As an actress and writer, Rashida Jones has devoted significant thought to artificial intelligence (AI). The subject of AI was a major focal point during Hollywood strikes last year while negotiating contracts. In her latest series “Sunny” on Apple TV+, AI plays a central role.
Jones, who plays Suzie in “Sunny,” portrays an expat in Japan whose husband and son vanish following a plane crash. She receives a companion robot named Sunny as a gift, unbeknownst to her that her husband worked in robotics and specifically programmed Sunny to cater to Suzie’s needs. Suzie embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about her husband and the potential dangers behind creating robots like Sunny.
The series adapted by Katie Robbins from Colin O’Sullivan’s novel “The Dark Manual” touches on both optimism and caution regarding AI. Robbins mentions that while the connection between Suzie and Sunny exudes beauty, the show also offers a warning about the potential misuse and hazards posed by human-made AI.
The rapid advancement of AI in reality caught Robbins by surprise as she was writing the series. Initially regarding AI development as a distant concept, the emergence of AI technologies like ChatGPT during filming heightened concerns about the capabilities of generative AI.
During Jones’ scenes, the character Sunny was portrayed as a less advanced robot requiring human assistance. Joanna Sotomura voiced Sunny’s lines from a nearby tent and mimicked facial expressions for the robot to imitate. Despite the intricate production efforts to portray Sunny as highly functional, Jones humorously expressed relief at the current distance from AI seamlessly integrating into daily life.
When asked about owning a robot in real life, Jones humorously replied that she wouldn’t want one for emotional support but would gladly welcome a robot to assist with household chores.