Will AI be the final arbiter of human existence? Karney Hatch’s The Human Equation wonders what the end will look like. Dr. Lacan (Rowan Polonski) lives in a world where humanity has lost all control. An artificial superintelligence (ASI) has seized every nuclear arsenal, and thanks to advances in fertility science, it has decided that, for the most part, men aren’t needed anymore. Its math is simple: men bring high aggression and low empathy, while women bring low aggression and high empathy. For the sake of human stability, the male half of the species is scheduled to be either fixed or eliminated. The plan is a world of women and “feminized” men.
That brings Lacan face-to-face with the ASI as an android (Cassie Clare). He wasn’t picked at random. The machine chose him for his track record of selling and administering immunization protocols to the public. Now it has an offer: he can be the last man unchanged. All he has to do is say “yes.” But is a seat at the end of the world worth the price of signing off on it?
The Android stands in a padded room in The Human Equation.
“An artificial superintelligence…has decided that, for the most part, men aren’t needed anymore.”
The Human Equation is a chilling two-hander. Shooting in a single room with two actors, filmmaker Karney Hatch explores a simple question: what would happen to this world and society if you removed all men…primarily the aggressive/problematic ones? The moral and philosophical debate is conducted by the very human Dr. Lacan and a binary AI, who has already decided on the answer. The two go at it, discussing how final judgment is handed out, its effects on society, and ultimately what it means to be human, both male and female.
For a film shot in a single room, Hatch sets the perfect visual style. Nothing looks cheap, even though it’s a room with very few props, and the costumes don’t feel too far off. Clearly, nothing was shot on an iPhone. It’s got the look of film, which is perfect. This looks like the future.
If you’re like me and enjoy thought experiments, Karney Hatch’s The Human Equation will satisfy your urge to embark on an extended journey into the human soul.
For screening information, visit the The Human Equation official website.
"…Will AI be the final arbiter of human existence?"
