Memory Track

This week on The B-Side…

We consider AI and personhood, starting with an episode of The Twilight Zone.

In “The Lateness of the Hour,” which aired on December 2, 1960, Jana Loren, played by Inger Stevens, objects to having robot servants in the house and demands that her father, played by John Hoyt, get rid of them. He does so reluctantly, but as the story unfolds, Jana discovers that she, too, is a robot created by her father.

The ominous buildup to the big reveal is a hallmark of Rod Serling, creator, executive producer, and principal writer of the series. As Jana realizes that her memories have been implanted on a memory track and that her entire identity has been manufactured, she cries out in despair, only to end up as a servant in the household, reprogrammed as a maid (see video short here).

“Memory Track” explores the use of AI today and its challenge to traditional understandings of personhood.

Photo by Getty Images. Audio 1962 Santiago recording of “When the Saints Go Marching In” by a Chilean jazz sextet, issued on the JV‑40144 label and preserved as Internet Archive item DV515960 — CC0 1.0 Universal. Want more? Go to Robert Brancatelli.