Passengers

With December around the corner, the new year is just days away. I'm one of those who enjoy the cold weather, layering up, sipping a warm filtered coffee without rushing and walking in the snow. As the beloved months approach, my enthusiasm for engaging myself in a trilogy of books, TV shows, and films at home has increased. During this period, I managed to read many of the books I've collected. Moreover, the book I'm about to tell you about narrates a disturbing and frightening event that we might face in the future. Although someone else is responsible for the incident, the reason for its occurrence is not entirely unfamiliar: the overall adoption of autonomous vehicles and an exaggerated reliance on artificial intelligence.

We're in England, in the year 2019. The use of autonomous vehicles controlled by artificial intelligence has become widespread and is further encouraged by the government. It is claimed that the prevalence of autonomous vehicles leads to a reduction in accidents caused by human drivers. However, to determine responsibility in accidents involving autonomous vehicles – whether it's the driver, pedestrian, another driver, or, heaven forbid, the autonomous vehicle itself, a "Vehicle Investigation Jury" has been established, consisting of experts and a randomly selected individual from the public. The jury watches footage of the accidents, discusses what they see, and identifies and punishes the responsible party. Of course, despite the encouragement of autonomous vehicles by the state, these machines are never held responsible even if they cause an accident, and the blame is placed on the human victims. The only jury disturbed by this situation and raising her voice is Libby, a randomly selected individual who distrusts artificial intelligence based on her experiences.

We glimpse into the lives of eight different people waking up to a pleasant morning in England. A relatively unknown television star, a pregnant woman, a man inclined towards suicide, and a few others. Despite their different lives and stories, their common issue is getting into their vehicles that day. Suddenly, all eight autonomous vehicles are hacked, and live footage of the passengers unable to control them is broadcast worldwide. The hacker who has taken control of the passenger's vehicles speaks, stating that only one of these people will survive, while the others will die today by sharing their cars, and the survivor will be determined through an online poll on social media. After the speech, some passengers scream in panic, while others think it's a camera prank. Libby, trying to make sense of the events in the jury, is equally confused. A poll shared on social media breaks the silence: "Who would you want to die first?"

The storyline of "Passengers" narrates a current agenda that we face in our daily lives or that becomes widespread with new technologies. After reading the book, you begin to think about how each of us gives ourselves to artificial intelligence, technology, and perhaps an autonomous vehicle in some way every day. However, another noteworthy element in the book is the cruelty of social media. We realize that people behind the keyboard do not hesitate to send another person to their death, do not care about all these events as if watching a movie, and see this situation as an opportunity to break free from stereotypes that they are dissatisfied with in social life. We also have the opportunity to observe Libby, symbolized as the conscience of the public, trying to prevent events and make her voice heard within a jury that overwhelmingly supports autonomous vehicles. Towards the end of the book, "Passengers" takes an unexpected turn, adding another layer of excitement and leaving readers eager to reread the book from a new perspective.

While the conclusions that readers will draw from the book may vary, my conclusion was that it is important to think not only about the potential risks of technology, such as "robots taking over the world," but also about the human capacity for cruelty and ruthlessness. The book led me to believe that people's heartlessness and mercilessness on the internet are more advanced than I thought. Let's see what you think...

All that’s happened here is that we’ve reached a new level in our history where decisions have been made as to your importance to your country.

A priest I knew once told me “a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle".