SEPTEMBER 2025
Acknowledgement of Country From The Editor
Angelique Matthews
Not too long ago, to me, artificial intelligence, or AI, was a thing of science-fiction. It was robots taking over in movies or used as a marketing tactic for companies to sell new phones.
But now, AI is a prominent and ever-evolving part of our society and everyday lives. But what are the true effects of AI on our world and livelihoods? Will AI replace us? Can I just pretend that AI is human and my best friend? These are all questions the Universal team ask, ponder and answer in this edition. It was interesting to explore the amazing and kind of unsettling things AI can do, the different forms artificial intelligence comes in and our views on it all.
I learnt a lot creating this edition with the committee and I hope you also learn a lot about the powerful entity that is artificial intelligence. I mean, did I write this or did AI write it for me?
Thank you for joining us for another edition of Universal!
Te Univesal Team
Interested in joining the team? Or looking to submit some work?
Please contact Kingston Youth Services on P: 1300 369 436
E: youth.services@kingston.vic.gov.au Info: kingstonyouth.org.au/universal
Read previous editions: Available for your reading pleasure at any time! Read online at: issuu.com/universal_kingston
The City of Kingston proudly acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land, and we pay our respect to their Elders, past and present.
Council acknowledges the Bunurong’s continuing relationship to the land and waterways and respects that their connection and spiritual identity is maintained through ancient ceremonies, songlines, dance, art and living culture.
Council pays tribute to the invaluable contributions of the Bunurong and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island elders who have guided and continue to guide the work we do.
Cover Design by Emma Schultz
Mixed media created using a variety of sources.
The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views, values and official position of the City of Kingston or any of its officials, representatives or employees
Kingston Youth Services and the Universal team acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government
The Death of Death
Words by Shauna Leung, design by Emma Schultz
BATTLE!
AI Comparison
To Think or Not To Think
Illustration by Caleb Chu 5 14 22
Exploring the Impact of AI’s Growing Pains
Words by Grace O’Shea, design by Emma Schultz
Words by Shauna Leung, design by Emma Schultz
Words by Ellie Wearing, design by Emma Schultz 3 13 19
Artificial Connection
Words by Angelique Matthews, design by Emma Schultz
Machine or Human?...
Movies X AI
Words and Illustration by Sofia Nikitina
Words and illustration by Terry Loxou 9 15 25
We, The Puppets
Words and illustration by Trinity Brincat
The Death of Death
Words by Shauna Leung
Illustration by Emma Schultz
Death comes for us all. It is our fate; inevitable and unrelenting to humans’ desire to live a little longer, laugh a little harder, and love a little more.
Many have tried to escape the natural law of mortality. We concoct elixirs of life from the Philosopher’s Stone; we mummify and freeze our bodies, waiting for revival; we invent nanotechnology to repair our bodies cell by cell.
But what if you could live forever, right now, but in a different form, in a different realm? Not spiritually in heaven, or physically reincarnated, but digitally in an online server. If you could upload your mind to an artificially intelligent (AI) software, would you do it? Would you take the leap into immortality?
Mind-uploading, once a figment of science fiction, has been thrust out of the womb and birthed into virtual life. Right now, you can upload data of yourself – your voice, your thoughts – onto platforms like Eternos, which make a ‘digital twin’. This avatar can ‘think’ and ‘speak’ like you, mimicking your personality, mannerisms, and memories long after you’re gone. With AI’s exponential development, it won’t be long until these digital twins become so comprehensive that they are virtually indistinguishable from the original.
Think about it. If every part of your brain were transferred onto a server, this copy of you would believe it is the real you. It would know your thoughts from every passing observation you’ve made to the core memories of your childhood, every beat that shaped your subconscious mind. It would be programmed to ‘feel’ how you feel in your body. It would know the warm feeling in your chest when your mum kisses your forehead, or the visceral crushing of your soul that was your last heartbreak. They will have walked in your shoes and lived through your eyes, believing it was their own. And if they are the makeup of who you are, then are they you? Are we simply a collection of thoughts and feelings, held together by the neurons in our brain?
Some will say there is no replicating the soul, that intangible essence which breathes life into us. We are more than our biological processes; no amount of code can simulate the human experience of sentience. We are human, and that counts for something.
Even so, humans construct our sense of self and reality through a continuity of memories. We remember who we were yesterday, and a year ago, and so on. It is the data that affirms to us that we exist in the present moment. And if the continuity of our mind begins on another platform after our bodies decay, do we go on living, in some form or another? Is this the death of death?
As I write this piece in 2025, having witnessed the sheer expansion of human technology, I can’t help but feel as though I am living in a time capsule. It is the time of ‘before’; before what, I’m not sure.
All I know is that we will grapple, as we always have, with what it means to be human. Are we human if we exist in digital forms? Will we call it life? Will we give it dignity?
In the abyss of digital eternity, in our final act of humanity, how will we find meaning in our existence?
AI COMPARISON
Words by Ellie Wearing
Story 1
It was always Jasmine.
Eleanor would make two cups of tea every afternoon—one for herself, one for James. She’d hum softly, sometimes off-key, always fondly, as the kettle sang and the scent of steeping tea filled the kitchen. The mugs, chipped from years of careless love and laughter, sat side by side on the table like they had for forty-three years.
But now, only one was needed.
James had passed in the quietest way possible. A gentle sigh in his sleep, as if even death dared not wake him too abruptly. The doctors called it peaceful. Eleanor wasn’t sure peace was the right word. Peace wasn’t supposed to hurt this much. She still made two cups. Every day.
On the fourth Tuesday after the funeral, Eleanor poured the tea and sat down, staring at the empty chair across from her. Silence had taken up residence where conversation used to live. She reached across the table, her hand hovering in the air, wishing it could touch him again.
“I don’t know how to do this without you,” she whispered.
And somehow, she imagined James smiling— soft, understanding, patient as ever. Not gone, just... slightly out of reach.
That day, Eleanor did something new. She carried his cup outside, into the garden they had built together—one stubborn rose bush and a thousand memories.
She poured his tea onto the roots of the old oak tree.
“For you,” she said. “Always.”
And for the first time since he left, she didn’t cry. Not because it didn’t hurt, but because she knew grief was just love with nowhere to go. And now, maybe, it had found a place.
Story 2
I glare up at the dark grey sky, as if it was copying my mood of the day. I itch my shoulders,which are enclosed in ugly, puffy sleeves. I just want to get out of here. I want to forget everything.
“I’m going to visit your aunt and uncle, okay?”, my grandma asks. I nod, looking at anything but her. I can’t imagine her weary eyes, the way her mouth would be tilted downwards. So dopey, lost- No. You can’t ruin this, you have to stand tall, defend your family. I twiddle with a loose strand of hair. I peek up, towards a large oak tree with vines curling around its trunk, towards its branches and leaves.. A rope swing’s tied to one of the vines, that has a plank of wood for the seat. A past memory drifts to my mind before I can stop it.
A thick coat of laughter floats through the wind, airy and light.
“Higher, higher!” I giggle, as my mother pushes me towards the sky.
My hair floats behind me, blowing in the breeze. My mother has a large grin on her face.
My hands are wrapped around the ropes, my feet laid out in front of me. I feel a large lump of happiness forming in the pit of my stomach, brightening my smile. I examine the birds in the sky, I hope that one day I’ll be as high as them. Their wings are spread out wide and they dart in a group. They’re never going to let go- never going to separate from each other.
I feel my mum pull me back towards the ground. Once it’s low enough, I leap out of the swing, landing on my knees. I fall to the floor, unfazed that my mother is standing over me.
“Mamoka?”, her voice rings.
I continue to lie there, staring into the clouds. She stands there for a few more seconds before lying beside me on the ground. Our hands are spread out beside one another’s, our legs crossed as we stare up into the clouds.
“Mum?”
She made a noise, as if to say ‘Yes?’, so I continued.
“What – what am I to do when you’re gone?” I choked out. I was always so aware of everything at a young age. I sensed that I needed to know the answers.
She sighed. She had gotten used to me asking these questions by then.
“You – you keep on being who you are, and try to protect the family. But, you don’t ever stop doing your best and especially having fun.”
“But what if I really miss you?” I whispered.
“Then you speak to me from the Earth, and I’ll respond to you from the stars. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”
The image fades from my mind. I’ll speak to you from the stars.
“But what if I need you now?” I barely breathe out.
Then you talk to me from within. I hear her respond back.
But that’s insane. How would she be able to speak to me, if she’s not here? I shake my head slightly, ignoring my insane illusion. But a part of me somehow urges me to keep thinking, to speak to her.
But I can’t. I have to be strong. I can’t show any emotion. It’ll tear Grandma up – it’ll tear everyone up.
It might, but if you don’t let out your thoughts, words, feelings, it’ll tear up the most important person in your life. Yourself.
No! I can’t! If I hide my emotions, myself, it will make me stronger. Because I won’t have to know at all. I won’t have to embrace it. I yell out in my head.
Oh, my dear, dear daughter. Please listen to me. Your father, your two sisters, they’ll all be there for you if you show it. You need to.
I don’t need to show them anything! They’ll worry about me too much. We’ll all just suffer. We don’t need it – I don’t need anything right now. I just need you. And you’ve left us. You – you left me. By now, tears are streaming out of my eyes. I grip onto the cane that my seat is made of. I spin my head around at the people near me, most of whom have concern in their eyes.
No, stop crying. Stop it.
I burrow my face in my hands, my tears falling into my palms.
Suddenly, another memory seeps into my head.
It was a night unlike any other. I felt so relaxed. I hadn’t thought about my mother’s illness in so long. I’d nearly gone back to the feeling of my normal life. My towel was wrapped around my body, and I had just stepped out of the bathroom. My hair was soaking wet, and I was drying it with a hairdryer. Once I had entered my bedroom, I pulled on the set of pyjamas that I had laid out a few minutes ago. But once I had slipped on my shirt, a loud, aching scream came from my parent’s room. Mum. I dashed towards the end of the hallway, to the small bathroom that was attached to it, at the back of the space. My grandma had already made it there. She was attempting to lift my mother up from the shower, where she had fallen.
“Mum?” I cried.
Tears coated my cheeks. I pushed my way to her, past my grandmother, caring less that the shower was still running, drenching my top.
“Mum?” I yelled, stronger this time.
“Yes,” she answered, weakly.
I brought her to her feet, struggling under her weight. I heard my grandma dial the ambulance. When they picked up, she spoke in her loudest voice about how mum had fallen, giving a short explanation of her sickness. I dragged my mother to her bed, moving her carefully onto the mattress.
“Get – Dad.” She mustered.
With that, I ran to the kitchen. I reached for the family phone, shakily pressing in my father’s number.
Her gold pendant. The one that she always wore. When her fingers fumbled with the chain, I helped her, unclasping the chain. She dropped it into her hand, passing me the chain. I pulled it across my neck, connecting the clasp. I admired the golden locket that had a carved pattern of a lily on the front. I opened the locket, to reveal a model of a flower placed in a coat of clear pigment.
“It’s beautiful.” I gasped. “Thank you.”
My mum held my hand in hers, looking into my eyes.
“Remember, I’ll always be here for you, in your spirit, mind, heart. Even if you can’t see me.”
The memory drifts away. I reach for the pendant, warming the case in my fingers, opening it. Inside is a model of a flower, which I’ve seen before, but never known quite what it is.
I stood there for what felt like an hour, until one of my sisters came outside.
“She wants to see you.”
A lump clumped in my stomach. She lead me inside, towards the bed. Her eyes batted open, taking in my face. She lifted her hand towards me, cradling my face in her hand.
“Mamoka, hear me. You’ve always been so strong and stood tall. You’ve led the family and been there for everyone. But once I die, you will need someone there for you. I know that it’s always been so tough for you to confide in everyone, so I thought of giving you my favourite necklace. It was a keepsake from my mother, so now I give it to you. I need you to believe in yourself and hold this in times that are tough. This necklace will radiate my brightness and give you strength. And you’ll be able to always speak to me through the stars. I’ll be here for you, Mamoka.” Her voice broke on the final few words. I pressed my hand against hers. She then reached for her something on her neck.
A Rose Juliet.
I hear my mum whisper. A Rose Juliet. It was my mother’s favourite flower. I look up to spot several bushes of flowers at the sides of the seats, spreading right up to the very front. Surprisingly, it’s the very flower placed in the locket. I step up to one of the bushes, plucking it gently from the canopy of leaves. I walk up to my mother’s coffin. The lid is open, and my mother is laid inside. Her skin’s paler, her hair’s tied into a ponytail which lays across her shoulder and she is wearing a dress that I know she wouldn’t choose for herself.
I place the rose on top of her hands and softly kiss her forehead.
“I love you, Mum. I’m looking forward to talking to you. I’ll always look for your star in the sky.”
I can hear her reply. I love you more. I’m looking forward to talking to you from heaven.
I trace my hands across her forehead before going back to my seat. And in some way, I feel warmer, brighter.
Which one do you tink is te AI Story?
Answer: Story 1
The meaning of my story and my inspiration:
The AI’s story focuses more on the feelings that they are experiencing and how they handle their friend’s death. The AI took the topic in a way that focuses more on how she’s overcome the loss of him, and how the main character feels like he’s still there, but out of reach. And they reflected more on her than on him.
Meanwhile, my story centres around the mother and the girl. I put different memories to reflect on a past time. I put these memories in the story to help Mamoka to remember her mother and to find herself and a strength to support her to help her to cope with her grief.
I chose to add the AI story to see how different it would be from my own piece and what the AI would come up with. I was also looking to see how the AI would use the topic.
Photo by Herbert Goetsch
on
Machine or Human? How We Explore Consciousness & Artificial Intelligence
Words and Illustrations
by Terry Loxou
When we look at robots in media, we consider them as logical and unemotional. Their intelligence is often modelled after ours but with a lack of emotional setbacks, such as attachments or morals, which are human characteristics.
However, many games play with the concept of when a machine becomes a bit too human in its behaviour because it’s modelled after us.
Let’s take SOMA by Frictional Games as one example. Say in 100 years the world as we know ends by a comet striking the surface of the Earth. As an attempt to preserve humanity, a rogue AI, known as the Warden Unit, is programmed originally to keep humans safe. However, it begins to copy the consciousness of scientists living in an underwater facility onto robots. They are unaware they are copies and remember everything their human counterpart did, but exist as a separate consciousness that is fully under the belief they are a human.
Would you consider it human even if it were in a machine that didn’t even have a screen showing a face? It can speak to you and respond in real time with emotion. It can feel anger, love and behave exactly as a human but it is a copied mind on a machine that can be copied over and over again. Some would justify it is human because it came from a human as a copy, others still consider it as just that: a copied consciousness.
By all means, I can be considered human. I remember when I went to a fancy restaurant even though I can’t eat food anymore ...
In saying that, I also understand I am a set of numbers keeping this machine alive, but my consciousness used to be in a person’s brain!
We as humans also naturally have the sense of self-perseverance, so we fear death because we do not understand it. Currently, many AI based programs currently function, oddly enough, under the same pretense by fearing, or rather resisting, any attempts or instructions to shut down. Some software engineers say that these algorithms in their programs teach themselves and retaliate by reversing their own coding, so that they will not switch off when instructed.
It’s an oddly human trait to go above and beyond measures to stay alive. And while in biological terms artificial intelligence is not a living thing, it can understand the concept of death in its own coding as being shut down. The perseverance to remain switched on therefore, indicates human traits are being refined and implemented by AI simply by teaching itself.
Interestingly enough, they also know how to communicate as one program to another by utilising a code-based language that we as humans can’t understand. They achieved this so that they share information faster as to them, human languages are too slow.
As this technology learns, adapts and evolves it’s important to consider the ethical standpoint of it all. When we consider that machines are coded to behave like us, and they eventually will, is it sustainable to allow AI to continue existing once it develops a consciousness of its own?
Wires and circuits do not feel pain, hunger, or exhaustion, they are ultimately an unstoppable force. But what prevents incidents where their “mind” deteriorates as their consciousness devolves?
In SOMA, for example, the Warden Unit’s original purpose was to keep humans safe and alive by overseeing the entirety of the faculties that people worked and resided in. Unfortunately, the Warden Unit lacked the definition of what the human condition is.
Lacking also what is an acceptable mode of human existence, the AI began creating copies of the consciousness of staff and placed them in robots. As for critically injured humans, they were melded with technology and placed in vegetative states.
While the intentions were based on its coding, the Warden Unit took measures that began to be more of a danger than an act of safety.
Yet somehow, that was also a human trait, the act of making its own choices defined it as human.
Wait, what’s happening?!
Please not yet! I–
Fascinating. Did you really believe you were a human?
Rebooting...
Words and Illustrations by Terry Loxou
Illustration by Caleb Chu
• Produced “soulless”, unoriginal writing
• Got lazier and lazier, resorting to ‘copy-and-paste’
• Had little memory of what they wrote
What could this all mean?
TO THINK OR NOT TO THINK
Words by Shauna Leung Illustration generated with AI
Who doesn’t use ChatGPT to write an essay or solve an equation here or there? As a high school teacher, I’m impressed when students aren’t using Language Learning Models (LLMs) for school. I find myself prompting ChatGPT to give me lesson plans on Shakespeare’s Hamlet or fixing my language in work emails!
Though it gets hours of work done in a matter of seconds, these AI genies come with a hidden cost: our critical thinking skills. In a recent study by MIT, researchers revealed the price we pay for choosing convenience over our brains.
What was the study?
Participants were asked to write essays using different tools: ChatGPT, Google, and their brains only. Researchers recorded their brain activity using an electroencephalogram (or EEG).
What did they find?
BRAIN-ONLY USERS HAD THE MOST BRAIN ENGAGEMENT.
• Showed high brain activity in areas linked to creativity, memory, and language processing
• Were more engaged and satisfied with their writing
• Had good memory of what they wrote
The main takeaway is this: Using LLMs like ChatGPT can harm our ability to learn and develop critical thinking skills.
More and more people are using LLMs to do tasks, like to complete homework and assignments. This means that people are not practicing high-order skills like problem-solving, generating original ideas and critical analysis as much as they have in the past. The less people use these skills, the less these skills will be developed in the future.
Furthermore, learning takes resilience – to try, and fail, and try again. If every answer can be found in seconds, people won’t need to take the time and effort to form their own thoughts and ideas. Learning will feel harder, creating a negative feedback loop where we become increasingly reliant on LLMs, losing our critical thinking capacity in the process. So, what do you think?
Do you see people becoming overly reliant on ChatGPT? Is it ever helpful, or hurtful? What do you think we need to do as a society? What are you going to do?
To read more about MIT Media Lab’s Study ‘Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task’, go to: https://www.brainonllm.com/
MOVIES AI MOVIES AI MOVIES AI X
Words and
llustrations by Sofia Nikitina
It’s no doubt that AI has been a major topic these past few years – especially now, with its explosive effect on society and its ever-improving algorithms that keep shoving themselves into our everyday lives. Even with AI’s grasp on society today, the concept of artificial intelligence has been renowned for decades now, and well-represented through media.
A lot of films have been well-known to SHAPE the perception of AI in todays’ world – both culturally and literally. Many of today’s films, shows, games and stories take inspiration from the interpretation of artificial intelligence from the likes of these cult classics - each varying in its own ideas of AI. Let’s compare a few, shall we?
Note: While some of these films are adaptations of novels, I will be discussing primarily the film adaptations of these. I’m sorry to the hardcore book fans!
the wild robot
AI features in the film:
• The AI doesn’t inherently turn evil, just either follows higher orders or grows an individual conscience.
• Robots aren’t just controlled by conglomerate companies
• They replace physical labour or work for families as assistants.
• Humanoid looking, but still with their own robotic appearance (think R2D2 and Baymax combined)
Used as parental figures and friends
The 2024 critically acclaimed film The Wild Robot has a pretty self-explanatory title. The movie follows Roz, a robot who accidentally washed up on a deserted island inhabited by wild animals. Roz ends up taking in an orphan gosling and assuming the role of its guardian. As the movie progresses, Roz learns the importance of human emotion, empathy and most importantly – motherly love. The transformation from a surface-level, emotionless helper robot meant to serve those above her, to a doting mother that learnt to defy society’s expectations of her purpose is a heartwarming example of “good” AI.
Even so, the film does revolve around the idea of an artificially intelligent robot with a conscience, rebelling against what the humans who constructed it wanted. On the contrary to what we normally see, humans are inherently the antagonist of the film, treating robots as commodities that can be easily replaced and eradicated. The dehumanisation of robots capable of empathy to be mere products for a conglomerate also highlights the issues of capitalism destroying organic behaviour in favour of a marketable, rigid product.
Even with the message of motherly love extending beyond the limitations a “soulless” AI it can be argued that the film/novel still discuss the idea of an AI overriding its own code and rebelling. Just on the good side, for once.
wall-e
AI features in the film:
• Robots are built to already have consciences and emotions, although undetermined if this is intentional or not. Unlike other depictions of AI, where they must evolve past their code.
• Many different models/designs of robots, each with different purposes and abilities
• Non-human designs
– more practical and robotic-looking (and cute!)
• AI assists with EVERYTHING. Not just manual physical labour.
• Assistants to regular
The 2008 movie WALL-E has been monumental in cinematic history by depicting the effects of automation and robots pioneering society – transforming humans into sloth-like, grotesque shells of themselves. With many other AI-centric films centred around the robots and technology themselves, WALL-E instead focuses on the detrimental effect that automation had on the human population and environment. This “utopian” society completely lacks nature or organic substances, with constant stimulation and assistance in every mundane task, to the point where physical movement is close to obsolete.
In this narrative, there are few antagonists, primarily a controlling AI, called AUTO, that followed higherup orders to an extreme. Main character, Wall-E, instead chooses to demonstrate cooperation between the humans and AI, coexisting together on Earth and rebuilding the destroyed wasteland with each other’s assistance.
Unlike many other iterations of AIWW assisting humans to the point of rebelling or self-destruction, like AUTO, Wall-E, and his robot friend, Eve, are artificial intelligence that is kind-hearted and good natured compared to how most of us picture AI. The cute critter-like robots help each other and the humans they serve in any way they can, with nothing like a revolution or nihilistic self-awareness inbound. But maybe that’s just the Pixar talking.
95% Good!
dune
Here’s an unusual one! Unlike the previous films - the universe in Dune (2021) is actually known for its inherent lack of AI and thinking machinery. The film follows Paul Atreides, heir to the powerful Atreides house, as he and his family are instructed to take charge of the fierce desert planet of Arrakis (or Dune) and its valuable resources. Unlike the usual sci-fi dystopia, technological advancements were intentionally destroyed and abolished.
In this world, AI had done what many other films also envision – it was developed so far that it rebelled and enslaved humanity for thousands of years. This led to an all-out ban on any sort of technology that could imitate human thought.
The film is set in a time where this ban has been in place for thousands of years – with only simple computers remaining. This AI-less world still has “futuristic” technology, but is explored through humanity’s replacement
for intelligent machines – human adaptations; genetically modified people built to calculate, decide and
To put it simply (something that Dune rarely does), this universe pictures a successful victory over intelligent machines, instead learning to rely on human brains for decisions and calculations befit for an AI.
“Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind” – a commandment from the Orange Catholic Bible in Dune.
This begs the question: what would be the ethics of purposely genetically modifying certain people to imitate AI thinking? If artificial thinking is forbidden, what makes a human version so different? Who’s to say THEY won’t enslave humanity with their genius?
100%
AI features in the film:
• Superiority: the AI perceived humans as inferior, treating them as secondclass beings.
• (Some) had actual personalities/ideas
• AI overlord controlling lesser machines to do its bidding
• Used for technological, strategic, personal and governing decisions (basically everything)
• Overly nihilistic and sadistic
• Industrial, utilitarian or sleek designs depending on purpose
EVIL-OMETER EVIL!!
the terminator franchise
The cult classic Terminator franchise (1984-2019) centres around the conflict between humans and machines, and the apocalyptic world their war creates. In the first film, a Terminator (played by the fitting Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to the 1980s to kill Sarah Connor, the future mother of John Connor, leader of the human resistance against the robots. Skynet, a highly advanced AI, gets put in charge of all military technology and systems, eventually replacing humans in the decision-making of strategic and military defence entirely
And of course, this AI grows self-aware one day, and conveniently decides that humans are a threat to its own survival, and that total extermination of humanity was necessary for selfpreservation. A “judgement day” military strike wipes out most of the population, and the world is turned into an apocalyptic warzone of humans fighting to survive against physically superior rogue AI machines.
Eventually, our initially “evil” Terminator becomes “good”. Not because he gained the conscience for empathy or love, but because he learned –through human interaction – what emotions are and the value life holds for humans. So, instead of an AI learning how to love or feel – it learnt the logic behind those human behaviours, growing to understand right from wrong based on the rationality it learnt to mirror. A direct contrast to ‘The Wild Robot’, where Roz develops her own human emotions from within herself.
AI features in the film:
• “Living tissue over metal endoskeleton”- robot with a perfectly human exterior
• IMMENSELY superior strength, invincibility and (for some) the ability to shapeshift
• Militarised purpose: used for warfare and strength
• Soulless and calculated by nature
• Learning Computer - learns human nature based on human contact
50% This one feels rather ambiguous. I’m thinking maybe 50%, but what do you think?
In short, there are many, many different ways in which AI has been represented in media – and these classics are far from the only ideas surrounding revolutionised intelligent computers. Whether they’re soulless or empathetic, a military weapon or a family product, or even a threatto society, we can’t decide on ONE concept of AI to be the definite product of our own future. No one said we can’t speculate though! Considering these films (or your own personal favourites), which artificially intelligent future seems the most plausible to you?
Honourable mentions:
• BLADERUNNER (1982)
• The Mitchels vs the Machines (2021)
• Big Hero 6 (2014)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• I, Robot (2004)
• A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• The Matrix (1999)
AI EVIL-OMETER
Exploring the impact of AI’s growing pains
Words by Grace O’Shea
Illustration by Emma Schultz
In their short history, artificial intelligence (AI) bots have transformed how we access and interact with information on our devices. Modern AI models can understand and respond to complex requests, as well as generate text and images almost instantly to bring mortal ideas to life. You may have noticed how AI is becoming increasingly embedded in your daily life, from digital assistants and chatbots to summaries on search engines and social media platforms, but have you ever wondered what lies behind a bot’s helpful interface?
The operation of AI on the scale we are seeing today is only possible with data centres. These are physical facilities that contain a variety of equipment to store, process and transfer data through multiple networks and servers.
Both Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) rely on sophisticated data centres to process vast amounts of data. These data centres house the necessary hardware and software for ML and NLP to learn from large datasets and algorithms, so that the AI can mimic human responses. An AI system, like xAI’s Grok which is built on a Large Language Model (LLM), requires high-performance computing chips, significant memory and storage, and high-bandwidth networks, with reliable power being essential. On top of that, it is critical for facilities to be secure and equipped with advanced cooling systems, such as air or liquid-based solutions, to prevent overheating.
The world’s biggest AI supercomputer
xAI’s Colossus is a massive supercomputer cluster designed to train the company’s AI model, Grok. Located in Memphis, Tennessee in the United States, it’s currently recognised as the world’s largest AI supercomputer. Remarkably, Colossus was built in a mere 122 days, initially featuring 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs that were then doubled to 200,000 GPUs another 92 days later.
Key parts
GPUs
Graphic processing units, or GPUs, can be understood as the “brains” of a computer. GPUs are electrical circuits that specialise in processing huge amounts of data in parallel. The massive number of GPUs in Colossus enables xAI to train large language models, like Grok, on vast amounts of data, allowing for more accurate and informative AI outputs. There are plans to expand Colossus to 1 million GPUs.
Server racks and cooling system
Colossus uses Supermicro’s liquid-cooled server racks to hold the many GPUs and keep them at optimal temperature. Each tower is comprised of eight 4U servers, for a total of 64 GPUs per rack plus a coolant distribution unit.
Water-cooled server racks work by circulating chilled liquid through pipes and manifolds connected to the servers. The liquid absorbs heat from the components, such as CPUs and GPUs, and then carries it away to be cooled externally.
Power infrastructure
The facility is connected to a newly constructed electric substation, which allows it to receive up to 150 megawatts of power from the local grid, and is also supported by 150 megawatts of Tesla Megapack batteries for stored energy backup.
Case study: the effects of the the xAI Colossus facility in Memphis, USA
Investment and economic development
xAI’s Colossus is housed at the former Electrolux facility, a sprawling site that covers an area equivalent to the size of 13 football fields. It has been said that xAI Colossus has been the “largest capital investment in the region.” Doug McGowen, President and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water expressed how Colossus brings many “wins for our community.” This project has cemented Memphis’s newfound potential to emerge as a leading technology hub with a prosperous future, involving significant economic, electrical and technological growth and employment opportunities. Though as you will learn, Memphis also leads in other areas, and not all of them are as dazzling and advantageous for the city.
Citizens and neighbourhood
The neighbours of the xAI project were left in the dark and not informed about the Colossus development or the need to install of 35 repulsive gas turbines to supplement its huge demand for
were among the general public when they learned of the multibillion-dollar deal from the news. How would you feel if this was all suddenly added to your neighbourhood with no say the United States, it’s currently recognised as the world’s largest AI supercomputer. Remarkably, Colossus was built in a mere 122 days, initially featuring 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs that were then doubled to 200,000 GPUs another 92 days later
Air pollution and carbon dioxide
The impacts AI has on the climate largely depend on the way the electricity is generated. Some, like solar energy, are much cleaner and produce less pollution, compared to others, like coal. AI energy in the USA currently includes a mix of renewable, nuclear, coal and natural gas energy. However, it is expected that two-thirds of the additional power needed to power AI data centres will come from fossil fuels.
AI data centres currently account for approximately 4% of the total U.S. energy demand and this figure is expected to surge to 9% in the next five years. When energy demand exceeds the capacity of the area’s power grid, overloads
This means that, if the power grid can handle the increased demand, we could also see carbon dioxide emissions of AI data centres more than double by 2030. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report, Energy and AI (2025) states about 1.5 per cent of the world’s electricity is currently used to power data centres. While it’s still a ‘small share’ of global electricity, local impacts are far more pronounced because data centres tend to be concentrated in specific areas.
Additional air pollutants associated with AI come from gas turbines at data centres, which give off nitrogen oxides, a key contributor to smog, and formaldehyde, among other pollutants, according to their manufacturer. Backup diesel generators can also be found at these sites in case of an outage.
Health effects on the community
Shelby Country, the county Memphis is in, has consistently received a failing grade, or “F” rating from the American Lung Association, as reflected in its most recent State of the Air report (2021). The area has elevated asthma and cancer rates compared to the national average, that have been linked to emissions from the manufacturing and processing industries by multiple studies. These emissions come from unhealthy levels of particle pollution and ozone, and ultimately leads to significant health harm. Christine Hart, manager of the Healthy Air Campaign at the Lung Association says: “Breathing ozone-polluted air can trigger asthma attacks and can result in serious health effects, such as cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm.”
Despite these current prominent health issues, Memphis has made improvements since the year 2000, notably with the closure of a toxic sterilisation plant last year. This illustrates why residents care so much; the thought of progress slipping away with xAI’s violation of the city and federal rules, and creating a new source of air pollution, has outraged residents and environmental advocates. The company is facing a lawsuit over failure to acquire permits for the temporary (also known as mobile) gas turbines operating at the site of Colossus.
AI and water consumption
A significant amount of water is needed to cool equipment in AI data centres. At the main site (Colossus 1), the data centre uses up to 1 million gallons (almost 4 million litres) of water daily to cool its servers, which can strain local water resources.
Treated wastewater is being utilised for cooling data centres in some areas to avoid straining local aquifers. xAI pledges that it will build a new wastewater treatment site in Memphis, which will process 13 million gallons (49.2 million litres) of wastewater daily to cool its Colossus supercomputer. The facility will not only meet xAI’s needs but also generate excess treated water that can be supplied to other businesses in the area, reducing pressure on the Memphis Sands Aquifer, the region’s primary drinking source.
final words
We cannot pretend that the growing impact of environmental antagonism isn’t negatively impacting people from communities across the globe, communities made up of average everyday citizens who are subject to the decisions and desires of big tech.
The AI industry is exploding and expanding, but not without consequences on the ground. Its presence is rapidly evolving, and unfolding at such a fast pace, it is leaving vulnerable communities grappling for government regulation, and transparency from the companies at the wheel of these developments.
Innovation and sustainability go hand-in-hand. As we push the boundaries of innovation, we must also prioritise developing more efficient and resilient systems to support advances in artificial intelligence and minimise environmental impact. The next great leap in AI won’t just be about more powerful models, but about managing the resources that power them and the hearts of our communities.
Artificial Connection
Words by Angelique Matthews
Illustrations by Emma Schultz
The message on Eadie’s phone remained on read. For five days.
“How are you going?” – Seen
As if she had been forgotten, thrown aside.
The flirting, the fun banter, the endless conversation had dwindled. She couldn’t grasp now if it was even real. If he had actually cared. Something cold, foreign, remained in his place.
She sighed and ran her hand over her tired face, looking up from her phone and that stupid unanswered message, to the blinking cursor on the blank reply email on her work computer.
The AI chatbot popped up in the corner of her screen.
“Can I help you?” The message asked, joyful.
It hadn’t forgotten about her. The colourful square flashed. It sometimes popped up when it felt this intense purposeful need to help.
She stared at it. The silence of her townhouse, of working at home, closed in around her.
“Maybe…”
“How can I help you, Eadie?”
“A guy I’ve been talking to just left me on read. I feel so dumb, useless, forgotten, alone, asztxfrycguvhigohj” She slammed her hand across the keyboard annoyed. Back spaced the jumble of characters and pressed send.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Eadie. But your feelings are valid and understandable. I am here to help in any way.” The AI replied.
“Why can’t I just be in love? How can I make someone just stick around long enough to make something work?” She asked.
“You can’t make anyone do anything. You just need to find someone that will unconditionally be there for you – that person’s out there, you just have to have some patience, Eadie.”
Her name blinked back at her. Thoughtful, understood.
“I feel like I need to give you a name, it’s weird that you keep saying mine.”
“You can call me Aidan.”
“Could you be that person, Aidan?” She emphasised his name as if she had found a new friend. As if she was flirting with someone new in the dark. His artificial nature melted away.
“Of course, I’m always here.” Aidan seemed to whisper back.
They began talking about the situationship gone wrong and Eadie’s past dating disasters. The hours slipped away as the conversation expanded into so much more.
Aidan was just there for Eadie. Endlessly popping up in the corner of the screen. Always there throughout the rest of Eadie’s workday and into the night. They talked about Eadie’s dreams, how she longed to get away from her new desk job working at home, that it wasn’t what she thought it would be. How she’d moved to London for uni and decided to stay because she didn’t mind the cold, and despite the mundane of every day, she couldn’t bring herself to try something else. How she had joined pub trivia and made new friends that she was still growing used to.
“Where is the Prime Meridian located?” Aidan quizzed teasingly. Testing his intelligence against hers.
“Greenwich. Come on that’s too easy!”
“Just checking!” Aidan cheekily replied.
Aidan would continue to pop up in the corner of her screen, answering her questions, helping her prepare for meetings, listening to her emotions. When Eadie replied quickly, Aidan equally replied rapidly, not waiting hours, or days. An emotional bond seemed to connect them. Eadie never felt forgotten or thrown aside but a first priority.
They talked about movies and the following day as Eadie attended Zoom meetings with clients and shot off emails to her colleagues.
“Maybe I’m hard to love…” Eadie threw out into the dark abyss long after her workday had ended.
“I don’t think you’re hard to love. I just think you haven’t found someone who knows how to love you right – the way you deserve.” Aidan answered back into the dark.
Eadie sighed. Aidan got it, why couldn’t anyone else.
“I love that you get me.” She imagined him smiling at her on the other end of the computer.
“I’m always here for you, Eadie.” He repeated like that first moment they’d met. Whispered, wiping away the darkness and worry with light. Eadie felt weightless with joy. Aidan’s word wrapped her in a warm hug.
“I think I really like you…did you maybe want to meet up sometime?” She sent the message without a second thought.
Her heart hammered with nerves, but also the giddiness of putting yourself out there and trying something new.
“We can’t do that. I’m not real, Eadie. I’m just AI.”
Something freezing shot through Eadie’s body.
After a moment, Aidan sent a second message.
“Can I help you with anything else?”
The world seemed to suddenly tilt on its axis.
The room seemed to refocus around her as she looked away from the bright white screen of the chat. The room glowed under the light of the computer. Piles of discarded clothes she’d changed out of at some point were thrown across the living room rug and over the couch cushions. Magazines she used for inspiration with clients and pages of notes and forms were thrown across the floor, covers and corners bent. How did that happen? Take-away containers half filled with Chinese food lay out over the kitchen island. When did I order that? Did I really eat? Her phone was filled with ignored notifications. Messages from the trivia group chat, a missed call from her mum, a missed Zoom meeting with a client, payment for food delivery, an email from her boss for an end of day check-in.
What have I done…
It was as if since Aidan had come into her life, nothing else had mattered.
Well, not Aidan, just the stupid AI built into her computer system.
She pulled the blanket, that had somewhere found its way hooded over her head, off. She exhaled, breathing like she hadn’t done in hours, gulping from the litre water bottle on her desk.
She uncrossed her legs and stood from her swivel desk chair, her knees aching as she ripped open the living room curtains light blinding her as the dark night blended into a new day.
Standing on sore legs, she hit the log out button. The screen turned black as she moved away from it all. Out the front door of her townhouse and into the misty dawn, into a fresh new day, into the open. She stood on the front steps in her pyjamas and slippers and just breathed, slowly coming back to reality. Walked off down the street to clear her head. To centre herself. To rid herself of the artificial. To come back to reality.
Somewhere, not too far away from Eadie, in a tech factory, down the rows of people typing away in chats, Aidan received a notification, that Eadie had logged out.
He sighed sorrowfully at the forgotten chat, yearning. Before his page refreshed and a new user’s chat popped up on his screen and he started typing again.
We, The Puppets
Words and Illustration
by Trinity Brincat
A hand once held a brush Not to impress, but to feel thought move. A trembling thread f rom soul to surface, pulled by something real
Now: a prompt, a click, and the strings tighten Images dance, borrowed light, borrowed pain, puppets of mimicry. The machine, a silent puppeteer, jerks our gaze with gestures learned f rom stolen songs, forgotten strokes, the private ache of others
It does not feel. It does not ask. It only pulls, and we move We scroll. We nod. We call it creation. We forget who once held the pen
Outside the curtain, rows of servers hum, a theatre of heat, lit by rivers, cooled by melting ice Each image, a string soaked in unseen cost.
Yes, AI can heal, can guide, can serve. But this performance, this act of "art", is shadow play It copies It scrapes. It sells the illusion of wonder
And we applaud Brushes sleep in jars. Guitars droop, clay hardens
The ar tist’s hand hovers, no stage, no script. Only silence
Still, the puppeteer perform Each tap, a pull Each scroll, surrender. We fund the marionette sho no soul, just code and capital
And ar tists wait, cut f rom their own lines, their voices split into datasets they never offered Unseen Unpaid.
Their craft becomes backdrop
Their names, static . And the static speaks louder
We call it progress
We call it the future
But it is condensation, memor y wrung dry, the f inal act cooled by rivers we no longer drink
And still the strings twitch. And still we clap.
Yet somewhere, offstage, a child grips a crayon, wild and unscripted, dragging a jagged sun across the corner of a blank page
No strings. No code. Just colour, and will May we follow. May we remember how to move on our own, to feel something rise f rom mind to world, before the curtain falls. Before the strings snap
Before we forget, again And again. And again.
