NOW ON NETFLIX! As the world continues to accept A.I. more and more, and as it becomes an integral part of our daily lives, understanding how AI reflects life offers a new perspective on our existence that has yet to be explored. In Aranya Sahay’s acclaimed film, Humans in the Loop, he highlights the A.I. revolution, bringing a sense of rationality and humanity to this rapidly advancing technological change.
Based on real data center operations occurring in indigenous regions across India, Humans in the Loop follows Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar), an indigenous Adivasi woman, as she returns to her village with her children, Dhaanu (Ridhima Singh), a teenager, and Guntu, a one-year-old toddler, after divorcing her husband. Nehma, needing to support her children, is fortunate to find a job at a data labeling center, where she tags images for algorithms to recognize objects. A typical example of inexpensive labor outsourced to the United States, Nehma quickly learns that A.I. is still in its early stages and is learning like a child to roll over, stand, and walk, much like her own baby Guntu.
However, Nehma’s connection to nature and living close to the earth gives her a very different perspective on how she believes AI should influence real life and humanity, especially regarding how it presents women. Nehma’s challenging life of working and raising children takes a toll on her household and her daughter’s resistance, who wants to stay with her father and his new wife. At one point, Dhaanu decides to take Guntu and run away. A traumatic moment, Nehma must endure, and she does.
“…Nehma quickly learns that A.I. is still in its early stages and is learning like a child to roll over, stand, and walk.”
Nehma is a resilient character in a poverty-driven, caste-based society. However, her deep connection to learning and nature gives her a dignified strength to persevere through her circumstances. Meanwhile, she is working amid one of today’s most significant technological revolutions, which is transforming the world. Although Nehma is laying the foundation for change, her own world remains far from it.
Humans in the Loop is a visually stunning film, particularly in its setting and the development of its story. As an existence and place unknown to many, it is fascinating but surprisingly straightforward. There is a focus on lighting throughout the film, from day to night, as well as the sounds and functions of nature and culture, such as the clicks of a computer mouse in contrast to the sound of wind chimes, rather than on poverty and the constant struggle to survive, even though it is omnipresent.
What is significant about the contrast between living and working within Humans in the Loop is an eye on existence and the creation of a new one in A.I. It may not reflect reality or provide a sense of heritage, which could easily disappear, especially if those responsible for its creation, like Nehma, do not offer a sense of humanity from the start through an acceptable evolution. Time will tell how this progresses. Sahay even acknowledges how these indigenous women in data centers are incredible ladies for keeping the world for A.I. in reality, rather than on a fantasy level.
"…visually stunning..."
