Black Mirror and Narratives of Technological Malaise: Analysing Contemporary Science Fiction Tropes in Terms of the Potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology to Harm or Benefit Human Culture

There can be little doubt that we are in the midst of a golden age for dystopian science fiction (SF), given added impetus in recent times by the public availability of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as Chat-GPT, Oracle, Gemini and Bard, and the wealth of both academic and popular literature which such developments have generated. Charlie Brooker’s dark and edgy SF series of Black Mirror films – now in its seventh iteration on Netflix – exploits heavily our fears about the dangers of AI technology threatening human culture in every sphere of activity from work, to education, to health care, and in social relationships. The question of whether this is pure, thrill-seeking entertainment – like stories about vampires and demons which have little or no impact on real life – or whether it is intended to warn us against the potential dangers of emerging technology and thus help us to establish safeguards to protect our cherished values and ways of life is a moot question. The persistent dystopian emphasis about AI dangers throughout the Black Mirror films suggest that there is indeed a serious intention behind the stories. After examining some of the core themes – and cognate connections with SF in general – this article goes on to consider whether this futuristic doom-mongering, especially about AI, is harmful or beneficial for present and future human culture in all its forms.