Love Machine (2002)

In a culture preoccupied with its own technological prowess in the development of labor-saving machines, one can't help but wonder how long it will be before we see humanoid robots and ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Asaro

Writers:

Peter Asaro, Douglas Matejka

Stars:

Joan Almon, Cynthia Breazeal, Rodney Brooks

Cast

Credited cast:
Joan Almon	...	Herself - Educator
Cynthia Breazeal	...	Herself - Roboticist
Rodney Brooks	...	Himself - Roboticist
Colleen Cordes	...	Herself - Educator
Manuel De Landa	...	Himself - Philosopher
Daniel C. Dennett	...	Himself - Philosopher
Hubert Dreyfus	...	Himself - Philosopher
Ken Goldberg	...	Himself - Roboticist
Ernest Green	...	Himself - Publisher
Albert Hallin	...	Himself - Clergy (as Monsignor Albert Hallin)
Dave Lampert	...	Himself - Inventor
Robert Morgan Lawrence	...	Himself - Sexologist
Matt McMullen	...	Himself - Sculptor
Hans Moravec	...	Himself - Roboticist
Lisa Palac	...	Herself - Writer

Storyline

In a culture preoccupied with its own technological prowess in the development of labor-saving machines, one can't help but wonder how long it will be before we see humanoid robots and androids entering society. And once they arrive, how social will they be? Will they be our slaves? Our friends? Or maybe even our lovers? Two documentary film makers set out to answer these questions. They traveled the country in the year 2000, interviewing the leading intellectuals concerned with these questions, as well as the artists, inventors and engineers who are bringing these technologies to life. The result is a feature-length film which examines the complex relationships between technology and the most human of conditions, love.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | machine | love | android | sex | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

A szerető gép

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kaiczech & Savario Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

great material for analyses of robots, AI, and ethics

I saw this movie last week, hosted by Peter Asaro, one of the film makers. Much more than just a "gee-whiz" description of current developments in robotics and artificial intelligence, the film provides really rich material for thinking about the delegation of all sorts of labor (including emotional and/or sexual work) to socio-technical systems. It includes examples (both technical and philosophical) that could serve as very useful materials for university courses on social, ethical, and legal issues and technology. With a running time of 110 minutes, it could be a bit much for most undergraduates, and some of the montage sequences can feel a bit long. But apart from this, I found the interviews with Manuel Delanda, Daniel Dennett, and Hubert Dreyfus particular insightful, and the images and soundtrack (including material by Blonde Redhead) provide much needed pacing for reflecting on the issues raised during the film.