The Representation of Artificial Intelligence Dominance in Dan Brown’s Origin

Abstract

The research aims to depict the dominance of artificial intelligence towards human as the object by analyzing the data from Dan Brown‘s Origin (2017). This novel portrays the artificial intelligence as part of the sophistication of technology as a guide of human characters, Robert Langdon and Ambra Vidal. It shows some stages and process of Langdon and Ambra for being helped by Winston. The first, Langdon and Ambra are hesitating toward Winston as program, but Winston provides them its sophistication to help their escape. Moreover they trust Winston more than themselves. I assume that the sophistication of technology takes a domination role, making the technology itself as subject and human as the object. It is kind of contradicting while human is the one who creates technology and should be the one who takes the control. I use the representation theory by Stuart Hall linked to discursive approach by Michel Foucault to reveal the meaning constructed of the issue. The research is categorized as qualitative research, as this research is in the form of word or nonnumerical number form. Moreover, there are two kinds of data in my research. Those are primary and secondary data, the primary data are taken from narrations and dialogues in the primary source, Origin. Meanwhile, the secondary data are taken some related books, articles, journals and other sources which deliver any information of contextual background about the construction of technological sophistication in United States and the biography of author. It can be concluded that the influence of artificial intelligence dominance towards human is portrayed in the novel. It shows how the artificial intelligence becomes the subject and make human as its object to reach its own goal. It portrays the basic difference of human and artificial intelligence. The difference is the instinct of humanity and values that exist in human but does not in artificial intelligence. It also portrays the intersection of religion and technology as human needs. The development of artificial intelligence is rapid. The goal of the creation of artificial intelligence is to help human‘s life, but if human cannot control and too much depend on artificial intelligence, the position of human and artificial intelligence would be reversed. I figure out that the influence of artificial intelligence dominance is strongly related to the issue of human and the technological sophistication development in real condition. Through the novel, Dan Brown tries to criticize the influence of artificial intelligence dominance towards human by describing his idea in his novel.