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Vince Gilligan has once again captivated audiences with his latest TV series, “Pluribus,” which centers around a discontented woman named Carol, played by Rhea Seehorn. Carol finds herself battling a hive mind that has taken over much of Earth’s population, bringing about an unexpected wave of happiness. According to Looper’s review, Gilligan’s return with “Pluribus” was well worth the anticipation, sparking intense online discussions about the show’s deeper meanings. While some fan theories miss the mark, one of the series’ writers isn’t interested in quashing them entirely.
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Speculation is rife that “Pluribus” explores themes related to artificial intelligence. In the first episode, a line suggests the hive mind itself is unsure how its assimilation functions, reminiscent of the AI community’s perplexity over AI’s unpredictable outputs. Gordon Smith, a writer for “Pluribus,” told The Hollywood Reporter that although this theory isn’t accurate, he welcomes it. “I don’t think we’ll beat those [anti-AI] allegations,” Smith remarked. “There are aspects of AI that resonate with how the Others operate.”
Smith emphasizes that he doesn’t want “Pluribus” to be pigeonholed as merely a commentary on AI’s potential impact on life and art. “It’s less compelling to label it as a show about a single theme,” he noted. “It constrains both the narrative and the show’s ability to provoke questions. This is a conceptual series intended to evoke varied thoughts and emotions.” Audiences may benefit from approaching “Pluribus” with an open mind, resisting the urge to force a single interpretation.
A key argument against the AI hypothesis is that Vince Gilligan conceived the idea for “Pluribus” a decade ago, long before AI tools like ChatGPT became mainstream. At the time, AI was not the cultural phenomenon it is today. Gilligan was more interested in exploring the dynamics of the most miserable person on Earth being surrounded by people eager to bring them joy.
The AI theory gains traction from scenes like one in Episode 3, titled “Grenade,” where Carol converses with Zosia, portrayed by Karolina Wydra. Instead of engaging in typical conversation, Zosia inexplicably launches into the etymology of the word “vodka,” reminiscent of an AI offering informative yet unsolicited details. Later, after a live grenade Carol jokingly requested explodes, another hive mind member apologizes to Carol for not providing a fake grenade, saying, “Sorry if we got that wrong, Carol,” highlighting the hive mind’s struggle with nuances like sarcasm, much like AI.
Pluribus can be about AI (and a million other things)
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The beauty of art lies in its capacity to encompass multiple interpretations, often beyond the creator’s original intent. While Gilligan hadn’t anticipated AI mirroring his hive mind concept, this parallel enriches the show. As “Pluribus” continues, viewers are undoubtedly eager to see how the series unfolds, despite having their own theories about its conclusion.
That’s a big reason why many are quick to embrace the AI theory. In Episode 3, titled “Grenade,” Carol has a drink with Zosia (Karolina Wydra), and rather than talk like two human beings normally would, Zosia begins explaining where the word “vodka” comes from. It’s the kind of tangent one might expect ChatGPT to make, providing a response that’s informative even if it’s not precisely what you asked for. Later in that episode, after Zosia is injured when a live grenade that Carol flippantly requested goes off, another person in the hive mind apologizes to Carol for not giving her a fake one, saying, “Sorry if we got that wrong, Carol.” Again, it comes across much like AI, as the hive mind clearly doesn’t have the best grasp on something as innately human as sarcasm.
The great thing about art is that it can be about many different things, even subjects the author didn’t intend. Gilligan couldn’t have envisioned AI resembling his version of the hive mind, but it makes the show so much richer because of it. We’re excited to see where “Pluribus” goes from here, even if we already have some ideas on ways in which the show is not going to end.
