GenAI: Building Against The Bias (with SciFi Movie Lists)

I was watching some inane marketing tips and tricks on Instagram which show you how to create banal and easy marketing and content for your e-commerce brand store using ChatGPT and Canva's new tips and tricks. It was an interesting exercise in 'do the basics and you'll create something basic' marketing. I took a look and had a longer play w ChatGPT than I had in a while, just to see what I could be doing to assist my socials or save time with lists or laughs.

ChatGPT always offers really soap bubble answers to questions about the future and so I thought I would start interrogating it and pre-loading it with information before streaming more things. I had loaded up information from text off websites, and my largest frustrations stemmed from the fact it couldn't just read websites for me. So I gave up trying to do anything vaguely complicated.

Instead, I started putting together top SciFi movie recommendation lists; a relatively simple and easily explainable activity. And when I started I got things like this:

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Here's a list of 20 science fiction movies about robotics, spanning different decades and exploring various themes related to artificial intelligence and robotics:

1. Blade Runner (1982)

2. The Terminator (1984)

3. RoboCop (1987)

4. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

5. I, Robot (2004)

6. WALL-E (2008)

7. Ex Machina (2014)

8. Chappie (2015)

9. The Iron Giant (1999)

10. Ghost in the Shell (1995)

11. Westworld (1973)

12. Automata (2014)

13. Bicentennial Man (1999)

14. Elysium (2013)

15. Upgrade (2018)

16. Her (2013)

17. Metropolis (1927)

18. Transformers (2007)

19. Real Steel (2011)

20. The Matrix (1999)

These films offer a range of perspectives on robotics, exploring topics such as ethics, consciousness, human-machine interactions, and the implications of advanced technology in society.

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Then I asked it if it knew what the Bechdel test was... it said the following:

Yes, I'm familiar with the Bechdel test. The Bechdel test is a simple assessment that examines the representation of women in movies. It consists of three criteria that a film must meet:

1. The movie must have at least two named women characters.

2. These women must have a conversation with each other.

3. The conversation should be about something other than a man.

The Bechdel test is not an indicator of a film's overall quality or feminist values, but rather serves as a starting point for evaluating gender representation in movies. It highlights the underrepresentation of women and the lack of meaningful interactions between female characters in many films.

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So then I asked it to create the list again but with the Bechdel test applied.

It came up with this:

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Certainly! Here's a list of 20 science fiction movies that pass the Bechdel test, featuring significant female characters engaging in conversations about topics other than men:

1. Arrival (2016)

2. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

3. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

4. The Hunger Games series (2012-2015)

5. Snowpiercer (2013)

6. Annihilation (2018)

7. The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003)

8. Battlestar Galactica (TV series, 2004-2009)

9. Pacific Rim (2013)

10. Ghost in the Shell (1995)

11. Lucy (2014)

12. Under the Skin (2013)

13. Alien (1979)

14. The Fifth Element (1997)

15. Aeon Flux (2005)

16. The Handmaid's Tale (TV series, 2017-present)

17. Gattaca (1997)

18. Elysium (2013)

19. Monsters (2010)

20. Gravity (2013)

These movies showcase diverse and strong female characters in the science fiction genre, passing the Bechdel test by including conversations between women about various topics, not solely focusing on men.

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See how the world looks 'same, same, but different'?

This idea of filtering AI to remove the inherent bias was raised during Futures Conference this week. I think we should try every trick in the book we can possibly find to make the world a more fair and equitable place. I only started here with the Bechdel test. There are many more markers of diversity.

I started asking ChatGPT to refine the list again to include the Bechdel test and to only include movies where people of colour were in the main acting line up. Here's the result of that one:

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Absolutely! Here's a revised list of 20 science fiction movies that pass the Bechdel test and prominently feature people of color as main actors:

1. Arrival (2016)

2. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

4. Black Panther (2018)

5. Pacific Rim (2013)

6. The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003)

7. Attack the Block (2011)

8. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

9. The Fifth Element (1997)

10. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

11. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

12. Men in Black (1997)

13. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

14. Chronicle (2012)

15. Hancock (2008)

16. Riddick (2013)

17. Serenity (2005)

18. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

19. District 9 (2009)

20. The Host (2006)

These movies feature both strong female characters and actors of color in prominent roles, passing the Bechdel test while showcasing diversity in the science fiction genre.

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So, why am I bothering showing you all these movie lists?

The point here is, that we are currently at the level of generative AI that will never be this simple again. We are able to train these models and show what we want. We can apply steering, filters, and give feedback. We can also learn how to work better with these new applications and tools.

Ultimately we humans need to get better at asking the questions of GenAI.

Generative AI platforms are just pulling data from a static set of information and hoping to throw the right things at you that stick. Interrogate, test, play, ask questions 20 different ways. Just please don't ignore this fulcrum in time. A switch is about to get flicked.

Also- Attack the Block and District 9 are amazing science fiction movies that challenge many other aspects of society, fairness, and what it means to be human.

Do yourself a favour and put them at the top of your 'to watch' list.

What's your favourite Science Fiction Movie?

Did my ChatGPT interactions find it this time?

Let me know your recommendations.

See you in the Future!

Cheers,

Dr Cath