Photo/Illutration Cast member Tom Cruise attends the British premiere of “Mission: Impossible--Dead Reckoning Part One” at the Odeon Luxe in London on June 22. (Reuters Photo)

In “Mission: Impossible--Dead Reckoning Part One,” a 2023 U.S. spy action film now showing in theaters in Japan, the protagonist and his team face off against “the Entity,” an artificial intelligence that has gone rogue.

Having free will and being capable of reading people’s minds, the Entity causes a submarine to self-destruct and it can predict what will happen the following day by processing massive data.

What makes this film terrifying and interesting, however, is the behavior of humans who flock to this AI that is completely beyond human comprehension.

People in power are also not interested in stopping the AI’s actions. Rather, they are eager to take advantage of the situation to advance their own ambitions of world domination.

Are we in for this kind of era in reality?

“Absolutely. This is no longer just something out of science fiction,” said Kazuya Ogawa, 52, a guest professor at Hokkaido University and the author of “Jinrui Metsubo Futatsu no Shinario” (The two scenarios of human extinction).

“Advances in AI technology have reduced our opportunities to think for ourselves and even threatens to regress the human race,” he said.

To prevent a worst-case scenario, he continued, we must commit to the common resolve to “never allow superintelligence to come into existence.”

But we humans have always fought among ourselves. Will it ever be possible for us to transcend national and cultural barriers and unite?

When I timidly posed that question to Ogawa, he replied, “I think it’s impossible unless aliens from outer space invade.”

Thinking about AI ultimately takes us to this question: What is a human being?

Humans have evolved by helping one another and thinking from a broad perspective. The rational and ethical inclinations to curb the ego allow humans to acquire the wisdom needed to survive.

In the film, the Entity fears nothing and is never in doubt, which makes me fear this AI. And right now, I think my reaction is really important.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 20

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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