Humans or Replicants?

I've always heard great things about Blade Runner (1982), but never realized that its plot revolved around artificial intelligence and especially did not realize how relevant it is to the conversation. More interestingly, the film is set in 2019. I think it is funny how so many films of the past expected our world today to be so much more technologically advanced than we are, another example being Back to the Future Part II (1989), which was set in 2015. While there is still time, meaning we have not made it to 2019 yet, I highly doubt that we will have artificial intelligence as depicted in Blade Runner, just as today's hover boards and flying cars are not near the level of Back to the Future's. Despite the fact that these films underestimated the amount of time it would take for us to make these technological advances, today's world is just as excitingly and disturbingly technological. Moving on, I feel that Blade Runner introduces several interesting points throughout its dialogue, especially one scene between Dr. Eldon Tyrell and his self-proclaimed "prodigal son" Roy Batty. Roy is an AI, or a "replicant" as they refer to them in the film. Dr. Tyrell created Roy and he turned out to be perhaps the most intelligent of all the "replicants". In the scene, Dr. Tyrell is explaining to Roy why he can not extend his lifespan and the dialogue is interesting to say the least. Tyrell tells Roy that he (Roy) was "made as well as we could make you". This touches on my favorite argument regarding artificial intelligence, being that AI is man made and therefore can not ever reach the point of having the whole human package, so to speak. Being man made, the technology relies on algorithms and equations in order to 'think' or calculate, as I would rather refer to it. In my opinion, this is why AI will not ever have the whole human package of emotions, feelings, impulse, distinct mannerisms, and unpredictability. How Roy responds to Dr. Tyrell furthers the conversation:

"You were made as well as we could make you." - Dr. Tyrell 

"But not to last." - Roy 

"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy. Look at you: you are the prodigal son; you are quite a prize!" - Dr. Tyrell

"I have done questionable things." - Roy 

"Also extraordinary things; revel in your time." - Dr. Tyrell 

"Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for." - Roy 

While this is probably one of the most famous scenes of the film (because the dialogue is so amazing), it stirred some fairly deep thoughts in my mind regarding artificial intelligence. First, being the fact that Roy understands that he has done questionable things - Roy has a conscious, in other words. He can comprehend morality, not just in the philosophical sense but in the sense that he might feel bad about these things. At least in that moment. Secondly, Roy recognizes Dr. Tyrell's compliment, but more importantly recognizes the fact that he has not been 'good' enough for his creator - the "god of biomechanics". He is attempting to find a way to expand his life past the four years he has been granted and even though he is Tyrell's greatest creation, he still can not be granted the opportunity to live longer than the other replicants. Third, the dialogue taken from this scene can be applied to human lives, in terms that humans have the ability to do extraordinary things and we too only have a limited amount of time in this world.

That third and most important thought, I think, struck me hard because it makes me think of humans in terms of being artificial intelligence. Are we not the same thing? We were created, had to be, by something or somebody (depending on your beliefs) and are only given one life to do as we wish. We expect each other to have a moral conscious, so why should we not one day be expected to have a moral conscious when it comes to AI?

While Blade Runner shed some more light for me when it comes to the morality of AI, even to the point of pushing me to feel more compassion towards AI - my mind has not changed. I would not feel a moral obligation to help AI because of the fact that they are made by us and not God, but it does make me wonder why we would even attempt to make something so close to human. Why would we make AI so close to looking like humans? If we kept them looking more like robots, would we not feel as morally obligated to do things for them? It's an interesting thought. SPOILER ALERT: Roy kills Dr. Tyrell at the conclusion of their conversation. May that be our warning?