Failure Defines Humanity

What does it mean to be human? How has developing technology forced the answer to this question to change?
 

Before watching Ex Machina, my perception of what made us human was much simpler. Without worrying about machines, I thought that advanced thought, the capacity for creativity, and controlling a wide range of emotions was enough to separate humanity from other species. After watching Ex Machina, this perception of what made us human was more convoluted, as Ava, a robotic artificial intelligence, seems to display almost every human tendency. However, I do not believe that Ava is human because it lacks the one trait that separates humans from machines: limitations that stem from mortality.

Similarly to the movie Ex Machina, the novel Never Let Me Go also grapples with this problem of defining humanity. The main characters of the book are Ruth, Tommy, and Kath, who are clones. While Ex Machina focuses on Ava's astute capabilities, Never Let Me Go revolves around the clones' struggles. These struggles are what separate them from Ava. While the clones are portrayed as less than human throughout the entirety of the book, I would argue that they are indeed human because of their mortality and limitations.


Humanity of Ava

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Throughout Ex Machina, Ava displays human behavior and tendencies. It shows advanced thought when understanding the complexity of friendship, criticizing Caleb when all he does is question it, saying "that's not a foundation on which friendships are based"(Ex Machina). Friendships and relationships are central to the human experience, and Ava has no trouble forming one with Caleb during their interviews. This high level of thought, along with its creativity, is also seen when it shuts down the power by surging its batteries.

Ava continues to highlight human propensities through its complicated emotions. Ava is able to display a wide range of emotions from anger all the way to attraction, as it tells Caleb that it "[wants] to go on a date"(Ex Machina). While mimicking humans emotionally, it is also able to imitate humans physically by putting synthetic skin over its exoskeleton.

As the scenes of Ex Machina flashed across the screen, these thoughts went through my head. I couldn't help but look over and wonder if the people sitting next to me, the people I had been around for weeks now, were actually robots. The terrifying answer that the movie forced me to accept is that I could not be absolutely certain. Ava illustrates seemingly every human tendency that we classify as uniquely human. So why is it not human?    


Lack of Limitations 

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Ava is not human because it lacks limitations. Throughout Ex Machina Ava shows no physical limitations, as it is created from unnatural parts and manufactured materials. After getting its arm severed from its body, Ava easily replaces it with a duplicate one like nothing ever happened. A human would have been maimed if they had undergone that trauma. Possessing a seemingly endless lifespan, it could continue functioning as long as it has charge on its battery.

Ava also experiences no limitations on knowledge throughout the film, as it has access to the entirety of the internet. It knows exactly when Caleb is lying about being attracted to her, as it detects "micro expressions ... the way [his] eyes fix on [her] eyes and lips"(Ex Machina). This knowledge was innate in Ava, unnaturally known without having to learn it. Its intelligence does not just originate from the internet, as it accumulated data from "every microphone and camera across the entire fucking planet"(Ex Machina). Its creator, Nathan, allowed Ava access to almost infinite information, both public and deeply private.


Humanity of Clones

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Like Ava, the clones in Never Let Me Go display human behavior and tendencies. They are creative and talented artists, as they produce "paintings, drawings, poetry; all sorts of 'sculptures'"(16). This wide range of capabilities highlights the clones' intelligence and high level of thinking, as they are able to become skilled in many different disciplines. 

While this art was the clone's main focus during their time at their school, Hailsham, they still understood the value of relationships and friendships. As their creativity and artwork improved, the clones friendships also strengthened. After becoming angry at Kath, Tommy realizes his mistake and apologizes that he is "awfully sorry ... honestly"(14). These relationships accentuate the humanity of the clones, as they care for others around them.

However, the clones are treated as less than human for the sole reason of being created unnaturally. The idea of clones scared most people, so they "preferred to believe ... [clones] grew up in a type of vacuum"(262). Like Ava, the clones were confined and isolated from the rest of society because of their origin. Being so similar to Ava, why should the clones be separate from Ava and considered human?

Antithesis to Ava

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The clones are human because they possess limitations. In direct opposition to Ava, the clones show physical limitations as they have similar biological makeup as humans. As the clones make their donations, they experience "a flood of pain"(236). This suffering cannot be remedied by simply replacing the organ that they lost. As they make more donations it becomes harder for them to function as their health continues to decline. During a walk after Ruth's donation, Kath realizes "Ruth's breath coming less and less easily"(222). Unlike Ava, the clones are not able to just charge new batteries, and eventually "complete"(287).

While Ava was created with almost unlimited knowledge, the clones at Hailsham must constantly learn more about themselves and others. At the beginning of the novel, they have no idea that their purpose is "to donate [their] vital organs"(81). They are extremely shielded in the beginning of their lives, but must grapple with this difficult fate for the rest of it. Their artistic skills and capabilities are not innate, as they incrementally improve "over a three-month period"(16). While Ava has instant unrestricted access to unlimited information and skills, the clones must have patience as they slowly expand their knowledge in the confines of Hailsham.


Failure Defines Humanity
Though Ava replicates humans in almost every way, it exceeds the criteria. While humans like to think that they are superior to everything, they are a deeply flawed species that fails to live up to this standard on a daily basis. Ava is more intelligent and more durable than any human can naturally be. It truly is superior to everything, which is why it can never be human.

The Hailsham clones are human in every way. They have the same biological makeup, incomplete intelligence, and restricting limitations. With these limitations comes the failure that is critical to humanity. The failure to know everything. The failure to live forever. These failures keep us from becoming the technology that we utilize everyday. These failures keep the human life exciting and purposeful, as it is a never ending journey for new knowledge and experiences.