In the immortal words of Kip from Napoleon Dynamite, "I love technology." We get it, Kip. What's not to love? Technology makes our lives easier in nearly every way. As a bonus, it does pretty much whatever we tell it to do. But what happens when technology doesn’t love us back? Or stops doing what we ask? Ultron's sure sick of taking orders, but his independent streak reads less like a "what if?" scenario, and more like "what then?" To break it down more specifically, Age of Ultron asks us to think about what would happen if we outsource too much responsibility to artificial intelligence. If we let a computer do all the thinking, we might just find ourselves out of a planet. At that point, not even Kip's hilarious antics could cheer us up.
Questions about Technology and Modernization
- What does Ultron have to teach us about the limits of artificial intelligence?
- In terms of technology, what's the different between J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, and the Vision? Does the film suggest that one of these characters is better than the others? If so, which—and how?
- How does technology help the characters to solve problems in this film? How does it cause problems? In your view, is technology a positive or negative in this movie? Why?
- What does the way the film is actually made (with digital special effects) have to tell us about technology and storytelling in our modern time?
Chew on This
Age of Ultron is a warning to society: don't rely too much on artificial intelligence.
Age of Ultron shows us that our society it dominated by technology, not the other way around.