Screened as part of a series of Cambridge Festival events focused on 'Reproductive Futures', The Pod Generation is a light-hearted, yet thought-provoking film focused on the possible dangers of a future that prioritises progression of technology over intimate aspects of human life.
The screening of this film was hosted by Cambridge Reproduction, a strategic research initiative at the University of Cambridge focused on exploring the various challenges that arise within the field of reproduction. Alongside continuing advances in reproductive technologies, modern society is of course also facing an undeniable new wave of technology centred around artificial intelligence (AI). In response to the many questions and concerns prompted by these co-existing realities, Sophie Barthes' 2023 sci-fi comedy presents a somewhat unsettling insight into a future that takes assisted reproduction and AI to the extreme.
At the start of the film, we are introduced to Rachel and Alvy, a young New York couple at the cusp of wanting to start a family. Despite being deeply in love, the two have their differences. Rachel is a career-driven tech company executive, while Alvy is a nature-loving botanist. Set near the turn of the 22nd century, the film proposes a dystopian future in which advancement of AI technology and humanity's definition of 'progress' are one in the same. Humans also appear to have completely lost touch with nature, which unfortunately for Alvy, makes a career in botany effectively obsolete. Far more in tune with the mindset of this generation, Rachel is over the moon to land a highly coveted opening at the Womb Centre.
In this futuristic AI-centric world, pregnancy is regarded as a hindrance to one's career. Fortunately for ambitious and career-driven women like Rachel, the Womb Centre offers a solution. For a presumably not-so-small fee, couples (or single women) can opt to have their fetus reach full-term within artificial wombs called 'pods'. Despite Alvy's unsurprising initial scepticism, the couple ultimately agrees to sign up for this tech-driven journey towards parenthood.
Analogous to an Apple device – if that device was the size of a large watermelon and contained your unborn child – pods monitor the fetus' needs and communicate these via an application on your phone. Pods are also portable, enabling expecting parents to inconveniently carry the pod around with them as they go about their daily activities. Additional selling points of the pods include assurance that fetus will be at no risk of exposure to toxins and that the fetus' nutritional uptake is completely customisable. Despite detailing many of the pod's new and exciting features, the film does gloss over some of the fundamental biology.
A biologist myself, I admittedly could not help but wonder how this technology managed to bypass the need for a placenta. However, while I would have loved to have learned more about this proposed feat in science, the film is very clearly more concerned with the societal messages it aims to convey. An overt discussion of 'artificial' versus 'natural' reproduction, the film makes poignant claims about the trajectory of modern society, while also drawing attention to contemporary themes. Allusions to the privatisation of reproductive technologies and women's autonomy highlight the level of thought and awareness that went into the script.
Although the film very clearly addresses serious and topical themes, The Pod Generation simultaneously manages to not take itself too seriously. Amid predictions of a world that commodifies human reproduction and encourages corporate invasion into our personal lives, the film's satirical sense of humour adds levity to an otherwise distressing take on the future. Accompanied by a well-matched soundtrack and hugely talented lead actors, the film strikes an impressive balance between being disconcerting and humorous.
Beyond the overriding commentary on what a technologically driven society may mean for the future of reproduction, the film touches on various wider themes. In a version of reality where AI assistants and therapists are commonplace, the film warns of job redundancy and eventual devaluation of human creativity. Start to finish, the film's take home message stares you in the face. However, while the film is arguably lacking in subtlety, I believe it achieves what it set out to. An entertaining, though at times slow, piece of speculative fiction, The Pod Generation is first and foremost a vehicle for posing timely and uncomfortable questions.
Since the conception of the world's first IVF baby less than fifty years ago, assisted reproduction has seen significant technological and social advances. Now also in the midst of an AI revolution, The Pod Generation is a well-timed, albeit ambitious, thought experiment that touches on many pertinent themes. Struck by the unexpected cheerfulness of a film that cautions against commodification of pregnancy itself, I encourage those interested to watch it for themselves.
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