Doctor Who review: The Robots: The Sentient raises interesting moral questions about AI
By James Aggas
When a new artificial life form is created, major moral and ethical questions are raised in The Sentient, the second episode of new Doctor Who audio spin-off series The Robots.
The second episode of the new Doctor Who audio spin-off The Robots gives us something a little different. The Sentient is in some ways a rather dark and grounded exploration of AI, as well as the dangers of not just technology, but even human arrogance.
The story focuses on Vissey. Vissey seems to be an ordinary young girl, but she’s far more than that. She’s a prototype for a new kind of android – one that not only looks human, but also has artificial intelligence. She could be a real breakthrough in technology on Kaldor – and make a lot of money for the Company making the robots, too.
This is an extremely strong debut script from Robert Whitelock for Big Finish. Reminiscent of classic science-fiction stories such as the 2015 film Ex Machina, Whitelock is keen to explore the moral and ethical implications of what someone like Vissey could mean for society, from several key perspectives.
Not quite human
The scenes with Vissey and Professor Til Rork particularly stand out. Rork wants Vissey to learn about basic human behavior, from having a conversation to understanding human body language. These moments can be particularly uncomfortable to listen to, especially when Vissey wants to “learn” about humanity. The more she learns, the clearer it becomes that she’s making her own judgments on everyone. Not just her creators or the Company, but everyone.
Venice Van Someren is fantastic as Vissey. She voices the character just right. She doesn’t play her as typically robotic or emotionless. But there is something off in her manner. Something that’s close to human, but not quite there. This is reflected in the script: there’s an eagerness to learn, but there are many things about basic human nature that she finds extremely complex.
Jaye Griffiths is equally great as Rork. The character is clearly an intelligent woman, one who’s proud at what’s been achieved with Vissey. But there’s a clear yet subtle vulnerability there that Griffiths plays extremely well, which is exactly what’s needed for this story.
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Moral questions
The regular characters have been used for this episode equally well. In fact, it’s through Liv and Tula that the major moral and ethical questions regarding Vissey are explored. Tula only sees an amazing scientific achievement, one that will lead to great things for the company.
But Liv can already see the clear moral problems of this straight away. It’s fantastic that there is such a strong difference in terms of morality for these two sisters, and I suspect that division is going to be explored even further as the series goes on.
Overall, The Sentient is an extremely strong Big Finish debut for Robert Whitelock, and I’m definitely eager to see if we can expect more stories from him in the future.
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What’s your favorite story that explores AI? Do you think it could be an area that Doctor Who could or should explore effectively? Let us know in the comments below.