Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 1

Discussion questions:

• What are some of the ways in which new technologies are people’s lives today?
• How does the current speed of technology innovation present unique challenges?
• Should tech companies and scientists be doing more to innovate ethically and responsibly?
• Can art – including movies – really provide insights into the ethical development and use of new technologies?

CHAPTER 2

Jurassic Park (1993)

Discussion questions:

• Is using genetic engineering to bring extinct species back a good idea?
• Should scientists be allowed to experiment with altering the genetic code of humans?
• Can experts ever completely predict the consequences of a new technology?
• Who should decide what scientists can and cannot do?
• Are rich entrepreneurs with grandiose ideas good for society?

CHAPTER 3

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Discussion questions:

• How realistic is the story that evolves in Never let Me Go?
• What are the pros and cons of cloning humans?
• What makes someone genuinely “human”?
• Are there technologies that exist now that are so useful that they are too big to be allowed to fail?

CHAPTER 4

Minority Report (2002)

Discussion questions:

• If scientists could develop ways of spotting potential criminals, how should they use the technology?
• Could artificial intelligence one day predict what people are going to do?
• Can machines and algorithms reflect the biases of their creators? And if so, how do we ensure that these don’t adversely affect people?
• how important is personal privacy in a world where everything’s being recorded?

CHAPTER 5

Limitless (2011)

Discussion questions:

• What is “intelligence?”
• Would you (or do you) use “smart drugs?” And if so, why?
• Do you think there are times and places where smart drugs should not be used?
• Who should decide who gets access to medications that can improve mental performance, and who doesn’t? 

CHAPTER 6

Elysium (2013)

Discussion questions:

• If we could one day 3D print replacement body parts, how big of a game-changer would this be?
• How realistic is the division between rich and poor as it’s portrayed in Elysium?
• Is it better to create more jobs with some being in dangerous workplaces, or to improve workplace safety but as a result reduce the number of jobs available?
• How do you think automation will affect your life over the next 10 years?

CHAPTER 7

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Discussion questions:

• If you could enhance your body with technological implants, would you?
• Do you think we’ll ever have wireless brain-computer interfaces, and if so, is it a good idea?
• Is there a point at which replacing body parts with machines might affect how “human” someone is?
• If you have a machine in your body that you depend on, who’s responsible for keeping it going?

CHAPTER 8

Ex Machina (2014)

Discussion Questions:

• What are some of the pros and cons of innovating without permission?
• Are “superintelligent” machines likely to emerge in the future?
• What are the most exciting and most scary aspects of artificial intelligence to you?
• What does “intelligence” mean when it applies to a machine?

CHAPTER 9

Transcendence (2014)

Discussion questions:

• What does “technological convergence” mean?
• How important is it for everyone to ask tough questions about the impacts of new technologies?
• Is terrorism in the name of halting dangerous technologies ever justified?
• How can people sift out realistic expectations of science and technology from the hype?

CHAPTER 10

The Man in the White Suit (1951)

Discussion questions:

• How could engineering materials atom by atom change the world as we know it?
• Should scientists be taught to better-understand how people and society operate?
• Are good intentions good enough in science and technology?
• How involved should members of the public be in what science is done, and how it’s used?

CHAPTER 11

Inferno (2016)

Discussion questions:

• Can bad movies still be useful in making sense of emerging technologies and what they might do?
• Should scientists be allowed to create deadly pathogens in the lab, and tell others how to do it?
• Do the ends ever justify the means when attempting to create a better future using science and technology?
• How can scientists be advocates and activists? Should they be?

CHAPTER 12

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Discussion questions:

• How fragile is the current state of the Earth’s climate?
• What does it mean to be a responsible citizen in the “anthropocene?”
• Is it better to try and maintain the Earth as it is, or ensure it is resilient to change?
• Should we use geoengineering to intentionally manipulate the Earth’s climate?

CHAPTER 13

Contact (1997)

Discussion questions:

• Are religious beliefs and science mutually incompatible?
• How important is belief important in science, and why?
• Is Occam’s Razor a useful concept for separating out likely possibilities around emerging technologies from improbable ones?
• How are people likely to react if we we discover life on another world?

CHAPTER 14

Discussion questions:

• Is technology innovation a force for good or bad in society?
• Who’s responsible for ensuring science and technology benefit as many people as possible?
• What can you do to ensure that science and technology are used to create a better future?
• What emerging technologies most excite you
• What emerging technologies most concern you?