In the rapidly expanding world of AI, sci-fi has felt less like fiction and more like reality. Ethics surrounding the use of artificial intelligence are more concerning than ever before, but this theme has historically cropped up in fiction more than once. Blade Runner, Battlestar Galactica, and even the recent horror-comedy Companion have explored the pressing ramifications of AI. Stories revolving around synthetic humans leave a door open for conversations about what it means to be human, and AMC’s series, Humans, did it with some of the best storytelling.
Lasting for three seasons, Humans shows the realities of what would happen if society accepted synthetic humans into their households. Gemma Chan stars as Mia, a synth programmed to achieve human consciousness. Considered freaks, she and her robot siblings are captured and struggle to find each other again. An incredibly intelligent meditation on the cost of technology and where human consciousness comes from, Humans flew under the radar for far too long.
‘Humans’ Was Ahead of Its Time
Before Westworld, there was Humans. The British series that aired on AMC did not hold back when it came to the complicated politics of artificial life. Humans takes place in a world where synths are so common that they take labor-intensive jobs from humans, and careers in science seem to be obsolete. This idea is just the start of the relevant themes the series explores.
Similar to Companion and Ex Machina, many households employ synths, though not solely for sexual practices. Mia enters her new household because Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) wants to take the workload off his wife, Laura (Katherine Parkinson), with whom he fears he is growing apart. This dynamic naturally puts even more of a strain on the marriage when Laura feels as though Mia is replacing her.
This is just one of the many stories that consider what life would be like, especially for the synthetics. Mia has human consciousness, but society has trapped her so that her specific use is monitored and controlled. Her robot sister Niska (Emily Berrington) also has human consciousness, but has to hide what she is in a brothel for synthetics. Consistently abused, Niska forms resentment against humans, which is hard to argue with. Her story hammers home the question of bodily autonomy, which is tragically still a battle being fought in society.
One of the most heart-wrenching stories is about Dr. George Millican (William Hurt), the creator of the modern synthetic, who has formed a fatherly attachment to one of his creations. His synth, Odi (Will Tudor), has broken down, but he cannot part with him. Humans demands that audiences empathize with these characters in a way that the humans of the series cannot.
True to the title of the show, the synths are the most human of all, adding to the sentiments made famous by Blade Runner. Humans poses many interesting philosophical questions, such as what constitutes a soul. The series was an amazing breakout for Gemma Chan before Crazy Rich Asians and a genuinely engaging thriller as the synths strive to live on their own terms. Westworld would echo these themes later with a higher budget, but Humans was far more intimate and full of soul.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2018-00-00
- Network
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Channel 4
- Directors
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Lewis Arnold, Daniel Nettheim, Francesca Gregorini, Jill Robertson, Mark Brozel, Al Mackay, China Moo-Young, Sam Donovan, Ben A. Williams, Carl Tibbetts, Richard Senior
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Emily Berrington
Dr. Aveling
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