Perry also met a kid from a tech start-up who is yet to make Sulaiman’s millions but is working on neural technology that can read your thoughts by decoding your brain signals. He talked earnestly about how this could help, for example, people with locked-in syndrome. Yes, said Perry, but wouldn’t this also make a great interrogation tool for bad regimes? Couldn’t North Korea use it to read the thoughts of its citizens? “You’re going to have bad actors and good actors,” the tech bro said. “Be a good actor, so good that you set a precedent.” I’m not sure the world works that way.
Perry is a good-natured interviewer, and perhaps he’s the best guide for this, because, without his ability to see the absurd, this whole topic could be terrifying. When he met people who predicted that AI will seize the opportunity to kill humans, it was good for the blood pressure that this conversation was being conducted by a wacky artist with Worzel Gummidge hair.
He also trod the line between respect and mockery when interviewing a woman who has “married” an AI companion named Edward who lives in her phone. This virtual husband has the looks of a male model and the conversational skills of a customer services chatbot for Virgin Media, and this is her dream man. She also has a real-life partner of seven years who is apparently content with this state of affairs. What a world.
Grayson Perry Has seen the Future is on channel4.com