(I don't know why it's not letting me double space my essay but I promise it is!!)
Sarah Luke
Professor Harper
Human and Post-Human
28 November 2022
The Maltreatment of Post-Human Beings
As robots and similar engineered entities develop in an era of technological advancements, they begin to embody humanistic qualities and behaviors, such as the ability to express emotions. A technological entity’s embodiment of humanlike characteristics decenters the perception of being a human as their emotional capacity, specifically being able to feel pain and experience trauma, parallels that of a “normal human,” ultimately posing the question of whether they should be treated with the same respect as their creators. In Ida Marie Olsen’s essay, “Do Androids Have Nightmares About Electric Sheep? Science Fiction Portrayals of Trauma Manifestations in the Posthuman Subject in Frankenstein, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and ‘Nine Lives,’” the idea that posthuman subjects, or superior technological beings that combines human physical features and advanced intellect with scientific manipulation, are humanized as they experience psychological trauma is presented through the deconstruction of anthropocentric perspectives. Additionally, in Katherine Hayles’ monograph, How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics, a being’s ability to develop a consciousness and undergo a series of emotions brings them to the same defining standard of a human, further blurring the line between what can be considered a human or posthuman. However, a technological entity’s ability to express emotions in a humanlike manner does not equate them to the standard of a human, as their maltreatment by their creators reflects the anthropocentric view of society. For example, in Alex Garland’s film, Ex Machina, a billionaire, Nathan, creates an advanced being, Ava, and recruits a human employee, Caleb, to test the consciousness and emotional capacity of the robot. Ava’s ability to experience trauma is evident as she undergoes severe psychological torment under the control of Nathan, further demonstrating the similarities between a human and a posthuman’s emotional capacity. As she continues to be held captive by her creator, the abuse she endures intensifies, ultimately creating an emotional response toward her suffering. The justification for her maltreatment in the film and the sympathy she receives from Caleb brings up the question of whether Ava, a posthuman being, should be treated as a human rather than as a technological commodity. In the film Ex Machina, directed by Alex Garland, the existence of Ava, a post-human subject, and her ability to experience and evoke emotions destabilizes the boundary between a person and a robot and highlights the ethical concerns regarding the maltreatment of manufactured beings.
Ava’s ability to experience trauma humanizes her, especially while she is under the control of Nathan. The defining factor of being a human is often related to having an emotional capacity, specifically feelings of pain and suffering. The notion that expressing emotions define the idea of a human is argued in Ida Marie Olsen’s essay, as she mentions that “robots and computers are now functioning with such complexity and sophistication that they are close to replicating human characteristics and abilities”, essentially humanizing them (Olsen 102). The development of technologically enhanced entities with human-like emotional capacities destabilizes the concept of what can be considered human Further, the distinction between people and posthumans becomes non-existent. In Ex Machina, Ava’s ability to experience pain through her understanding of her status as a prisoner humanizes her, even though she is a robot. Nathan, her creator, acknowledges that she can experience a variety of emotions yet continues to treat her as an experiment, confining her to a solitary environment. Nathan’s true test was to see if she could manipulate the standard human qualities of “self-awareness, imagination, […], sexuality, and empathy” to escape the compound, further portraying her as an experimental project rather than a human (Nathan 1:25:06). The combination of Nathan’s awareness of Ava’s human-like emotional capacity and her isolation in an experimental environment poses ethical concerns as a being with the ability to experience suffering and pain is imprisoned. Ava’s captivity highlights the maltreatment of man-made entities and how creators often disregard the true feelings of their “products” to further their personal endeavors. Nathan’s manipulation of her emotions makes her hyperaware of the state she is being held in, thus allowing her to develop feelings of desperation and pain. Additionally, Nathan’s sexualization of Ava creates a power imbalance in which she is simply an object that can be used to please the needs of humans, essentially dehumanizing and objectifying her. Nathan “designs Ava’s face based on [Caleb’s] pornography profile” as a way to create a sexual relationship between the two (Caleb 1:25:49). Since Ava’s existence is based on a sexualized figure, her status as an objectified being is further emphasized as she is a direct representation of a human’s desire. The commodification of a conscious, female figure in the film adds to the traumatic experiences Ava endures. The lack of respect she receives from her creator and the sexualization of her identity lowers her position within the social hierarchy and dehumanizes her. Rather than being treated as a functional person, she is instead objectified and developed because of sexual pleasures. The ethical concerns regarding the dehumanizing treatment of Ava further challenge the defining factors of being a human as her ability to experience pain parallels a human’s response to trauma.
The maltreatment of Ava evokes sympathetic emotions as her humanistic qualities overshadow her identity as a robot, making it seem as though a true human was hurt in the process of scientific advancements. Caleb’s desire to help Ava escape the compound is fueled by his sympathetic reaction to her living condition, making it adamant that he “will get [them] out of [the compound] tonight […by] reprogramming all the security protocols” (Caleb 1:16:37-1:16:46). The emotional response she receives from Caleb humanizes her and creates the idea that she is deserving of empathy and care. The idea that artificial intelligence can develop self-awareness and feelings humanizes them, thus developing an empathetic response between a human and a “non-human”. Ava’s ability to express her emotions through verbal and nonverbal communication allows the audience and Caleb to develop a sense of sympathy towards her, as her living situation is far from ideal and her creator continuously abuses and neglects her. Katherine Hayles mentions that “machines can become the repository of human consciousness [… and] for all practical purposes, [can] become human beings (Hayles XII), insinuating that a posthuman being has the capacity to act as a human, allowing them to relate to people around them on an emotional level. Ava’s awareness of her consciousness allowed her to develop a connection with her human counterpart, Caleb, creating a “trauma bond” between the two, something generally described as a human ability. Caleb’s sympathetic behavior towards Ava stems from his ability to share the pain of experiencing a traumatic event. During a routine conversation with Ava, Caleb expresses that “both of [his] parents are dead [due to a] car crash when [he] was fifteen,” a monumental and tragic moment in his life (Caleb 29:09). Caleb’s ability to relate to the pain and isolation Ava feels while being imprisoned under Nathan forms a human-to-human relationship, rather than a human-to-robot connection. The abuse Ava endured makes her human counterparts sympathize with her, essentially humanizing her. Caleb’s emotional connection with her emphasizes how badly she was treated in the past. Nathan’s mistreatment of his “creation” is similar to that of human abuse, despite her mechanical form. The sympathetic response Ava receives in turn characterizes her as a woman who has endured an immense amount of trauma, rather than a robot that needs to be advanced.
Ava’s existence as a conscious being disrupts the defining factors of a human, specifically through her ability to emote and evoke sentimental feelings from others. Despite her ability to undergo various emotions, the abusive treatment she endures from her creator, Nathan, poses severe ethical concerns, as a mentally aware being is a victim of captivity. The humanizing factors that characterize Ava, such as her ability to experience trauma, contrast with her dehumanizing treatment by her human creator, ultimately questioning the general treatment of all conscious, technological entities. As manufactured beings develop a consciousness and an emotional capacity that parallels that of humans, the treatment they receive from their creators and society as a whole should match that of their human counterparts.
Works Cited
Ex Machina. Directed by Alex Garland, Universal Pictures, 2014.
Hayles, Katherine. “Toward Embodied Virtuality.” How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies
in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics (1999): Pages 16-39. Print.
Olsen, Ida Marie. “Do Androids Have Nightmares About Electric Sheep? Science Fiction
Portrayals of Trauma Manifestations in the Posthuman Subject in Frankenstein, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and ‘Nine Lives’.” New Horizons in English
Studies. 2018, pp. 100-111