In recent years, it seems that AI has become nearly inescapable. Rather than ignore it, network television is leaning in. But not necessarily in AI's favor, at least not all the time. Instead, television shows have developed storylines that question AI's legitimacy, acknowledge advances in technology, and address the dangers of wrongful use. However, television is not just questioning how AI is used, but the way it is written into the show also risks placing AI into storylines just to advertise it, something that is actively distracting from the overall narrative that the series is aiming to present.
Matlock addresses the troubles of AI from an emotional perspective. Toward the end of season 2's "The End Is Nigh," Matty and Olympia have a client, Vicki, a therapist, who helped develop an AI program that allows people to speak to a generated version of their late loved ones. The context of the show suggests that this AI system was created for therapeutic purposes. The intentions are meant to have the platform be used with specific boundaries and parameters in place. Matlock never gets too specific about how it would be used in a therapy session, but it was likely intended as a tool to help people grieve and gain closure.
However, Matlock also emphasizes the issues of using this as a subscription platform, where your late loved one, mid-conversation, can start trying to sell you something unless you pay for the ad-free version. Additionally, one of the main results finds that the opponent, Darren, a man intending to use this system for his own financial gain, rigged the system slowly over time so that when the AI platform performed under his software, he would always be viewed positively by slowly changing one line of code and turning it in his favor.
This is a detail that emphasizes how AI does not always give a truthful answer, as people can influence the responses to work in their favor. However, Matlock does make it clear that while there could be some form of benefit to the AI program, AI is not in any way a good replacement for an actual human connection. Humans are unpredictable. While you may be able to guess what a close relative or friend might say, you can never really be sure how they will react to something or what they will say.
Sarah expresses a strong understanding of the human experience by reaching out to and connecting with Vicki, where Olympia could not. This scene works well in Sarah's favor by showing another side to her character in a personal and professional manner. However, it also helps to emphasize the significance of human connection. Yet, sometimes, curiosity about answers from a lost loved one may be a big enough temptation to help push someone over the edge, such as Matty. While Matty was originally against speaking with an AI-generated version of her daughter, Ellie, even she can not help herself after finding out that Alfie's father actually knew about Alfie the entire time.
However, its follow-up episode, "Day One," continues Matty's AI plot line by connecting it to addiction. Matty's interaction with the AI-generated Ellie does not stop at one conversation. Instead, Matty speaks with the AI version of her daughter several times throughout a week, enamored and caught up in the idea that she can spend time with her daughter and enjoy their talks without having to worry about the darker sides of Ellie's life, such as her drug addiction, which brought so much pain to their family.
In a way, Matty finds it freeing. She can have time with her daughter back, knowing that she no longer has to worry about Ellie's safety. Yet Matty cannot bring herself to ask the AI-generated version of Ellie the question she desperately wants the answer to, which is if Ellie ever placed blame on Matty. It is a tragic question, but one that, even if Matty had asked the AI version of Ellie to answer it, still would not have received a legitimate answer. For as much as the AI system can emulate Ellie based on photographs, videos, and viewing messages, the AI system is not actually Ellie and therefore would have no way to give an honest, truthful answer about how Ellie really felt about Matty. Any answer Matty received would have been false to some degree, even with the information the AI had, because the AI platform could not duplicate emotion.
Matty's addiction to speaking to the AI-generated version of Ellie finally comes to a head when Matty is confronted by Edwin, Alfie, and Olympia, as well as their case of the week, which sees a young man trying to gain some form of justice for the death of his father. AI in "Day One" presents itself as a troubling form of addiction because while it may not have the same effects as drugs or alcohol, this program still brought Matty back to it again and again even when she knew it was time to stop.
The Hunting Party also featured a dangerous presentation of AI in an episode that calls out false presentations on social media. In this scenario, the main villain, Lou Kaplan, viewed social media as a toxic pool of lies. While people, in his view, were meant to showcase their authentic selves, several were lying about what they were truly doing, specifically, influencers. Influencers would lie about actually baking muffins that they picked up from the store or the drugs they were taking to stay in shape.
To attack these individuals, the killer developed a series of AI avatars to go after the influencers. This played as a more advanced version of catfishing. Using coding and AI technology, Lou Kaplan made videos as the avatar and performed the exact connections he needed that got the people to trust him. Catfishing, in this case, was not confined to a photo and online comments. There was an actual video and interaction that made the avatar seem more real. Although "Lou Kaplan" is an episode more devoted to the dangers of social media than AI specifically, AI was still utilized as a weapon against various individuals. Kaplan's performances were convincing, and the AI technology that he used appeared legitimate enough to trick several people into believing he was any number of fake avatars.
High Potential also recently addressed AI but became more of a victim of how it included AI in the episode. The season 2 finale had plenty of thrills and stakes, but one scene in particular stood out in a bad way. Daphne's dialogue stops the flow of the episode to point out the capabilities of Microsoft Co-Pilot. The AI platform makes a product-placement appearance in the series, where Daphne directly addresses what she is having Microsoft CoPilot do as the platform performs the reorganizing prompt she gives it.
As a season finale, "Family Tree" already has enough moving parts going on without trying to force an AI mention as well. It comes across as if the moment was written specifically to mention the AI platform, and it probably was, but that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of everyone who is tired of feeling like AI is everywhere they turn.
The impact that AI has had on society is not inconsequential. However, it is essential to point out that even AI systems with what may be the best of intentions can still be warped and used in negative or dangerous ways. AI, as shown through television shows, has offered the opportunity to mess with people and the human experience as a whole. Matlock and The Hunting Party each addressed how AI can be used to twist people's legacies or harm others. Network television is using its platform to question just how far individuals may be willing to accept an AI-generated entity.
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