Virtually Alive
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” - George Orwell
Deception mixed with emerging AI, and the above quote suggested as a prompt by Poets and Storytellers United, inspired my thoughts and poem. It is a time when late actor Val Kilmer allowed his Deepfake version to play the role he was too ill to finish. This had me pondering the degree to which synthetic people differ from the black and white film era actors who since died but still seem so alive. Nowadays, many of us appear synthetically through various processes on screens. Some fall in love with digital companions who mimic humans but feel nothing. Conversely, humans seem on the path to desensitization, emoting virtually but light on genuine joy or empathy for suffering. Even photos of my walk are paperless pixels. Indeed, the wildly imaginative Orwell might be amazed at how seamlessly the artificial has woven into the fabric of daily life where lines between the acceptably real and not, like truth and lies, blur.
Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters.
Seemingly alive again as if I never left the stage
Gazing but not seeing, gasping but not breathing
The copy of my former self that delivers its lines
Pretend humans like rumours keep on spreading
Machines talk to machines as if person-to-person
A steady ongoing creep of neither living nor dead
Expressing, without tiring, every mortal sensation
Pixel emotion summoned from codes they are fed
My resurrection cast as a motion-picture miracle
My voice produced virtually, to my ears unheard
My salty tears not tasted, imitations of glee unfelt
Mirror reflections of my existence eerily preserved
Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.
Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report and watch environmental activist, 90-year-old David Suzuki, in an interview.
 |
| HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT |
Beautiful "April shower" clouds in the sky, gorgeous flowers and an amazing staircase,. I see climate change in our state --we broke many heat records this year and our snowpack was very below normal.
ReplyDeleteHard to respond to that. In pixels on a screen. But your photos (on my screen, but if I want, I can hook up my printer and make hard copy prints; there's that.) ... your photos bring me back to real things, real places. I remember those steps and the sore knees they gave me! And I can almost smell the salt/seaweed/barnacle breeze. However hidden behind the electronic fog, we're still here, still solid.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit creepy A dead person playing in a new movie. You capture that well in your poem Love the line "Pretend humans like rumours keep on spreading" Beautiful blossom on your photo and also love these stairs reaching up the hill Maria
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteInteresting take. Do you think we’ll eventually stop noticing the difference altogether?
ReplyDeletePhotos are amazing as always.
I am grateful for the humans who keep their senses, and their hearts, open
ReplyDeleteLovely photos and such deep thoughts ~ Hugs ^_^
ReplyDeleteYou captured the essence of the "New World" we live in perfectly in your poem. The photos you snapped incredibly lovely, especially the blossoms. What is real, what is not, who can tell? I know, for certain, you and your talent are REAL.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what is yet to come. Stunning images and evocative thoughts, thank you for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteYour expertly raise some important thoughts about alternate realities - Jae
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures offset the ominous words.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting take-reminded me of the story where the heroine gets old and wrinkled and forces the daughter who resembles her to continue featuring as herself.
ReplyDeleteThat aside I will be quite happy if "Machines talk to machines" and machines fight machines and leave the human out of it.
...Maria, the salmonberry? flowers and those stairs caught my eye! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes, salmonberry, I believe you are correct. Thanks for bringing this to light. :)
DeleteLovely shots and creepy story.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and insightful commentary on AI. AI was fun back when the photos were bad but now they can make videos that look real and photos that look great even if they are totally fake. It is all kind of depressing.
ReplyDeleteHello Maria
ReplyDeleteYour poem fits perfectly. I love the real thing, I am not a fan of AI images. Some look way to fake. Your photos of the sky, flowers and the sparrow are lovely. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and a happy Easter weekend.
Interesting subject and poem. It doesn't surprise me that robot can imitate humans so realistically and feel nothing because I have known too many humans who are like that. Maybe there are interplanetary aliens who have always been here and we just aren't aware of it yet.
ReplyDeleteyour images are vibrant and beautiful. i especially enjoyed the creativity!! as for AI...i am always wondering if the things i watch on the computer are real or not. also, constantly asking the hubs!!
ReplyDeleteAs always, I enjoyed the whole of this post and thank you for sharing your various talents. Also, VERY thought-provoking!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. As said above, very thought-provoking. I notice on social media there are many celebrities and rock bands that keep their profiles active, even though they are long gone. It's a crazy mixed up world!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures and meaningful words.
ReplyDeleteMaterials to produce our technologies/tools come from the earth and from human imagination. We remain tethered to nature and each other.
ReplyDelete