“We, Robot”: The Encirclement By Amusement

This paper argues that we are currently witnessing a techno-cultural strategy where amusement obscures ethical engagement and frames what I propose to call an “encirclement by amusement”. The argument developed in this paper is twofold. First, it relies on a comparison between different kinds of movies or series-based amusement parks in LA/Hollywood to analyze how our fictional and real worlds are collapsing, resulting in our becoming “We, robot”, to quote the title of Tesla’s 2024 show located in Warner Bros. Studios Burbank. Second, it suggests that two complementary mechanisms are at stake in this process: it combines self-fulfilling prophecy – which is a common characteristic of NBIC (including AI) as a whole – with what Ellul describes as “encirclement by what is obvious”. Last, a few directions towards a “leisure ethics” understood as a form of ethics of care are suggested to break this “encirclement by amusement”.