The Honeycut: ‘Subservience’ Holds a Black Mirror Up to Our Digital World

Welcome to the Future 

If you thought my article on “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning” was a bleak take on our modern society, this isn’t going to be any better. 

My good friend and fellow horror author Guy Quintero joined us on the Midnight Terrors Podcast this week to discuss the movie “Subservience.” Given recent technological advances in artificial intelligence, his film choice could not have been more relevant. 

The Story

“Subservience” follows Nick, a hard-working family man. When his wife, Maggie, is hospitalized for a heart condition, Nick brings home an AI assistant to help around the house. They name the robot Alice. The conflict begins when Alice and Nick get too close. From there, it turns into your standard killer robot movie, with Alice trying to murder Nick’s family. 

Honey’s Cut 

For me, this movie’s strongest points are in its world-building and seeing how Alice assimilates into Nick’s family. In this world, AI has replaced most jobs. For example, Nick is a foreman at a construction site. Throughout the movie, his co-workers are fired to make way for AI droids. Even at the bar they frequent, the servers are all AI. In this world, even traditionally safe jobs have gone to AI. 

Watching how Alice interacts with Nick and his children was interesting. We see her care for Nick and the children, and the friction between her and Maggie. The tension comes to a head when Maggie discovers that Nick has slept with Alice. Talk about a weird love triangle. 

From here, it basically turns into “The Terminator,” with Alice trying to kill Nick’s family. She is doing this because her main directive is to protect her primary user, and she can tell by his vitals that Nick’s family stresses him out. So it kind of puts its own spin on things, but is predictable overall.

Honey’s Final Thought

“Subservience” gives us a glimpse into a bleak future that seems to be getting closer by the day. As an author, AI is always in the back of my mind. I wonder how long until AI books are the norm. It’s not just writing either. What about the book cover designers and editors?  It’s so lame that AI is taking over creative outlets first. There is an AI actress, and a few AI musical acts have made it onto the charts. 

My hope is that art made by humans will always outshine that created by technology. That’s what art is all about, right? It’s that human connection. You can listen to a song and relate to it because someone wrote it while being in a similar place you are in. Or you may see a movie at the right time and connect with one of the characters who is in a situation like you. 

I don’t get that when I hear an AI song or see AI art. Something always seems to be missing. And what’s missing is the soul. Anyway, that’s my optimistic silver lining. Don’t get used to it. 

Also, I’m a hypocrite, because I use ChatGPT for a spelling and grammar check of my articles. Including this one.