George Lucas: Unintentional Prophetic Genius

Yes, believe it or not, this is the face of genius.

We all know that George Lucas is both genius and idiot. A genius for his wondrous creativity at coming up with engaging worlds and the basis for stories within them, but an idiot at actually telling those stories his way, without guidance or interference. We're all well aware of that by now, but there's another aspect to his genius—completely unintentional—that hasn't really been addressed: the anthropomorphization of artificial intelligence. 

The droids in Star Wars appear to think, feel, and act like humans. C-3PO screams and cowers in fear, egregiously bungles delicate social interactions despite being programmed for communication and etiquette, and nervously worries about everything. R2-D2 blatantly ignores orders because he thinks he knows better, curses and talks back to pretty much anyone and everyone, and cracks more jokes than Mitch Hedberg. BB-8 regards strangers as creepy selling-candy-from-a-van predators, feels conflicted when put in awkward social situations, and cares about people enough to feel grief.

They have distinct personalities complete with character flaws, intellectual errors, and emotional shortcomings. This is great for story-telling, as instead of some boring mechanical object lifelessly following orders and detachedly communicating, droids are treated as actual characters that we can connect with, be interested in, and feel empathy for. We care about them just as much as we do any of the human or alien characters. And that's precisely why Lucas anthropomorphized them. I don't actually know for certain that's all his intention was, but based on the level of intelligence and critical thinking he has displayed all these years, it's a pretty damn safe bet.

However, treating droids as people isn't only great for us as the audience, it's also unwittingly genius foresight into the future of artificial intelligence. Ever since the concept of A.I. was introduced, we humans have always had some degree of fear and apprehension about it. Love, compassion, and empathy are elements that we instinctually know are essential to our humanity. They bind us, bond us, and protect us. They are what make us human, and what make life worth living.

So anything that doesn't have love, compassion, or empathy scares the hell out of us. After all, what's to stop A.I. from destroying or enslaving us? And even if we don't hold such extreme fears, we still worry how we can really talk to it, understand it, or be understood by it. Cold, unfeeling, uncaring A.I. is something we naturally fear, and perhaps always will.

Therefore, if we look at this in the context of the Star Wars universe, treating it like an actual world with actual people who make actual choices, it's quite a smart move that A.I. there thinks, feels, and acts human. The creators of droids clearly understood the fear that all emotional beings, human or alien, innately have for A.I. They deliberately made droids seem human in order to be palatable. I use "seem" since what exactly makes something human is up for debate, but the droids clearly aren't just putting on a charade. They are fallible. They make mistakes. They act based on their own flawed logic, instinct, and feelings. Just watch any C-3PO and/or R2-D2 scene. For all intents and purposes, they are basically human.

Thus, the people of Star Wars don't instinctually fear droids. Instead, they feel comfortable interacting with them and having them around. Droids feel like people to them, albeit programmable, controllable, disposable slave people, but still people. Some even feel friendship with droids and treat them as such. Of course, droids as conscious, emotional, and real but enslaved people opens up a whole new can of worms, as does the question of the usefulness of highly fallible machines prone to mistakes and conflict, so...let's not go there. One thing at a time. For now, the point is, though artificially created, droids are an organic part of civilization, universally accepted. 

Perhaps that is the key to the success and integration of A.I. into our own real lives, and George Lucas unintentionally stumbled upon it. If this is the case, then let it be known, even if it pains me to say it, that George Lucas is a prophetic genius. Or maybe just a bumbling droid.