Samuel Reddick

Professor Ingram

UWRT 1102

March 28, 2016

Multi-Genre Reflection

I decided to make a movie review for what I think are currently the most accurate and thought-

provoking portrayals of AI in popular science fiction movies as well as a time line that details the

development of computers to date. I stated in my fifth blog post that my target audience would be a

relatively young (forties or less) of people curious about what the future of technology means for

people. After further class discussion, I realized that the type of audience that reads things like

interesting Reddit forums and BBCs Features and Analysis section would probably be my best bet. I

will do my best to stay away from the technical details of artificial intelligence and cutting edge

technology in general. After all I am certainly no expert nor will I be one for a great deal of time, but

what I do have to offer is curiosity and time to invest in the investigation of what I find to be an

intriguing topic. I think for a subject as specific as mine, one needs an audience who is very similar to

themselves, so I think that this more specific group of Internet surfers is right for my ePortfolio.

I cant say what my thesis will end up being, but right now I can speculate that it will have

something to do with what I see as the most responsible course of action in the development of AI and

technology in general. I believe that I was correct in assuming earlier that my main sources will end up

being fiction writers in different mediums and philosophers with a bit of actual scientists sprinkled in.

Again, it is very unlikely that I will become an expert in what is a very complicated field in a short

time, therefore I think that its wise for me to avoid any of the actual scientific information about my

topic unless it absolutely necessary for me to engage with it.

Before looking at the list of possible genres, I found myself in a bit of a panic for a few days. I

had no idea which genre or even medium would be most appropriate for my topic. This led me to stress
about it for those days, until I read over the list of examples in detail and saw the movie review. I

recently watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for what might have been the third time and I still didnt

understand it fully, but this last time with the end in mind I made an effort to better understand HALs

actions. This led me to realize just how much accurate thought about computers and their potential

imperfections in regards to intelligence went into that movie. The movie review idea brought this

memory back and made me want to use this opportunity to honor those movies which I thought either

most accurately depicted future AI or brought up the most valid points on the subject. These sorts of

lists are commonly enjoyed all over the Internet for various topics, and I realized that my target

audiencebeing like me after-allwould probably enjoy them too.

When we first began discussing the Multi-Genre project in class, my group helped me realize

that a time line would be another effective piece to help my audience understand my topic. I think that

the time line should be read first which is why I put a copy of it on my homepage. That way, the

audience will have a solid grasp of the rapid pace of development in the field of computer science

which will allow start drawing conclusions of their own about the future development of AI systems

and other technologies. I would hope that the movie review would be read after reading a few of my

blog posts first since the list is more about my opinion and really just serves to promote discussion

about our current portrayals of artificial intelligence.

So far in my ePortfolio as a whole I have relied heavily on the linguistic mode of

communication in the form of text. As I have said in the midterm essay and one of the earlier blog

posts, this mode is my comfort zone. This fact is reflected in the movie review which turned out to be

far more writing than I initially intended. I am mildly happy with the time line at this point though

since I was able to make it visually appealing with the color-scheme. I hope to appeal to the visual

mode more in both of these pieces as I figure out how to use either Weebly or LINUXs (discount

Microsoft) software to create better looking documents.

 In regards to Aristotles appeals, ironically I think that Ive been consciously focused on

minimizing pathos instead of using it, choosing instead to focus on logos when describing believable

situations for the future. As reflected by my words in the movie review I think that at this point in time

fear of AI is blown way out of proportion. This is not to say that I dont think that it is a potentially

dangerous technology; it certainly is. I try to avoid perpetuating the sensational aspects of the subject

though because AI if possible in the form that humanity is trying to create, is inevitable. I dont want

the audience to be bombarded with worst-case scenarios for this topic because I feel like my target

audience is the type to disdain blatant paranoia for the future instead choosing to look at other likely

possibilities. Avoiding pathos here should give me more ethos with the audience that Im looking for

since Im willing to look at the future from what I think (and hope) is a more realistic perspective. The

last important component for my relationship to the audience will be my timeliness overall and in

particular with my multi-genre projects. With the time line I think the kairos is obvious since as I said

before it gives the audience an introduction into where they are in computer development history, but

less obvious with the movie review. Kairos is important here because as the audience gets to see how

humanitys depiction and understanding of AI changes as technology develops in the real world.

In the end I feel like these two pieces will be very effective in setting the mood for my audience.

The time line will make an easy entry point into the advancements of the past 200 years and the movie

review will be an effective tool that incorporates common culture and the idea of artificial intelligence

seamlessly. Whether the particular member of my target audience is well versed in the topic or not, they

should be able to enjoy the visual appeal of the time line and the conversational approach of the movie

review either way.