Virtual Reality technology is now touted as the next big thing in consumer electronics. In fact, the numerous offerings now available on the market such as HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung VR and Sony’s PSVR are clear indications that big businesses are betting it big that VR technology is poised to go mainstream soon.
While the VR gadgets today are cutting-edge, the seeds for their creation were actually planted decades ago. Creative geniuses in the film industry were way ahead of today’s top scientist in envisioning where technology would eventually lead humankind. Using nothing but their unfettered imagination, film visionaries have created some of the most visually stunning films showing imaginative ways on how virtual reality could impact the future of humans, for better or for worse.
The Matrix Trilogy
Among all movies dealing with virtual reality, no one could argue that The Matrix, along with its sequels— The Matrix Reloaded and the Matrix Revolutions, has set the bar for VR-themed movies and even in the sci-fi genre in the film industry as a whole. The movie, which stars Keanu Reeves as the protagonist named Neo, shows a rather dark future for humanity. Approached by a mysterious group led by Morpheus, a role played by Laurence Fishburne. Neo was given a seemingly simple task of choosing between a red and blue. Taking the blue bill means his boring life will continue as usual. But of course, Neo had to take the red pill which immediately led him to some rather startling realizations – everyone is living in VR and humans are no longer the dominant species.
In fact, save for a few like Morpheus and his team, all humans are slaves to their AI masters. To give them the illusion of free will and of living their own lives as they please, all of them are plugged into a virtual world known as the Matrix without them knowing because they are inserted into the system since birth. Of course, the machines are not doing it for sentimental reasons; humans are being kept around as they are now the new energy source.
As detractors point out, the three movies contain a lot of humanly impossible scenes such as dodging or even stopping bullets, getting unlimited guns and ammo, and even instantly becoming kungfu masters by way of uploadable skills. But seeing today’s VR games, we now know that nothing really is impossible when it comes to what you can do in the virtual world; gaming companies will go out of their way to allow your endless skills and equipment upgrades for a price.
But given the movies’ serious plots, one can’t help but give it a thought if the future of humanity is really headed in that direction as the films suggest. Of course, the latest news about AIs becoming even smarter does not erase that sense of unease most viewers feel after seeing the movies. Are our AI masters going to permanently plug us into the VR world in the near future?
Johnny Mnemonic
Johnny Mnemonic is another sci-fi movie which stars Keanu Reeves as the good guy. In a future world where hacking is the norm, the only way to securely transport information to by using human couriers like Johnny who are paid to set aside a portion of the brain as information storage and deliver the content to the intended party.
What is particularly interesting for VR enthusiast is that the gear used by Johnny as well as opponents while using the net. They surprisingly look similar to today’s VR gears. Did makers get the idea from this movie?
Avalon
Released in 2001, Avalon is a result of a Polish-Japanese collaboration. Set in the future, the story revolves around gamers who have become a bit too addicted to a VR game which can be described as the more immersive version of Call of Duty. Indeed, it is not hard to imagine that in the future, as VR technology goes mainstream, gaming companies are bound to take advantage of the technology’s ability to immerse its users to lure in new clients fully.
The Lawnmower Man
While we’ve only recently seen the availability of VR gadgets on the market, the idea of going into the virtual world is certainly not new. In fact, as early as 25 years ago, a film did just that and tried to imagine how the virtual world may be harnessed.
Released in 1992, The Lawnmower Man follows the story of Jobe Smith played by actor Jeff Fahey, a mentally-challenged landscaper. He was approached by scientist Dr. Lawrence Angelo, played by Pierce Brosnan, who saw Jobe as the perfect subject for his experimental therapy.
The problem did not start because Dr. Angelo’s therapy is not working. On the contrary, Dr. Angelo’s technique seemed to be working better than predicted. Under a regimen of pills and training sessions in the VR world, Jobe becomes increasingly more intelligent that his love life is even improving.
Soon, a threshold was crossed, and Jobe became intelligent enough to realize that people were taking advantage of him in the past. As he begins plotting revenge against those he deemed have wronged him, he soon realizes that he can control all devices connected to computers making his plan a walk in the park.
From a VR technology point of view, the movie introduced decades ago two virtual technology concepts that are just being explored today. First, VR is now being seen as a learning tool and may become the education standard to help students learn the lessons faster. Also, there are now ongoing studies on how people could interact with machines with mere thoughts alone. MIT scientists are even going a bit further by building a machine said to be capable of reading what you are thinking.
Are we approaching a VR-powered world where humans will be interacting with AI’s, so intelligent that it will be hard to distinguish them from an actual human being? Depending on the person, such prospect might be scary to some while totally acceptable to others. No matter what the future brings, a VR enhanced world is going to be an interesting place to live in.