“There Will Come Soft Rains”,“A Sound of Thunder”, “The Flying Machine”. All short stories written by author Ray Bradbury that warn against the use of technology. Yet, these stories do not just link the now past to a possible future, but also act as cautionary tales, warning readers to think twice about the role they allow technology to have in their life. To better understand these works and their implications, it is important to first understand the man who wrote them: Ray Bradbury.
Ray Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter famed for his work in science fiction and for his views on technology: “I don’t try to describe the future. I try to prevent it.” This quote encapsulates the foreboding tones found within most of Bradbury’s tales; whether it is warnings against atomic warfare, time travel, or pure inventions being used for evil, these tales all promote the idea that technology can have serious consequences. Furthermore, this notion becomes even more true when taking into consideration works like “Fahrenheit 451” – a society bent on the burning of books, a world where Firemen do not put out fires, but instead start them. In this fictional reality, Bradbury undoubtedly takes inspiration from past concepts of banned books and magnifies them into a dystopian future. Yet, it is stories like these that make us wonder…could Ray Bradbury have been onto something?
In November 2022, the artificial chatbot known as ChatGPT was released; this chatbot has “redefined the standards of artificial intelligence, proving that machines can indeed ‘learn’ the complexities of human language and interaction” (Marr). This form of technology does not simply end here however; the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, has been around for years integrating into our everyday lives – from smartphones to smart toasters, to even smart cars. To be honest, human civilization is just one atomic bomb away from ending up like the society depicted in “There Will Come Soft Rains:” desolate and forgotten with nothing but automated machines remembering what we once were – “The clock ticked on, repeating and repeating its sounds into the emptiness” (There Will Come). While I completely agree that it is foolish to ignore modern technological advancements, the purpose of this article is to evaluate technology under a different lense, one where an over reliance of such must be forewarned.
Albert Einstein – the very scientist who influenced laser technology – once said “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity,” and to this I think Ray Bradbury would agree. At what point do humans rely on Artificial Intelligence so much that we are no longer independent? Sure people argue that “it is the future,” but if this future is anything like what Ray Bradbury describes, then I want no part of it. While we as a civilization must foster the aid given by AI, we more importantly need to create a clear line between it and our reality. Similar to how having a “work-life balance” is encouraged, the same must be said for an “Artificial Intelligence-life balance”; the two will undoubtedly intertwine, but to what extent is what must be decided upon. Therefore if AI is too heavily integrated within our lives an over dependence on technology will become inevitable. The stories written by Ray Bradbury – although fictitious – lend a powerful warning against such and show how fast society will fall when technology is misused. We as a people must instead limit our reliance on AI – to the extent that we are able to – and instead start depending more on our own ability.
Works Cited
Marr, Bernard. “A Short History of Chatgpt: How We Got to Where We Are Today.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/05/19/a-short-history-of-chatgpt-how-we-got-to where-we-are-today/.
“There Will Come Soft Rains Quotes: Course Hero.” There Will Come Soft Rains Quotes | Course Hero, www.coursehero.com/lit/There-Will-Come-Soft-Rains/quotes/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
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