AI and Pinocchio Connections and Comparison

 Following the viewing and analysis of both the film, AI, and the original story, Pinocchio, one can connect the two plots by reevaluating their connection to the overall discussion of advancing technology and its display through the creation of a fictional “enchanted” or “robotic” boy. Through both narratives, the viewer follows as a “created” boy undergoes an extensive journey defining the aspects of their identity that bring them closer to the reality of being human. With the rapid evolution of advancing technology within our world, now, more than ever, one must begin to evaluate the dangers and impact any form of artificial intelligence could present to our species. These two media displays allow audiences to ponder these possibilities and more seriously contemplate the negative or positive repercussions of this exploration.

The Adventures of Pinocchio, written in 1881by Carlo Collodi, tells the story of a poor carpenter longing to create a marionette so that he may live his days as a puppeteer. When he receives a piece of enchanted wood from his neighbor, this dream then becomes a reality with the making of the puppet, Pinocchio. Soon after, Pinocchio begins mistreating Geppetto and creates a series of bad choices that lead to his decision to run away. When Geppetto finally does find Pinocchio and tries to bring him home, Pinocchio misleads the police, and Geppetto is arrested. Pinocchio then returns home to find a cricket waiting to discuss his poor choices and harmful decisions. He kills the cricket and then begins to make a series of unfortunate decisions that lead him to fall in with the wrong crowd, including a fox and cat. They then attempt to kill Pinocchio for the money he had from Geppetto, and Pinocchio gets saved by a Fairy. Though he remains thankful for this redemption he lies to the fairy about the gold pieces and then makes more poor decisions involving the cat and fox. He once again gets saved by the fairy but still continues his terrible ways. This eventually leads to him being swallowed by a whale and finding his father. After making amends for his horrible actions the fairy turns him into a real boy when he returns with his father.

Within the film AI, the viewer follows as Henry, a Cybertronics employee, and his wife, Monica take in a new mecha humanoid boy named David. He is the first mecha designed with the ability to experience love and Henry believes that by bringing him into his family’s household he will help his wife deal with the grief brought by their son’s debilitating illness. After welcoming him into their home and eventually “imprinting” him so that he may truly experience emotional simulation through the form of their family, a cure is found for their sick son, Martin. With his presence reestablished in the family, Martin begins wreaking havoc in David’s life causing him to get in trouble. When this comes to a peak, Henry finally decides that David must be destroyed for their family’s safety. This then leads David to embark on a long journey in hopes of finding his place within the world and the love he had previously experienced with his “mother”, Monica. 

By viewing both media forms and the important stories and life lessons they described, one can establish comparisons between the two boys and their journeys. Firstly, within Pinocchio, “the boy” runs away after disagreeing with his treatment and home. Though this does not directly correlate with A.I., David is forced to leave his home and also embarks on a journey to find his place. In addition to this, each story encompasses the idea of two artificially created boys wanting to be real. As their journeys continue and each boy runs into negative individuals and obstacles that lead them to bad places, they are forced to recognize their parental figures and find the feeling of realness through this emotional attachment. Furthermore, within the film, the story of Pinocchio was read to David while under the care of the Swintons. This, in and of itself displays Spielberg’s intentions to connect the two stories and the idea that a created robot could potentially be seen as real. By diving deeper into this meaning, one begins to question what defines something as “real”. While some may say humanity displays these characteristics, who’s to say the experience of an artificially made being is made invalid? These two displays allow the audiences to look at this definition a little more closely and reevaluate the ways in which we define our identities and societal place. Lastly, within both stories, one can take away the metaphorical use of a fictional boy and its connection to the advancing technology we see today. Through both the negative and positive experiences established in each boy’s journey, viewers are able to take away the potential dangers and benefits artificial intelligent beings could bring to our world.