‹ back to all Critics

To Be or Not to Be Human?

Alberto Zanchetta

Marotta & Russo: Are You Human?

If technology is planned to be as similar as possible to men, why is it still not able to recognize who we are or to understand who they are? "Are you Human?", with this simple identification test (more sophistic than sophisticated) the destinies of machines and  humanity emphasize their differences. The phrase, illuminated by a tubular neon, materializes itself into a lettering with an adamantine geometry, algid and metallic, like the voice that resounds from the iMacs. One more question: "Maybe?" which is obsessively repeated, like an aching litany. The interrogative forms afflict the machines, which are longing to know, to apprehend; but since reality is not binary, nor is life, the silicon of computers seems to be wanting to develop a consciousness in itself that could be able to elaborate a system - sentient! - of ideas and behaviors. So, are we going to evolve towards a technocratic society, which will equalize all differences between man and machine? Are we going, in the end, to humanize machines while we will be more similar to machines? From now on everything will be disputed on reaction times to questions…