What do you think, is the best explanation for the contrasting attitudes towards artificial intelligence in Star Trek TOS vs TNG?

Asked by ragingloli (52206

) January 9th, 2022

In TOS, artifical intelligence, androids, robots, advanced computers, are almost always seen as a mechanical menace, that can not be trusted, and must either be subdued or destroyed. Examples include Landru, Nomad, the Doomsday Machine, the M5 computer, and various androids.

Compare that to TNG and onwards, where artificial intelligences are usually seen as artificial life, deserving of respect and a right to exist. Examples are Data, the Doctor, the Exocomps, and Wesley’s nanites.
The Moriarty hologram, after taking the entire ship hostage, was allowed to continue living in a sandboxed computer core. Picard was even aghast at the suggestion of wiping out the entire Borg Collective with a virus, and that was after he was assimilated.

I am sure that if the episode of TNG, where Data takes command of the USS Sutherland, was set in TOS, the episode would have been about not being fit to command a starship.

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4 Answers

~Gene Roddenberry probably realized that we might be in the Matrix, and didn’t want to make enemies with our future overlords.~

Star Trek is all about the Federation being in front of rights and freedoms.( The good guy’s). Including machines, that could be our future slaves.

RedDeerGuy1 (24892

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I love that episode of TNG where Data takes control of the Sutherland. One of my favorites.

It’s an interesting observation. The 60s had a slew of “AI bad” movies and books. For movies I can think of Fail Safe, and Colossus, The Forbin Project (based upon a book called Colossus). AI was often considered evil. Even Logan’s Run and THX 1138 had elements of it. Come to think of it, it wasn’t until later that AI was considered beneficial.

Great question.

Caravanfan (13724

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TOS does have beneficial advanced computers, e.g. the ship’s computer. It just has cautionary tales about AI replacing humans, and being given authority that becomes dangerous without human compassion / wisdom / etc.

Zaku (30556

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@Zaku But the ships computer on TOS is just a regular computer that responds to voice commands. It is not AI.

Caravanfan (13724

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