Sundance Documentary 'The AI Doc' Navigates the Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence
A compelling new documentary premiering at the Sundance film festival, titled The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, delves deeply into the complex world of artificial intelligence through a lens of personal anxiety and expert analysis. Co-directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, with production by Daniel Kwan of The Daniels, this film poses critical questions about whether AI represents an existential threat or an epochal opportunity for humanity.
Personal Anxiety Meets Global Concerns
The documentary originates from Roher's own mounting fears about AI, which intensified after he and his wife, fellow film-maker Caroline Lindy, discovered they were expecting their first child. Roher expresses in the film that it felt as though the whole world was rushing into something without thinking, blending his excitement for parenthood with dread over the unknown variable of AI. This personal journey drives the narrative, as Roher seeks to answer whether it is safe to bring a child into a world increasingly shaped by rapidly advancing technology.
Expert Insights from Both Sides of the Debate
The film convenes a series of leading AI experts, critics, and entrepreneurs to explore the mechanics and implications of the technology. On one side, doomerists warn of catastrophic risks. Figures such as Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, and Eli Yudkowsky, an AI alignment pioneer, caution that humans could easily lose control of super-intelligent AI models, with Yudkowsky's book bluntly titled If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. Harris even notes that some in the AI risk community don't expect their child to make it to high school, a line that drew gasps from preview audiences.
Conversely, optimistic voices like Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, and Guillaume Verdon, a leader in the effective accelerationism movement, argue that AI could solve pressing global issues such as cancer, food shortages, and climate change. They envision a future of glorious transformation, where AI acts as a cure for humanity's most intractable problems.
The Physical and Social Impacts of AI Development
Beyond theoretical debates, the documentary connects AI to tangible real-world effects. Critics like journalist Karen Hao and podcast host Liv Boeree highlight concerns such as data centers consuming vast amounts of water and energy in the American west, leading to drained reservoirs and high electricity bills. Computational linguistics professor Emily M Bender adds that current AI narratives often exclude and dehumanize the people already impacted by the technology, underscoring the need for a more inclusive discussion.
Interviews with AI Industry Leaders
Roher also engages with key figures driving the AI arms race, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of xAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Demis Hassabis of DeepMind, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta. Altman, who was expecting his first child during the interview, insists he is not scared for a kid to grow up in a world with AI, though he acknowledges that AI may surpass human intelligence, which does unsettle me a little bit. He emphasises OpenAI's focus on safety testing, but admits it is impossible to guarantee everything will be okay.
Finding a Path Forward: The Apocaloptimist Perspective
Ultimately, The AI Doc lands in a middle ground, termed apocaloptimism, which seeks a balance between the promise and peril of AI. The film advocates for significant international coordination, similar to historical frameworks for atomic weapons, along with corporate transparency, independent regulation, legal liability for AI products, and mandatory disclosure of generative AI use in media. As Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei succinctly puts it, This train isn't going to stop, highlighting the irreversible integration of AI into society.
The documentary, screening at Sundance and set for release on 27 March, serves as a timely exploration of how humanity might navigate the uncharted territory of artificial intelligence, urging viewers to consider both the risks and rewards in this rapidly evolving landscape.
