News/Research

Ken Goldberg at Science on the Screen

27 Jun, 2018

Ken Goldberg at Science on the Screen

The Rafael Film Center continues its Science on Screen series with the movie Operator, followed by a presentation by Ken Goldberg on “Artificial Intelligence and the Uncanny Valley."

The romantic comedy-drama Operator features Martin Starr (Silicon Valley) as Joe, a socially-inept programmer tasked with developing an Interactive Voice Response phone system that can convey empathy. Mae Whitman co-stars as his wife Emily, who provides the winning voice, but their collaboration threatens to spiral into a love triangle between Joe, Emily and automated Emily. Also starring Nat Faxon, Christine Lahti. Writers: Sharon Greene, Logan Kibens. Director: Logan Kibens. (US 2015) 90 min.

Following the film, Ken will kick off a discussion on emotional responses to humanoid objects that can elicit uncanny, or strangely familiar, feelings of eeriness or revulsion. Ken will also review the literary and philosophical concepts of the “uncanny” for the audience.

The presentation is part of SCIENCE ON SCREEN®, a series pairing film screenings with lively scientific discussions – an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.