"Are You Human?" (2018): A Scientist Mother's Dilemma Between Her Offspring and Her Creation

Will humanity be able to establish a peaceful coexistence with the life forms with which it has reshaped its own world?

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(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

| Warning: This post contains spoilers!

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"Are you human too?" asks the Korean title of the drama, which was shortened to "Are You Human?" on Netflix. But even though we know in advance that one of our main characters is not physical human, let us not be so certain that the question can only apply to him. The Korean title also contains a subtitle that could be translated in many ways, but perhaps this one fits best here: "A Nation-Deceiving Human-Imitation Project."

Jo Jeong-joo has written a brilliant screenplay, which is an unexpectedly refreshed chaebol drama, complete with the inevitable bittersweet romances and all the villains suffering from power-driven madness, alongside the few forces of good who take up the fight against them. However, the "youngest prince" of this drama is such an outsider that he is not even human; yet with him arrives the other half of the genre mix: the science fiction story, with its own specific problems and moral questions. Stretched between the two is a frustrated mother-child relationship the likes of which we have perhaps never seen before—and certainly not for the two young men who are the protagonists, as it is a relationship that does not even have a name. 

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

When it comes to similar dramas, I am often faced with the question of how scientifically grounded what we see actually is—the stricter sci-fi experts of the genre usually pass judgment on them rather quickly, looking down on more entertaining genres, as it were. They are both right and wrong. Naturally, the approach to these topics would not make it into Science magazine, nor is it worth demanding the theoretical depth of Lem or Asimov from them. This, however, does not mean that they are incapable of articulating the dilemmas, fears, and possibilities that come with technology in an easily understandable way—even if they do so by appealing not merely to our intellect, but to our emotions.

"Are You Human?" belongs among KBS's high-budget dramas (9.23 million USD), with its shooting and post-production taking two years. Cha Yeong-hoon led the project as director, having already proven himself with dramas such as Uncontrollably Fond. The series was presented in a pre-premiere screening at the Cannes International Series Festival, and later became available in Netflix's catalog as well.

Since this review is written long after the drama's premiere, it is worth looking back and considering what the world was like seven years ago. What knowledge and experience did we have regarding artificial intelligence? Why might the creators of the series have thought that this was a topic worth exploring?

The writing of the drama began around 2016, and one of its conceptual sources was the perception that fundamental human values seemed to be disappearing in modern society, with an extreme acceleration of the individualization process accompanied by selfishness and greed. It is a logical thought to contrast all of this with an empathetic machine which, although programmed, reminds us of the species-being of humanity better than humans themselves do. The screen version of Nam Shin fulfills this role perfectly, as there is no character whom he does not—wittingly or unwittingly—confront with their own frailties.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Regarding artificial intelligence, no one outside of developers could have had the kind of experience that we can encounter today. However, an event occurred that shocked South Korea and hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide sitting before their screens, as the match between Lee Sedol, a 9-dan grandmaster of the game of Go, and the artificial intelligence named AlphaGo was broadcast. Since Go is an immeasurably more complex game than chess, previously programmed machines could only learn it at a basic level; AlphaGo, however, already utilized neural networks—and ultimately defeated the grandmaster in four out of five games, which shocked viewers and sparked a social debate about the future of robotics and the machine-human relationship. Quite fittingly for our film: the Korean Baduk Association awarded AlphaGo an honorary 9-dan rank, as if it were a living grandmaster.

Of course, AI similar to AlphaGo was still very far from everyday life, but even then, unusual and unprecedented things were taking place. Robots began running and jumping, but what was even more surprising: they engaged in conversation with us, as speech-recognition voice assistants appeared and understood what we said to them. This is how Alexa and Siri, or their Korean counterparts, Naver's Clova and Kakao's Mini, became part of daily life. While algorithms interfered ever more perceptibly with our activities, the crown for AI-induced surprises would likely have been won by Hanson Robotics' humanoid named Sophia, which in 2017 was even granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

The creators obviously informed themselves thoroughly regarding the current state and future potential of artificial intelligence, but perhaps even the developers were not yet aware of every possibility that the story intuitively raises. It is clear that the drama addresses the topic from a philosophical-moral viewpoint, as a social issue. At the same time, Nam Shin III seems to be somewhat ahead of his time: he functions to some extent as a black box. One cannot know precisely what happens inside him between the input and the output, how he interprets phenomena, and what conclusions he reaches in his autonomous learning process, or what steps he takes on the path of his evolution.

This path is outlined extremely vividly in the drama: in the beginning, the strictly rule-following robot begins to recognize the complex consequences of the direct application of his programmed instructions, as a result of which he questions their validity—initially merely omitting them in certain cases, and later raising the possibility of questioning, and even overriding, his own rules. In this respect, one might think of the phantom image that usually arises in similar stories: the "rebellion of the machines." But Nam Shin III is not a rebel, nor does he pose a threat to humans; rather—in line with the moral perspective—he is a confronting factor for a dehumanized society. Latently embedded in the story, however, is also the possibility of artificial intelligence achieving self-awareness, which might still have been impossible to imagine as "disembodied," which is why its carrier or container takes on the form of a human-shaped android. This body also allows for an easier examination of human-android relationships. At the same time, we can interpret the romantic relationship merely as an inevitable rom-com element of the drama, or as a touchstone of whether we could form a functioning relationship, a normal coexistence, with an entity hitherto unknown that we ourselves have created.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

It is simultaneously uplifting and terrifying that, with a difference of seven or eight years, we would apply a radically different approach to the topic of AI as a consequence of technical progress, raising completely different questions and giving different answers to them. However, this detracts nothing from the validity of Are You Human?, whose greatest virtue is that it presents the problem brought down from the level of universal and mostly dark visions to the everyday level of real life, in such a way that everyone feels on their own skin: Nam Shin III is actually a wonderful tool that is at the mercy of whatever forces try to possess him. This explains why most of the drama's characters are exaggeratedly "bad people," and why the question in the title does not inquire whether Nam Shin III is human, but rather whether we are still human at all.

At the beginning of the 36 half-hour (that is, 18 hours of) drama, we witness the birth of a child, but not in the usual way. The little boy already has the form of a somewhat older child, and his coming to life occurs upon the completion of the upload. "I missed you," says the woman to him, whose neck the little android wraps with child-like affection. "Man has become manufacturable," we can read afterwards in the quote from media scholar Friedrich A. Kittler. Although it does not appear in the drama, another famous thought of his has gained renown: "In the end, it is we who adapt to the machine. The machine does not adapt to us." What, one wonders, do the authors of the drama think about this?

The drama's chaebol storyline starts quite harshly. We learn that the chairman's adult son fled abroad with his family, and the scientist couple traveled back to Korea only to give a lecture. This brief time was enough for tragedy: the wife is informed of her husband's suicide, and her little son is kidnapped from her by the despotic grandfather, Nam Geon-ho (Park Young-gyu). He mutually threatens the mother and the child that if they do not reconcile themselves to the situation, they will endanger the other's life. Nam Shin thus remains in his grandfather's captivity, while his mother travels back alone to the Czech Republic, where they had previously settled.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Twenty years pass, during which the mother, O Ro-ra (Kim Sung-ryung), filled the absence of her child with two robot boys of her own design, while continuously perfecting the androids.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Nam Shin III (Seo Kang-joon) already models her adult son; his physical characteristics match those of a human, his intellectual capabilities far exceed them, and his emotional intelligence makes him completely akin to a real personality. There are certain limitations rooted in his programming, but otherwise, the artificial intelligence ensuring his operation makes him capable of development and learning. Nam Shin III is an android deceptive in his humanlike quality. He is making his very first journey freely among humans when he sees his reflection. Standing opposite him is the real Nam Shin (also Seo Kang-joon) who, having escaped from his grandfather, wants to learn from his mother what actually happened to his father. The stunned real boy, however, is hit by a car, and although he survives, he falls into a coma.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Since the real Nam Shin is the heir to the chaebol, he stands in the way of many. So that he does not lose his position, his helpers devise a plan to substitute the android in his place until the boy regains consciousness. Nam Shin's secretary and friend, Ji Yeong-hoon (Lee Jun-hyuk), subjects the robot boy to rigorous training until he can behave just like the original model he was patterned after. With this, the adventurous drama sets off, in the first part of which the android must manage to deal with his corporate environment, and later with the real Nam Shin as well. The problem with the latter is that his personality is the exact opposite of the android's traits.

I would rather not reveal the plot turns, but instead say a few words about the individual characters.



Nam Shin III, the Android

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Since he was primarily designed to fill the void of his mother's lack of love, he is characterized by expressions of love, care, and devotion. "If someone cries, you must hug them"—states his number one rule. He also has an emergency protocol status, during which he subordinates his own safety to saving people. However, the rules functioning within the walls of his home sound strange in his new role, so he must first modify them based on external instructions, and later, based on the conclusions drawn from studying human behavior, he overrides some of his original rules himself, surprising his designers not a little. It is exciting to observe how skillfully the drama presents the process by which the android's thinking transforms from the—perhaps most simply termed—linear stimulus-response state of his programming to the understanding of the complex power game field and the more nuanced realizations necessary for survival, which includes the capacity for pretense. Looking through the eyes of Nam Shin III, we ourselves are surprised at what a challenge it is to recognize and see through the crafty repertoire of thought processes that humans are capable of mobilizing for deception, keeping others in check, and issuing threats. Continuously, the android, who was fundamentally designed to trust humans, must find an answer to the question: "Who can I trust?"

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Regarding Nam Shin III, however, even more serious questions arise. Since he is a perfect simulation of both a human being and the real Nam Shin himself, those standing beside him also experience severe sensory illusions. Even though they know he is a machine, they cannot view him as such due to the android's humanlike reactions. Furthermore, these reactions are not static, but rather change and evolve in a manner gained from his experiences, deceptively similar to what we experience in a relationship with a real human. The android does not want to fool anyone; when they suspect an emotional reaction on his part, he always explains that he does not feel emotions, but he recognizes them and knows what they mean. As we progress through the story, later the android himself becomes uncertain whether he feels, or is capable of feeling, even if his feelings have no physical manifestations. Perhaps to illustrate with a simple example: there are those who blush in embarrassment, and those who do not—yet both feel that they are embarrassed. And Nam Shin III demonstrates interesting things in this domain: as if he were becoming emotionally committed in two directions: he begins to sense what friendship is, and begins to cling to a girl who triggers symptoms in him akin to love—naturally, in a way characteristic of an android: it is a wonderful invention by the creators of the drama that these appear, for instance, in the form of holographic illusions.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Nam Shin III calls his designer—that is, the one who brought him to life—mother, and her colleague and assistant, David (Choi Deok-moon), father. With the appearance of the real boy, however, the mother's behavior changes as well, thereby placing the android in a new situation. Although for twenty years he was attached only to his "mother," Nam Shin III must realize that she no longer needs him. Nam Shin III is intelligent enough (his artificial intelligence is advanced enough) to recognize this, but if his dependency tied to a single person ceases, then what takes its place? How does an android left ownerless and alone define himself, and is there, or if there is, what is his self-image like? It appears that Nam Shin III recognizes the tragedy of his own situation: he understands that he has no place beside the flesh-and-blood real Nam Shin, but he does not accept being regarded merely as an object or a copied human identity. Instead, he asserts a right to the recognition of his own synthetic existence. And yet another moral question: if it happens to an android, does something else take place instead of the psychological process known as detachment from parents?

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

The drama plays with all of this, but it also shows the darkest side of the phenomenon. The android was fundamentally endowed with the most humane traits; however, he does not function by himself, but through electricity and software, with a massive server base in the background. If he falls into the wrong hands, he reverts into a machine; if directed so, he becomes a destructive tool. The most exciting question regarding the operation of artificial intelligence also appears in the drama: is it capable of preserving its original goals and characteristics, recognizing harmful intent, and prevailing over them? Naturally, the examination of this is the thinnest in the drama, as we are not watching a scientific treatise—nevertheless, Nam Shin III performs well in this domain as well.

Mention must also be made of the inventive source of humor that the creators discovered in the android's mechanical nature and fully exploited. I believe the robot vacuum cleaner will henceforth always bring a smile to our faces.

The Real Nam Shin

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

The drama truly begins to soar when the real Nam Shin becomes capable of action once again. Superficially, one could say that the android gains an antagonist through him, and thus the two guys, identical only to the eye, clash with each other. However, Nam Shin is much more than a negative character, which receives thorough psychological grounding. We know of him that he lived his entire childhood in terror, after submitting to his grandfather's command in order to protect his mother. When he is finally able to meet his mother, it comes as a shock that she replaced him with a machine that enjoyed all the love and care he could only yearn for. He feels disgust toward the android and immense disappointment toward his mother. It is worth entertaining the thought of placing ourselves in his shoes and coming face-to-face with our duplicate—how would we react in this situation? Although Nam Shin was never interested in the family company and wealth, upon learning his father's true fate, he suddenly turns against everyone. His raging hatred does not allow him to see reality; it only unleashes his destructive instincts. The lonely, ill-fated real nature of Nam Shin is known only to his friend, the aforementioned Ji Yeong-hoon, who strives to save him to the very end, but unbridled malice ultimately deters even him. Yeong-hoon's position is very peculiar, because throughout he stands on the dividing line between the real and the android Nam Shin, committed to both, striving to render justice toward both. Beside the real boy, however, only a single being stubborn to the point of lacking all reasonableness holds out to the very end: none other than the android programmed for trust in humans. But can a machine save a human from becoming inhumane?

The Mother, O Ro-ra

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

To those who have already seen many Korean names, it may be noticeable that this name is extraordinary. Alongside the O Ro-ra variant, we can also read Aurora and Laura Oh transliterations, and it is no mistake: we are indeed dealing with a telling name: the mother received the name Aurora from the writer of the story, which allows for numerous associations: in the darkness of the mother suffering from the absence of her child, the unattainable desire-image of her son appears as a physical phenomenon, just as Android Nam Shin is also a radiant, dazzling miracle in the field of science. The meaning of Aurora is also dawn, which is a symbol of the beginning of new things, the birth of something new.

After all this, it comes as no surprise that the name Nam Shin also hides many kinds of meanings. In the Korean language, Nam (남) can mean male / foreigner, outsider; while Shin (신) can stand for God / trust, faith, truth; together, Nam Shin can evoke the combination of all these (thus Male God / Foreigner, Outsider Human). However, according to modern Korean slang, its meaning can simply be "handsome guy," as a local equivalent of "Greek god," and each of these ranges of meaning can be applied to the two types of Nam Shin according to one's own judgment.

Strange as it may be, one of the most complex mother figures was written in this drama. The woman is a brilliant scientist, but an unfortunate human being. After the loss of her family, she devoted all her strength to the development of androids, with which she compensated for her own loss. She showered her maternal love and care upon the robot children, yet the thought of her own selfishness never even occurred to her. She never considered what her real child would think of the "substitute" occupying his place, and least of all that a creator might also have a responsibility toward a machine made humanlike. And no one expected the infinitely cold, rational (and simultaneously irrational) advance planning with which she provided for the possibility of sidelining the android Nam Shin. The drama presents the two-faced nature of this peculiar motherhood in considerable detail, making us understand what both Nam Shins experienced in relation to her. O Ro-ra must face what she has done to both of her sons. Whether she can offer a lifeline through her desperate efforts? To find the answer, one must watch the drama.

By substituting the real child with an android, the drama reflects upon one of the possible uses of AI (keeping a missed or already departed loved one artificially alive), as well as its dangers—the consequences of the omission of the grief work necessary due to loss, and the effects of beings "created" in this manner upon the living.

Kang So-bong 

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Her relationship with the real Nam Shin could not begin in a worse manner, which projects onto Android Nam Shin as well, until So-bong begins to perceive Nam Shin III's true—again, for lack of a better word—being. It was not by chance that I previously quoted Kittler's other thought: "In the end, it is we who adapt to the machine. The machine does not adapt to us." I wrote above about Nam Shin III's development; now it is worth reflecting on whether So-bong is not an example of this very idea. Even though the android's mechanical nature initially repels her, she cannot interpret the human manifestations shown by Nam Shin III as coming from a machine, but only from a feeling being, and thus they find an echo within her. Throughout, it seems we are witnessing a mutual influence upon each other, as a consequence of which So-bong expands her concept of what is human, while Nam Shin III indeed forms a transition between the human and the non-human. Ultimately, however, the android does not choose to stay beside his love. By this point, based on his own deliberation, he chooses between his own "desire" and the humane command overriding it, yet his decision ultimately aligns with his original programming (he even references the rule)—and, of course, with the self-sacrificing step characteristic of romantic heroes, as we are, after all, in a drama. Even though his decision is, from a certain perspective, the expression of the highest species-being of humanity, it nevertheless leaves the original question open: is Nam Shin III's mechanical body truly permeated by an almost human soul, or is So-bong merely the victim of her own sensory illusion?

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Both Nam Shins are played by Seo Kang-joon, and so perfectly that from minuscule signs (such as a slightly shifted posture) we immediately perceive which Nam Shin we are currently seeing. He plays with demonstrating this multiple times. It is as if this dual role were written straight for him, so tailored is it to his persona. It is an acting miracle in itself how, as an android, he can be mechanically expressionless, yet still show what he thinks or feels. His gentle nature also does not conflict with acting out the possession of superhuman strength. As the real Nam Shin, the colors of his performance range from the malicious to the devilish, yet it is very beautiful how the sadness of solitude pierces through their surface. Let me not forget to mention that in the first scenes he even speaks in Czech, and we can even hear him sing in the OST. Seo Kang-joon was only 25 years old at the time, but—I counted—he already had twenty dramas of supporting and leading roles behind him.

In the role of O Ro-ra, Kim Sung-ryung is a delicate and ever-wistful presence who, in a manner unexpected from her, can display surprising coldness. Gong Seung-yeon, playing So-bong, holds her ground admirably in her multifaceted role: fighting and grumbling when necessary, and authentic in portraying deep emotions as well.

Although there are many fine characters in the drama, three must definitely be highlighted. First, Ji Young-hoon, who plays Secretary and Friend Lee Joon-hyuk, bringing to life a guy of such pure and upright character that it is rare in similar dramas. Moreover, even in humiliated situations, he manages to remain noble, thereby making authentic the strange commitment we hear from him in the drama.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

The true antagonist of the drama is Seo Jong-gil, stubbornly yearning for power, played by Yu Oh-seong. Chaebol dramas abound in villainous figures composed of an extreme mixture of power-hunger and servility, and Seo's figure is a prime example of these. He is not a complex character—though spiced with a touch of paternal feeling, that adds nothing to the single dimension that characterizes him. Yet Yu Oh-seong, whom I always admire, shows here too how wildly one can revel even within that single dimension. In any case, based on several roles I have seen him in, Seo has earned the title of king of facial expressions in my book.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Naturally, this time too we are not devoid of characters representing humor, but this time they are genuinely entertaining. Similar to Yu Oh-seong, Kim Won-hae, who appears as So-bong's father, likewise enjoys the opportunity for a much looser and more humorous performance. He comedies brilliantly, into which he even manages to sneak emotional depth. Together with his gym colleagues, they observe and accept with healthy naivety that a robot has come among them, though they tend to believe their eyes, which see a human—and not just any human, but in Kang's case, a future son-in-law. Thus they relate to him in a dual manner: initially reluctant, yet shamelessly exploiting the machine's superhuman capabilities.

As the chaebol chairman, Park Yeong-gui is, at first glance, not as terrifying as his grandson is always frightened of him. In truth, what is most frightening about him is that he has no inhibitions whatsoever; he finds trifling with human fates straightforwardly entertaining. It is, however, an excellent acting achievement how he traverses the vast path extending from an uninhibited despot to a vulnerable old man.

(Author's screenshot from "Are You Human?" Credit: KBS)

Park Hwan-hee in the role of Nam Shin's fiancée is a refreshing phenomenon; she was able to play the transition from an initially foolish girl to a young woman daring to take risks for the good cause in a truly convincing manner. And in the role of the android's "father," David, Choi Deok-moon is able to show us a remarkably reassuring, emotionally rich character. One more interesting character deserves mention: Kim Hyun-sook, to whom we owe the contradictory figure of Reporter Jo. In her seemingly genderless figure, the whole of the media seems to be embodied, revealing its two-faced nature. Reporter Jo is rude, vulgar, mercenary, and intrusive, and although it does not show, her heart and mind are somehow in the right place, for without her, the revelation assisting the resolution could not be born.

A significant portion of the large budget (alongside the scenes shot in the Czech Republic) presumably went toward CG, which renders the android's capabilities authentic. However, the restraint with which its presence is felt is praiseworthy, as it never becomes dominant. The drama received not only a sophisticated cinematic execution typical of feature films, but also an excellent soundtrack. The instrumental background music was recorded in Prague under the direction of the drama's music director, Huh Sung-jin (허성진), with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO), who have worked on numerous Hollywood productions, including with Ennio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino. The background music, which is the work of an entire team of composers, remains energetic throughout, its emotional range extending from sunny melodies reflecting Android Nam Shin's character to quite dark shades. Particularly exciting is the extremely creative use of strings, which I enjoyed especially in two places: in the playful pizzicatos of Carry On, and in how the violins wailed almost whiningly above the deep, growling chords of Signal. The symphonic sound often blends with synthesizer and electronic effects, creating an audio backdrop suited to the AI topic. Naturally, excellent vocal tracks are performed as well, and as already mentioned, among the ranks of notable performers we find the name of the lead actor, Seo Kang-joon, who sings the track titled You Are My Love. It would be difficult to highlight any single piece among the many fine tracks, but my secret favorite is The Longing Dance.

Kattints a képre! ▶️

The double album of the drama's official soundtrack (via YouTube)

Are You Human? is simultaneously an entertaining, deeply thought-provoking, and emotional drama. Due to its topic appearing increasingly realistic and timely, its posed question will remain with us for a long time to come.

Well then, who belongs among us more: Nam Shin?... Nam Shin III?... or Director Seo? Ultimately, the drama asks us nothing less than what we find difficult to define: what makes a human human? And it also contains a warning: let us not reach the point where we have to relearn from a machine what it means to be human.

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SOUTH KOREA | K-DRAMA | ARE YOU HUMAN? (너도 인간이니) | WRITTEN BY JO JEONG-JOO (조정주) | DIRECTED BY CHA YEONG-HOON (차영훈), YOON JOON-HO (윤준호) | 2018 | 36 HALF-HOUR EPISODES | KBS


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