Just watched Hoppers and I’m surprised this hasn’t been picked up more widely. The parallels with AI and its risks are hard to ignore once you see them.
A few things worth noting:
The setup mirrors our current moment almost exactly. The lead scientist developing the world-changing technology is called Dr. Sam. Her invention lets humans cross a communication barrier that was previously impossible: entering the animal world through embodiment. LLMs did the same thing for the digital world. We can now navigate machines through natural language.
The alignment problem is right there on screen. Mabel uses the technology to reach her goal, but the technology has its own logic and momentum. What it produces isn’t what she intended.
The governance message is explicit. No single person or group should control a technology this powerful even when we have good intentions.
The real cautionary tale in Hoppers isn’t aimed at the tech builders. It’s for the users, the ones who convince themselves that it is the only way to solve the world’s problems. The consequences in the film flow from that belief. Not from the tech itself.
Curious if anyone else read it this way.
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