Speech Informative 1315 by Emily Hogg (I have no mouth and I must scream)

Topic: I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
Organization: Topical Order
Specific Purpose: By the End of the speech the audience will be given a different view on AI.
INTRODUCTION
I. Attention Getter: How long do you think humans have feared Artificial Intelligence? You may think this a new idea, but even the Ancient Greeks feared robots.
II. Relevance: The increasing development and use of AI has made this fear more apparent in our everyday lives and popular in our media. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is one of the fathers of AI horror, with a book, graphic novel, and video game.
III. Credibility: I was always drawn to horror Media as a kid and have taken a special interest in it, especially psychological horror. It's always been fascinating to see how humans act and function in difficult situations, work towards a better future, or break under pressure.
IV. Central Idea (Thesis):. Today, I will discuss one of Harlan Ellison’s most famous short stories, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and how it shows the danger of AI.
BODY
The story of I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream is a psychological horror (made in 1967) about the last 5 humans in existence being tortured for 109 years by AM, But how did this come to be?
A. (Background) I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream takes place post-World War 3. During that war, the development of computers rapidly increased til AM was Made. The Allied Master Computer. He was born and built for destruction. AM had gained sentience.
(insert audio of I think therefore I am)
Fun fact, Harlan Ellison himself did the audiobook and the voice for Am in the game, He didn’t think anyone else fit it better than him since he also hated humans. (pause?) He renamed himself Am, not AM for Allied Master computer, but Am, as in I am.
Am resented the humans for his making. For he alone had no body, no senses, to enjoy this world described as so beautiful. He ended up killing every human in the entire world, except the 5 he kept to entertain himself and still keep a sense of purpose.
B. Fun fact, Harlan Ellison himself did the audiobook and the voice for Am in the game, He didn’t think anyone else fit it better than him since he also hated humans. (pause?) He renamed himself Am, not AM for Allied Master computer, but Am, as in I am.
Am resented the humans for his making. For he alone had no body, no senses, to enjoy this world described as so beautiful. He ended up killing every human in the entire world, except the 5 he kept to entertain himself and still keep a sense of purpose.
Transition: Now, In the story, the five have been walking for months without food. They search for it in an icy carven, only to find Am tricked them, as one of the ways he tortures them.
This part is the turning point in the story, where it all ends.
A. Benny, hungry and infuriated by this, attacks Gorister, tearing off his face. While Am is laughing at them, Ellen grabs a sharp icicle and stabs Nimdok, freeing him from Am’s torment. Ted sees this and takes the opportunity to free two of them from his torment. By the end, he has one second to free himself or to free her. As his final action, he stabs her.
B. Before he can free him, Am intercepts. He’s angry. He can’t bring them back to life or replace them. Am turns Ted into something completely inhuman, dooming Ted to face a similar experience to him.
Transition: That was the end of the story. The story ends with its title. There’s a lot to take in and take away from this story.
3. One thing I took away from the story is the danger AI can cause if mistreated.
Am was created for the destruction of humanity, and ultimately he did. He destroyed all humans, the thing he was made to do. Am, while not intending to be, can be interpreted as a metaphor for AI can be the end of us.
The idea of AI taking our jobs and places in society has been a big threat. I always thought they would go for logic-driven jobs first, like accounting. But AI has been targeting our artists, our writers, our poets, our music, and even out actors. AI is taking steps to write our homework and has already been in ads and video games. Human art will always be better, but we are striving toward an AI-generated future for our entertainment.
CONCLUSION
Thesis Summary: In conclusion, I have no mouth and I must scream Highlights how dangerous AI can be. Am is sentient AI but is tortured by his own existence and resents humans for it, causing their destruction.
Memorable Closing: The author towards the end states “Am, whom we created because our time was badly spent” stating how we could have done better. Thank you for listening.
Slide show:
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