AI has divided the world like never before. There is this section of people who believe that AI presents an opportunity for advancement of the human civilization at light speed. While another section believes that advancement may cost us our freedom, our autonomy, and everything else that makes us human. 

With this concern in mind, Oscar-winning director Daniel Roher (Navalny) made the documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. The director draws from his own skepticism and fear about the AI revolution and paints a clear picture of the impacts of the evolution that will trigger panic about where the world is headed. The documentary does this through discussions with several AI experts, one of whom is computer scientist Tristan Harris. 

He has recently wished that the documentary might just achieve what Netflix’s The Social Dilemma did in terms of global impact. 

Tristan Harris, who features in The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist as an expert, has recently made an appearance on the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast on YouTube and talked about AI and its impact on the world right now. While talking about the issue of AI, he gave the example of The Social Dilemma and the global impact its popularity resulted in.

“But actually the social dilemma which was seen by 150 million people in 190 countries and 30 languages was the biggest impact in changing the total public pressure on the whole system,” Harris said, explaining the impact the 2020 Netflix documentary has on social media awareness. 

He further explained how it created a ripple effect that contributed to the ban on social media for kids below 16 in many countries. He added how the documentary created global pressure that compels the system to introduce reforms to protect the people from a bigger calamity in the future. According to him, this is exactly what The AI Doc attempts to do.

“And I think that the way you create change is you have to create global public pressure, which is what they say in the film The AI doc,” added Harris. He also clarified that he is not interested in pushing the documentary on anyone, as it does not benefit him monetarily or in any way. He and the documentary are just trying to help nudge the technological development in a direction that is in harmony with the development of human capital.

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Tristan Harris’ words set the expectations straight with The AI Doc and plead to its urgency in the current scenario. So, the only question remains - where can one stream the documentary?

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is still in the midst of its theatrical run. After its exclusive big-screen run, viewers may anticipate seeing it on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video and MUBI, where it has been listed for pre-ordering. The documentary might also be available for digital rental or purchase on Apple TV shortly after its theatrical release, extending its reach beyond the US market.

The documentary is an essential watch, as suggested by Tristan Harris’ statements on the podcast. Just as Harris insinuated, the documentary and the discussions it puts forth might be able to give birth to global pressure just like The Social Dilemma once did. The AI Doc just like The Social Dilemma, gives a warning about a world with "no off switch". 

Daniel Roher’s “The AI Doc” Comes With a Warning of a World With “No Off Switch”

Do you think that The AI Doc will be able to cause a global impact as big as The Social Dilemma did? Share your thoughts in the comments.