KOCHI: The ever-watching eye. The Big Brother manipulating your decisions and taking your data to push their own agenda is an anxiety not new to anyone. But these anxieties have consolidated with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
Acclaimed graphic novelist, Appupen who is known for his works like Moonward, has attempted to demystify the phenomenon with his latest book Dream Machine: AI and the REAL World (`495, Context). While in France for a comic art residence for seven months, the omnipresence and concerns surrounding AI caught his attention.
“Everybody seemed concerned and what to do about AI. Whether an artist, software engineer, or doctor... everyone wants to know about it. To be honest, I didn’t know much about it before working on this book,” says Appupen, adding, “I’m usually the last guy to jump on board.”
Despite Appupen’s inherent scepticism, he explored the subject further, which is when he met Laurent Daudet, a physics professor at one of Paris’ leading universities.
“We started talking about and the first thing he mentioned was the resources AI takes and if we go on like this, we might just use up all the resources that we have. That was a refreshing take from a tech person. Because usually, tech people say more tech is always the answer to bad tech,” he laughs. “He seemed like someone who thinks a bit like me. So I asked him whether he wanted to make something with me like an explainer to tell people or just demystify AI for people. That was the original idea.”
Dream Machine revolves around Hugo, the founder of an AI startup who is approached by a big corporation to buy his technology for a game. He struggles to make a decision as he hears more about the company and its intentions. The book tries to go beyond the superficial allure of advanced gadgets and self-driving cars as it seeks to peel back the layers of AI, revealing the more critical aspects that are often overshadowed by its more appealing, consumer-friendly features. “It’s the flush end of AI, which is the fun part that you’re deliberately pushing to people. So they are distracted from the real reasons why AI should be handled carefully,” he says.
It so happened that he found a publisher who shared his vision. “The publisher wanted a thriller. I thought just by opening this can of worms, it could look like a thriller because this has very far-reaching implications that we can highlight,” he adds.
The book, which was launched in India last month ends with a disclaimer stating, “This book is written and drawn entirely by humans, except for Chapter 10, the very last one, where based on a synopsis of the book, we prompted ChatGPT with five different features of our story — copied here verbatim” — leaving it open to multiple scenarios as the real world sees the rise of AI.