Real Humans collection
Real Humans (Swedish: Äkta människor) is a 2012 Swedish science fiction/drama series set in an alternative near-future version of Sweden where consumer- level humanoid robot workers and servants are widespread. The series follows the resulting emotional effects on two families as well as the trials of a group of robots who have attained free will and want their freedom from human ownership.
10 total · 6 choice · 4 major
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| AI point of view | choice | The series revolves around a collection of renegade Hubots, along with their cybernetically enhanced leader Leo, struggling to free their android brethren from bondage. The story frequently features these as well as other Hubots and how they perceive the human society in society in which they are a part. In rh2012e1x07, Niska suggested to Bea that they could either swap places or collaborate in the seduction of Roger, demonstrating how little she comprehended of the human psyche. |
| AI prejudice in society | choice | The series is premised on the idea of conflict arising between "real humans" and androids known as Hubots. Various characters displayed sweeping prejudices against Hubots, echoing nationalistic and racist attitudes found in contemporary societies. In rh2012e1x06, Eva lashed out at Flash with a bigoted tirade against Hubots. In rh2012e2x01, Kevin was recruited into the Real Humans youth group. He attended a meeting where hateful views were expressed against Hubots. |
| AI rights | choice | At the center of the story were whether and to what extent Hubots ought to enjoy legal protection against various kinds of mistreatment, like people do. Season 1 revolves around a collection of renegade Hubots, along with their cybernetically enhanced leader Leo, struggling to free their android brethren from bondage. In the early part of season 1, the renegade Hubots worried whether humans would accept them or persecute them. In season 1, Inger took on a lawsuit against the nightclub that possibly discriminated against her friends, Therese and Pilar, for denying their Hubot boyfriends entry. The latter part of season 2 concerned what rights Florentine should have as a Hubot spouse, later widow, and mother. |
| android | choice | The story is set in parallel society where servant androids, known as "Hubots", are commonplace. |
| ethnic hatred | choice | The series is premised on the idea of conflict arising between "real humans" and androids known as Hubots. Various characters displayed sweeping prejudices against Hubots, echoing nationalistic and racist attitudes found in contemporary societies. In season 1, Roger, Bea, and Malte, masterminded a plot to bomb the local Hubot market. In season 2, Kevin became an enthusiastic member of the youth wing of the "Real Humans" anti-Hubot political group that was agitating for the destruction of all Hubots. In rh2012e2x04, the Real Humans' violent disruption of the transhumanist party recalled race violence and lynchings in, for example, 19th century America. In rh2012e2x05, the Real Humans had a youth movement that agitated for the destruction of all Hubots. In this installment, Kevin attended a youth camp for the movement. In rh2012e2x06, some Hubots and humans were at each others throats. The viewer is left to draw parallels to real world cases of race driven violence. In particular, the rhetoric used in the meetings of the Real Humans and their youth wing echoed that of nationalist parties everywhere. In rh2012e2x10, the Real Humans were outraged by the possibility that Florentine might be granted certain human rights, a band of Real Human teens went to the Hub Battle Land with intentions of venting their aggression on Hubot thralls, and one youth floated the idea of a Hubot "holocaust". |
| machines in society | choice | The premise of the entire series is that androids, called "Hubots", have become commonplace in every corner of society. Explored is whether and to what extent these androids should be treated as real human beings. |
| AI risk to civilization | major | The series builds up to a confrontation between liberated hubots and human society and in Season 2 it became clear that some hubots see their mission as taking over and ruling over humans. For example: Ove once speculated that the Hubots would overthrow humanity unless they were stopped. The main antagonist, Bea, spelled out her master plan for Hubot-kind to rule Earth. Gordon once intoned "I am a child of David. We will never die. We are going to rule." as Bea sought to extract the android brain from David Eischer's recently exhumed corpse. Bea remarked about her designs on a Hubot takeover. |
| android clone of a person | major | Season 1 builds up to the revelation that the Children of David Hubots were quasi-clones of David's loved ones. In rh2012e1x06, Lennart was told that his insurance included a "digital scan" from which it would be possible to create a Hubot clone of him. In season 2, the Lennart Hubot clone became a central character. In rh2012e1x10, a decision was looming over whether to upload some semblance of Lennart into a Hubot body. In a flashback scene, David was shown having his consciousness transferred into the body of a Hubot, revealing that the renegade Hubots at the center of the entire series had their origins as real humans. In season 2, Jonas' main impetus was to shed his disfigured body by transferring his consciousness into a Hubot body. In rh2012e2x01, Jonas unboxed the Hubot into which, as the viewer would later learn, he intended to transfer his consciousness. In rh2012e2x02, deciding whether or not to activate the Lennart clone was a key point of drama in the story. Jonas revealed his plan to transfer his consciousness in a Hubot body. In rh2012e2x03, the Engmann family activated the Lennart clone, only to find him uncannily different from the real article. In rh2012e2x04, the presence of the Lennart clone in the Engmann household became a source of strife, as the clone showed marked affection toward Inger and the children, but openly resented Hans and Vera. In rh2012e2x05, the Lennart clone went haywire. Bea and Cloette had located the David clone, only to find that its brain was missing. In rh2012e2x06, the Heb Sec authorities hauled off the Lennart clone when they chanced on him raving in the streets. In rh2012e2x09, Jonas' story arc culminated catastrophically. His long-planned scheme to transfer his consciousness into a Hubot body didn't pan out and he died. |
| the desire to be human | major | Season 1 leads up to the revelation that the many of the Hubots longed to be human in some capacity. For example, Flash said that she wanted to have a human baby. In rh2012e1x08, when questioned by Roger as to why she joined the anti-Hubot activists, Bea proffered that it was because she wanted to be human. In Season 2, Flash adopted the name Florentine and lived covertly as a human, eventually marrying and raising a human infant. In rh2012e2x01, Florentine wished above all to have a human family and therefore she did everything she could to woo Douglas. In rh2012e2x02, Florentine wished above all to have a human family and therefore she did everything she could to woo Douglas. In rh2012e2x03, Florentine wished above all to have a human family and therefore she did everything she could to woo Douglas. In rh2012e2x04, Florentine spelled out to Mimi in no uncertain terms that her one ambition was to live her life as a human. Mimi herself tried to fit in by acquiring a job with all the rights of a human coworker. In rh2012e2x07, Florentine, a Hubot who longed to live as a human, had brought home an infant she'd swiped from a hotel room, out of her deep desire to raise a family with Douglas. In rh2012e2x08, Florentine was essentially living as a human widow with a child. The latter part just as she'd long desired to do. In rh2012e2x09, Florentine was essentially living as a human widow with a child. The latter part just as she'd long desired to do. |
| what is sentience | major | Compared and contrasted are three categories of being: humans, Hubot androids, and a new kind of Hubot that somehow bridges the divide. This raises the question of whether and to what extent either the Hubots and advanced Hubots have sentience comparable to that of humans. |
20 component stories
| Story | Date |
|---|---|
| rh2012e1x01 | 2012-01-22 |
| rh2012e1x02 | 2012-01-22 |
| rh2012e1x03 | 2012-01-29 |
| rh2012e1x04 | 2012-02-05 |
| rh2012e1x05 | 2012-02-12 |
| rh2012e1x06 | 2012-02-19 |
| rh2012e1x07 | 2012-02-26 |
| rh2012e1x08 | 2012-03-04 |
| rh2012e1x09 | 2012-03-11 |
| rh2012e1x10 | 2012-03-18 |