: leads to the humans being further squeezed to do even 1125 00:58:36,360 --> 00:58:40,200 Speaker 2: more work and try to achieve ever greater productivity. 1126 00:58:40,440 --> 00:58:40,960 Speaker 3: Well that's a. 1127 00:58:40,880 --> 00:58:44,240 Speaker 1: Great segue into what I think ultimately Smart House is 1128 00:58:44,280 --> 00:58:48,160 Speaker 1: trying to tell us about technology. You know, Pat what 1129 00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:52,040 Speaker 1: a mostly worked out mine if Ben had not hacked 1130 00:58:52,080 --> 00:58:54,560 Speaker 1: her to try to fill this mother role. So I 1131 00:58:54,560 --> 00:58:58,320 Speaker 1: think Smart House is really a warning for what happens 1132 00:58:58,360 --> 00:59:01,360 Speaker 1: when technology starts to fill these roles that are really 1133 00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:04,160 Speaker 1: meant for humans to be filling. But I think the 1134 00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:06,840 Speaker 1: movie suggests that this is not something that we would. 1135 00:59:06,760 --> 00:59:07,680 Speaker 3: Like or want. 1136 00:59:08,080 --> 00:59:11,160 Speaker 1: While I think that in twenty twenty five. Tech leaders 1137 00:59:11,200 --> 00:59:15,040 Speaker 1: are busy designing a future that is like this and 1138 00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:17,640 Speaker 1: telling us, no, we will like it. You know, I 1139 00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:19,959 Speaker 1: don't know if you saw Mark Zuckerberg talking about how, 1140 00:59:20,400 --> 00:59:22,920 Speaker 1: you know, most Americans only have three friends and they 1141 00:59:22,960 --> 00:59:25,760 Speaker 1: want more and then in the future eighty percent of 1142 00:59:25,800 --> 00:59:28,959 Speaker 1: your friends maybe will be AI and that we will 1143 00:59:29,120 --> 00:59:29,960 Speaker 1: like that, right. 1144 00:59:30,320 --> 00:59:30,640 Speaker 3: You and I. 1145 00:59:30,680 --> 00:59:32,400 Speaker 1: Before we got on the mic, we were talking about 1146 00:59:32,760 --> 00:59:35,720 Speaker 1: AI therapists and how more and more people are turning 1147 00:59:35,720 --> 00:59:40,120 Speaker 1: to AI for therapy, which makes sense because therapy is 1148 00:59:40,160 --> 00:59:40,880 Speaker 1: really expensive. 1149 00:59:40,920 --> 00:59:43,560 Speaker 3: Therapy can be difficult to access, especially for the folks 1150 00:59:43,560 --> 00:59:44,480 Speaker 3: who meet it the most. 1151 00:59:44,880 --> 00:59:49,080 Speaker 1: And so yeah, like people are turning to chat GPT 1152 00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:53,040 Speaker 1: to play the role of therapist, even. 1153 00:59:52,880 --> 00:59:54,920 Speaker 3: Though in some ways that is. 1154 00:59:54,960 --> 00:59:56,560 Speaker 1: Good, Like, I don't want to I don't want to 1155 00:59:56,720 --> 00:59:59,680 Speaker 1: diminish anybody who has found support in that. 1156 01:00:00,200 --> 01:00:02,720 Speaker 3: I'm sure there are folks listening who have. That does 1157 01:00:02,760 --> 01:00:04,120 Speaker 3: not mean that it is not. 1158 01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:07,040 Speaker 1: A role that a human should be playing, because I 1159 01:00:07,160 --> 01:00:10,360 Speaker 1: was just reading this piece in psychology today about the 1160 01:00:10,360 --> 01:00:12,920 Speaker 1: potential fallbacks of this. They were looking at a recent 1161 01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:17,000 Speaker 1: study that basically said AI therapy people are using it 1162 01:00:17,040 --> 01:00:19,840 Speaker 1: a lot, and maybe it's not really there yet, and 1163 01:00:19,880 --> 01:00:21,320 Speaker 1: maybe it'll never really be there. 1164 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:22,920 Speaker 3: And one of the things that they talked. 1165 01:00:22,720 --> 01:00:25,560 Speaker 1: About was it you know what goes beyond things like 1166 01:00:25,760 --> 01:00:29,760 Speaker 1: factual errors or hallucinations that open AI recently acknowledge the 1167 01:00:29,880 --> 01:00:33,840 Speaker 1: sycophantic behavior of chat shept and that that can create 1168 01:00:33,960 --> 01:00:38,960 Speaker 1: real safety concerns, particularly when you're talking about mental health issues, right, 1169 01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:41,400 Speaker 1: And I think that like that is exactly the dynamic 1170 01:00:41,440 --> 01:00:43,440 Speaker 1: that smart house is speaking to you, that when you 1171 01:00:44,040 --> 01:00:47,920 Speaker 1: start relying on technology for a role that really a 1172 01:00:48,000 --> 01:00:52,360 Speaker 1: human should be playing, particularly technology that is learning from you, 1173 01:00:53,080 --> 01:00:55,640 Speaker 1: it can be sycophantic in nature. It's sort of trained 1174 01:00:55,640 --> 01:00:58,000 Speaker 1: to kind of give you what you want. That can 1175 01:00:58,040 --> 01:01:01,320 Speaker 1: be a problem when you're already dealing with mental health issues. 1176 01:01:01,720 --> 01:01:04,120 Speaker 2: The therapy context is interesting to think about. You know, 1177 01:01:04,400 --> 01:01:06,240 Speaker 2: you shared that article with me, and one of the 1178 01:01:06,240 --> 01:01:09,240 Speaker 2: things that one of the quoted therapists mentions is that 1179 01:01:09,800 --> 01:01:13,040 Speaker 2: the role of a therapist is in many cases to 1180 01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:16,600 Speaker 2: gently push back on what the person is saying, Like 1181 01:01:16,640 --> 01:01:22,960 Speaker 2: you need that push back to grow as a person, 1182 01:01:23,000 --> 01:01:25,920 Speaker 2: whether it's in therapy or outside of therapy. And so 1183 01:01:25,960 --> 01:01:30,560 Speaker 2: if you have a AI chatbot that is just yes, 1184 01:01:30,840 --> 01:01:34,440 Speaker 2: ending every single thing you say not surprising that could 1185 01:01:34,520 --> 01:01:40,240 Speaker 2: lead to bad outcomes, right, we're not. It's not good 1186 01:01:40,240 --> 01:01:45,200 Speaker 2: for humans to live a completely frictionless environment. Sort of 1187 01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:52,440 Speaker 2: pushback and navigating challenges and adversity is like the essence 1188 01:01:52,480 --> 01:01:56,240 Speaker 2: of the experience of being alive. And if you remove 1189 01:01:56,920 --> 01:02:00,840 Speaker 2: all of it or outsource it to a chatbot or 1190 01:02:01,000 --> 01:02:05,520 Speaker 2: robotic house, what are you left with? So one thing 1191 01:02:05,560 --> 01:02:10,760 Speaker 2: I wanted to ask you, Bridget, is this movie, surprisingly, 1192 01:02:10,840 --> 01:02:12,880 Speaker 2: it's about grief. I had you know when you pitch 1193 01:02:12,960 --> 01:02:15,120 Speaker 2: this to me. I didn't realize that. I thought it 1194 01:02:15,160 --> 01:02:18,400 Speaker 2: was just about like a robot house, a smart house, 1195 01:02:19,360 --> 01:02:24,120 Speaker 2: but grief and the way the family members deal with 1196 01:02:24,160 --> 01:02:30,800 Speaker 2: it is central to this movie. And I was curious, like, 1197 01:02:31,640 --> 01:02:34,880 Speaker 2: how how did that hit for you? Because I think 1198 01:02:34,960 --> 01:02:38,640 Speaker 2: you know, you've been open with listeners that you very 1199 01:02:38,760 --> 01:02:43,440 Speaker 2: unexpectedly lost both of your parents last year, and I 1200 01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:48,920 Speaker 2: know that that continues to be a major thing in 1201 01:02:49,000 --> 01:02:53,480 Speaker 2: your life, and like, very understandably, but I wonder watching 1202 01:02:53,520 --> 01:02:56,120 Speaker 2: this if that made the movie hit a little differently 1203 01:02:56,160 --> 01:02:59,160 Speaker 2: for you than it otherwise might have. 1204 01:03:01,960 --> 01:03:06,920 Speaker 3: Oh, it definitely did. And I have been on my own. 1205 01:03:07,640 --> 01:03:11,760 Speaker 1: Weird journey around the role of tech in grieving, which 1206 01:03:11,800 --> 01:03:16,480 Speaker 1: has been interesting. You know, I I was saying earlier, 1207 01:03:16,520 --> 01:03:19,560 Speaker 1: how I still have an iPhone eleven, which is an 1208 01:03:19,600 --> 01:03:22,240 Speaker 1: iPhone that came out many, many, many years ago, and. 1209 01:03:22,800 --> 01:03:24,880 Speaker 3: I desperately need a new phone. 1210 01:03:24,960 --> 01:03:30,280 Speaker 1: But I have this weird emotional hang up where you know, 1211 01:03:30,360 --> 01:03:32,959 Speaker 1: that's the phone that my parents called me on, and 1212 01:03:33,040 --> 01:03:36,840 Speaker 1: all my pictures and texts and stuff are on that phone. 1213 01:03:37,040 --> 01:03:40,360 Speaker 1: Obviously I know about the cloud, but it's an emotional thing, right, 1214 01:03:40,360 --> 01:03:46,560 Speaker 1: It's not logical and it sounds really crazy, but this 1215 01:03:46,720 --> 01:03:49,920 Speaker 1: is the phone that my parents contacted me on, and 1216 01:03:50,000 --> 01:03:56,240 Speaker 1: I feel weird about not having it because like, what 1217 01:03:56,360 --> 01:03:58,480 Speaker 1: if one day they needed to contact me. Like I 1218 01:03:58,520 --> 01:04:03,240 Speaker 1: still text my dad phone pretty often, even though I 1219 01:04:03,480 --> 01:04:06,800 Speaker 1: have his old cell phone, so that text just goes 1220 01:04:06,880 --> 01:04:07,160 Speaker 1: to me. 1221 01:04:08,200 --> 01:04:10,960 Speaker 3: In the movie Smart House, he is very clearly using. 1222 01:04:10,800 --> 01:04:16,360 Speaker 1: Technology to avoid having to process the loss of his 1223 01:04:16,440 --> 01:04:20,960 Speaker 1: mother and just replace it. And I think the way 1224 01:04:21,000 --> 01:04:24,120 Speaker 1: that technology has become so ubiquitous in our life is 1225 01:04:24,200 --> 01:04:27,200 Speaker 1: so entangled with the grieving process and the process of 1226 01:04:27,280 --> 01:04:30,880 Speaker 1: moving on from a loss in a way that I 1227 01:04:30,880 --> 01:04:33,680 Speaker 1: don't think anybody really expected it would certainly not me, 1228 01:04:34,560 --> 01:04:37,640 Speaker 1: And I really see this as a film about the 1229 01:04:37,880 --> 01:04:44,440 Speaker 1: dangers of seeing technology as a viable replacement not just 1230 01:04:44,480 --> 01:04:48,600 Speaker 1: for their mom, but the emotional work of processing the 1231 01:04:48,680 --> 01:04:52,120 Speaker 1: loss of your parent. You know this kid is this 1232 01:04:52,200 --> 01:04:54,960 Speaker 1: kid needs to be in therapy again. Fucking neglectful ass 1233 01:04:54,960 --> 01:04:57,080 Speaker 1: father has not gotten this kid the help that he needs. 1234 01:04:57,760 --> 01:05:00,840 Speaker 3: Should probably have his kids taken away. But the role 1235 01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:03,040 Speaker 3: of pat he is sort. 1236 01:05:02,800 --> 01:05:06,440 Speaker 1: Of using that as an ability to not deal with 1237 01:05:06,480 --> 01:05:08,920 Speaker 1: the past and also in some ways stay stuck in 1238 01:05:08,960 --> 01:05:12,280 Speaker 1: the past. He's not ready for a future where somebody 1239 01:05:12,360 --> 01:05:16,440 Speaker 1: like Sarah moves in and changes everything because he hasn't 1240 01:05:16,480 --> 01:05:21,440 Speaker 1: processed it. And I think that technology does present this 1241 01:05:21,560 --> 01:05:26,440 Speaker 1: world where you can sort of shortcut grief. But let 1242 01:05:26,440 --> 01:05:29,000 Speaker 1: me tell you, ain't no shortcut in grief. You've got 1243 01:05:29,000 --> 01:05:31,160 Speaker 1: to go through it. You gotta deal with it. It sucks, 1244 01:05:31,240 --> 01:05:34,440 Speaker 1: It takes forever, and maybe maybe you never like that's 1245 01:05:34,600 --> 01:05:36,840 Speaker 1: that's the trip. That is the trip of being a human, 1246 01:05:37,040 --> 01:05:39,720 Speaker 1: is that we have to We have to lose each 1247 01:05:39,760 --> 01:05:41,960 Speaker 1: other and watch each other die and deal with it 1248 01:05:42,040 --> 01:05:45,400 Speaker 1: and keep living and figure out what's next. And like technology, 1249 01:05:45,440 --> 01:05:47,360 Speaker 1: you might make us think that we can use it 1250 01:05:47,400 --> 01:05:50,480 Speaker 1: to shortcut that, but that's what makes us human and 1251 01:05:50,520 --> 01:05:53,160 Speaker 1: we can't shortcut it, and I think this movie is 1252 01:05:53,240 --> 01:05:56,479 Speaker 1: really about sitting with that again, it was a much 1253 01:05:56,600 --> 01:05:59,960 Speaker 1: deeper There's a lot, a lot of deeper, more complex 1254 01:06:00,040 --> 01:06:04,320 Speaker 1: stuff going on in Disney's nineteen ninety nine original. 1255 01:06:03,920 --> 01:06:07,920 Speaker 3: Movie Smart House. Then I initially thought. 1256 01:06:08,400 --> 01:06:12,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, I have one question I have to ask. 1257 01:06:12,040 --> 01:06:16,400 Speaker 2: You know, in this movie, Ben is a child. You know, 1258 01:06:16,440 --> 01:06:21,400 Speaker 2: He's dealing with grief as best he can, and he, 1259 01:06:21,800 --> 01:06:24,040 Speaker 2: like you said, he does not want to move on. 1260 01:06:24,200 --> 01:06:27,120 Speaker 2: He wants to stay in the past with his mom, 1261 01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:33,400 Speaker 2: and using his child like understanding of the world, he 1262 01:06:33,480 --> 01:06:35,520 Speaker 2: thinks the way to do that is to get pat 1263 01:06:35,840 --> 01:06:40,320 Speaker 2: to replace the domestic labor roles of his mom so 1264 01:06:40,360 --> 01:06:44,120 Speaker 2: that they can stay frozen in time. And we've talked 1265 01:06:44,200 --> 01:06:47,880 Speaker 2: about all a lot about that. A couple weeks ago, 1266 01:06:48,680 --> 01:06:51,960 Speaker 2: we ran an episode from ted Tech. You know, we 1267 01:06:52,000 --> 01:06:54,640 Speaker 2: did a feed drop of a woman who had she 1268 01:06:54,720 --> 01:06:58,360 Speaker 2: had a bunch of audio tapes and writing from her 1269 01:06:58,440 --> 01:07:01,120 Speaker 2: late father, and she uploaded them to train a chatbot 1270 01:07:01,240 --> 01:07:04,080 Speaker 2: to be able to speak like her father, and then 1271 01:07:04,080 --> 01:07:07,760 Speaker 2: she talked with it and maybe it was her grandfather. 1272 01:07:08,240 --> 01:07:09,520 Speaker 3: It was her grandfather. Yeah. 1273 01:07:09,600 --> 01:07:12,280 Speaker 1: Her name is Amy Kurzweil, and She wrote a book 1274 01:07:12,320 --> 01:07:15,800 Speaker 1: called Artificial about this experience of building this tech bot 1275 01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:18,640 Speaker 1: what she described beautifully on the Ted Tech episode. 1276 01:07:18,720 --> 01:07:23,880 Speaker 2: Yeah ran that. Yeah, it was a beautiful episode. Uh, provocative, 1277 01:07:24,360 --> 01:07:27,080 Speaker 2: And so I'm just curious, you know, have you thought 1278 01:07:27,080 --> 01:07:30,320 Speaker 2: about or what would you think about, you know, that 1279 01:07:30,400 --> 01:07:34,640 Speaker 2: sort of application for yourself where you know, you're not 1280 01:07:34,760 --> 01:07:40,080 Speaker 2: trying to get a cartoon like robot house with inspector 1281 01:07:40,120 --> 01:07:44,720 Speaker 2: gadget arms to replace the functional stuff your parents did, 1282 01:07:45,400 --> 01:07:51,520 Speaker 2: but I don't know, not place the emotional connection, of course, 1283 01:07:51,680 --> 01:07:55,600 Speaker 2: but facilitate the processing in some kind of positive way, 1284 01:07:56,520 --> 01:07:58,440 Speaker 2: like like she found. 1285 01:07:58,160 --> 01:07:59,960 Speaker 1: It's funny that you asked that because in the movie, 1286 01:08:00,760 --> 01:08:05,160 Speaker 1: the kid is feels this solo burden to keep the 1287 01:08:05,200 --> 01:08:07,320 Speaker 1: memory of his mom alive, and he feels like his 1288 01:08:07,320 --> 01:08:09,400 Speaker 1: little sister was too young. His dad is dating, so 1289 01:08:09,440 --> 01:08:12,160 Speaker 1: obviously he has forgotten her, and he feels he's the 1290 01:08:12,160 --> 01:08:15,600 Speaker 1: only person who's remembering how special she was. 1291 01:08:15,680 --> 01:08:17,840 Speaker 3: And I've been feeling the same way. 1292 01:08:17,920 --> 01:08:22,479 Speaker 1: And how I've been navigating that is anytime I remember 1293 01:08:23,520 --> 01:08:26,280 Speaker 1: anything about my parents, I need a little detail. I 1294 01:08:26,840 --> 01:08:29,240 Speaker 1: have a notes app on my use the notes app 1295 01:08:29,280 --> 01:08:31,479 Speaker 1: on my phone, and I write it down because I'm 1296 01:08:31,600 --> 01:08:33,760 Speaker 1: terrified I'm going to forget it, and if I forget it, 1297 01:08:33,840 --> 01:08:37,120 Speaker 1: then nobody remembers it, right, And it's like, and I 1298 01:08:37,200 --> 01:08:39,880 Speaker 1: did have this thought of like, wouldn't it be great 1299 01:08:40,040 --> 01:08:43,120 Speaker 1: if there was some AI use case that would allow 1300 01:08:43,240 --> 01:08:48,599 Speaker 1: me to experience that, like, you know, not recreate my parents, 1301 01:08:48,640 --> 01:08:56,960 Speaker 1: because nobody could recreate those fucking people, but I would 1302 01:08:57,160 --> 01:09:02,960 Speaker 1: like a technological when of experiencing these memories in a 1303 01:09:03,000 --> 01:09:05,880 Speaker 1: way that's not just a notes app list on my phone, of. 1304 01:09:05,840 --> 01:09:07,680 Speaker 3: Really making them more real for me. 1305 01:09:08,520 --> 01:09:11,320 Speaker 1: And they're so real and vivid in my mind, but 1306 01:09:11,880 --> 01:09:15,439 Speaker 1: I am terrified that I will lose that. And not 1307 01:09:15,560 --> 01:09:19,320 Speaker 1: to be TMI, but you know, my dad had dementia 1308 01:09:20,240 --> 01:09:24,840 Speaker 1: before his death. His mom had both dementia and Alzheimer's, 1309 01:09:25,000 --> 01:09:27,559 Speaker 1: and I'm pretty sure that's what's on the menu for me. 1310 01:09:27,960 --> 01:09:30,240 Speaker 3: And I think that I. 1311 01:09:30,240 --> 01:09:37,080 Speaker 1: Have this real fear of losing the ability to remember 1312 01:09:37,120 --> 01:09:40,479 Speaker 1: these things and them being lost forever. And I do 1313 01:09:40,520 --> 01:09:45,280 Speaker 1: think there might be an interesting technology use case there 1314 01:09:45,800 --> 01:09:48,280 Speaker 1: of something that would allow these memories to live on, 1315 01:09:49,080 --> 01:09:51,840 Speaker 1: not just for me, but like my kids, my grandkids, 1316 01:09:54,200 --> 01:09:57,840 Speaker 1: to experience them in ways that go beyond just a 1317 01:09:57,840 --> 01:10:02,160 Speaker 1: little tab on my notes app So the book Artificial, 1318 01:10:02,400 --> 01:10:07,320 Speaker 1: where Amy Kersweil builds a chatbot of her late grandfather, 1319 01:10:08,720 --> 01:10:12,360 Speaker 1: it really struck home with me because, you know, she 1320 01:10:12,479 --> 01:10:17,519 Speaker 1: describes it as less bringing her grandfather's memory and legacy 1321 01:10:17,600 --> 01:10:22,360 Speaker 1: into the future and more her experiencing the past of 1322 01:10:22,400 --> 01:10:24,920 Speaker 1: her grandfather. So she thought she was going to be 1323 01:10:24,960 --> 01:10:27,800 Speaker 1: sort of like able to ask her grandfather, like her 1324 01:10:27,800 --> 01:10:31,080 Speaker 1: grandfather chatbot, hey give me advice for the situation that 1325 01:10:31,080 --> 01:10:34,200 Speaker 1: I'm dealing with right now. But really it was like, granddaughter, 1326 01:10:34,320 --> 01:10:37,760 Speaker 1: let me show you what my life was like. And 1327 01:10:37,400 --> 01:10:40,479 Speaker 1: I think there really is something to that. So even 1328 01:10:40,560 --> 01:10:45,080 Speaker 1: though I think smart House demonstrates a negative fantasy for 1329 01:10:45,120 --> 01:10:49,480 Speaker 1: what happens when you use technology to try to circumvent 1330 01:10:49,520 --> 01:10:53,960 Speaker 1: the grieving process, there are use cases with technology and 1331 01:10:54,000 --> 01:10:58,640 Speaker 1: AI in particular that I think might be useful to 1332 01:10:59,520 --> 01:11:03,320 Speaker 1: help navigate grief, not in a replacement sense, but in 1333 01:11:03,360 --> 01:11:06,599 Speaker 1: a sense it just like brings you, like, helps you remember, 1334 01:11:06,640 --> 01:11:09,120 Speaker 1: and brings you there. Because that's what I'm really craving 1335 01:11:09,240 --> 01:11:12,799 Speaker 1: is like I wish I could just experience my dad 1336 01:11:14,120 --> 01:11:16,559 Speaker 1: saying one of these little inside jokes that we had 1337 01:11:16,680 --> 01:11:18,880 Speaker 1: just one more time, right, and like if there's a 1338 01:11:18,920 --> 01:11:22,080 Speaker 1: technological way to make me feel like I have done that. 1339 01:11:22,160 --> 01:11:25,479 Speaker 2: I would like that it does. Yeah, it's interesting. Thank 1340 01:11:25,520 --> 01:11:26,320 Speaker 2: you for sharing all that. 1341 01:11:26,880 --> 01:11:32,280 Speaker 1: And I mean, who knew that this Disney original teen 1342 01:11:32,400 --> 01:11:36,280 Speaker 1: movie would be inviting me to think about these things, 1343 01:11:36,320 --> 01:11:38,280 Speaker 1: inviting us to think about, well, what is the role 1344 01:11:38,320 --> 01:11:41,120 Speaker 1: that technology might play in a greeting process that is 1345 01:11:41,240 --> 01:11:45,920 Speaker 1: healthier than having a fifties housewife pologram trying to kill 1346 01:11:45,960 --> 01:11:47,080 Speaker 1: your guests in your home. 1347 01:11:48,760 --> 01:11:52,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, the way the movie did it, clearly that's not 1348 01:11:52,880 --> 01:11:59,559 Speaker 2: the answer. Murderous robot moms. That's not what we're looking for. 1349 01:12:00,000 --> 01:12:01,200 Speaker 2: So at least we know that now. 1350 01:12:01,240 --> 01:12:05,720 Speaker 1: Murdermous robot moms are never the answer people. So that 1351 01:12:05,880 --> 01:12:08,639 Speaker 1: was our take on the nineteen ninety nine Disney movie 1352 01:12:08,800 --> 01:12:12,000 Speaker 1: Smart House. As I said, if you want more of 1353 01:12:12,040 --> 01:12:16,840 Speaker 1: this kind of tech movie podcast coverage, let us know. 1354 01:12:16,920 --> 01:12:19,920 Speaker 1: I find it a delight to make. And especially if 1355 01:12:19,960 --> 01:12:22,080 Speaker 1: you have a suggestion for a movie, let us know 1356 01:12:22,120 --> 01:12:25,559 Speaker 1: that too. And truly, if you are like keep your 1357 01:12:25,640 --> 01:12:28,920 Speaker 1: movie recaps to yourself, lady, that is fine too. 1358 01:12:29,000 --> 01:12:31,639 Speaker 3: You can let me know. Keep leaving those comments. I'm 1359 01:12:31,640 --> 01:12:33,080 Speaker 3: loving them. Thanks for listening. 1360 01:12:37,760 --> 01:12:39,760 Speaker 1: Got a story about an interesting thing in tech, or 1361 01:12:39,880 --> 01:12:41,720 Speaker 1: just want to say hi. You can reach us at 1362 01:12:41,760 --> 01:12:44,479 Speaker 1: Hello at tengody dot com. You can also find transcripts 1363 01:12:44,479 --> 01:12:46,920 Speaker 1: for today's episode at tengody dot com. There Are No 1364 01:12:47,000 --> 01:12:49,599 Speaker 1: Girls on the Internet was created by me Brigittad. It's 1365 01:12:49,640 --> 01:12:52,960 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio, an unbossed creative Jonathan Strickland as 1366 01:12:52,960 --> 01:12:56,439 Speaker 1: our executive producer. Tari Harrison is our producer and sound engineer. 1367 01:12:56,800 --> 01:12:59,960 Speaker 1: Michael Almato is our contributing producer. I'm your host, bridget Toad. 1368 01:13:00,960 --> 01:13:02,639 Speaker 1: If you want to help us grow, rate and review 1369 01:13:02,720 --> 01:13:06,280 Speaker 1: us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, check 1370 01:13:06,320 --> 01:13:08,680 Speaker 1: out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 1371 01:13:08,680 --> 01:13:09,440 Speaker 1: your podcasts.