Charlie Brooker, the creator of the dystopian anthology series Black Mirror, debuts its sixth season on Netflix on June 15. Brooker explained that the core of Black Mirror is not about technology, but rather it is about people. The new season features shifts in tone, incorporating gory monster movies and a rumination on racism in 1970s Britain, among others. It is packed with an impressive cast, including Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, Aaron Paul, and Josh Hartnett. Brooker wrote the series towards the end of the pandemic, having put it on pause during the lockdown. He returns with a fresh perspective on people’s relationship with technology.
Brooker also said that the new series is not a warning about technology, though it does sometimes point out the nightmarish consequences that can occur when humans’ relationship with technology becomes unhealthy. However, he stated, generally in the stories, it’s a weak human who messes things up rather than that there’s an inherently evil device being used. The show has often been praised for being ahead of its time by predicting the impact of virtual reality and the potential consequences of social media pile-ons.
Brooker addressed the recent controversy surrounding AI and ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot. He acknowledged that he missed ChatGPT, as the season was already wrapped up, but is familiar with its capabilities. He said, It’s good at doing generic text. That’s why it’s useful for cover letters. Or you could get it to emulate the style of a very neutral news report. It’s not a fact-checker. It can’t go out and report on things. So I don’t think it’s ever going to, touch wood, replace human writers.
Brooker’s intention is not to warn audiences about technology but to inspire them to think more critically about their relationship to it. He acknowledges that the future can be unpredictable and that his show can only explore possibilities, not predict actual outcomes. Overall, the new season of Black Mirror explores the human condition through a lens of wild imagination and technology, creating an entertaining yet thought-provoking series.
