Ever since Black Mirror hit our screens over fourteen years ago, it’s been bringing the darkest reaches of our imaginations to life. Now, with the release of season 7, many of have come to the realisation that some future predictions made in previous episodes have actually come true.
In fairness, with the recent developments in AI, it does seem like scientists have taken at least a little inspiration from the Netflix series. With social media becoming flooded with AI images, deep-fakes running amok on the Internet and more of us befriending ChatGPT to curb loneliness, real life is beginning to look unrecognisable. So, how well did Black Mirror do at predicting the crazy world we’re living in now? Here are our top five future-predicting episodes:
Many viewers shuddered watching The Entire History of You, the season one finale, which saw humans equipped with a special technology that records what they see and hear in real-time. Effectively, it meant that no one could lie – but it also means never being able to let go of loved ones.
Sounds like a terrible idea? Well, now you can live it. A wearable device called the Rewind Pendant was announced in 2023 and for £45 (that’s $59), you’d get a device worn around the neck that “captures what you say and hear in the real world and then transcribes, encrypts, and stores it entirely locally on your phone,” according to RewindAI co-founder and CEO Dan Siroker.
One of the show’s darker episodes, Be Right Back, follows the story of a woman who loses her boyfriend in a tragic car crash. Struggling to process the grief, she employs a service that allows her to remain in contact with him – even beyond the grave.
The idea of contacting the dead has been toyed around with in fiction before (the ghosts in Harry Potter come to mind). But, recently, deep learning technologies have unlocked the ability to recreate a person’s voice and thoughts. For example, in 2024, the New York Times revealed that a small group of businesses tested a new OpenAI system, Voice Engine, that can recreate a person’s voice from a 15-second recording.
Most of us remember one of Black Mirror’s most iconic episodes: Nosedive. In a dystopian vision, social media likes have been taken to a new extreme, and people are able to rate each other based on their interactions with them. This creates a nightmarish environment, where no one can risk stepping out of line – lest they become social outcasts.
In many ways, however, this dark imagining of the future has become a reality. Think about it: we rate, or review (as it’s more commonly known), each other on apps like Instagram, Uber and Airbnb all the time.
In Hang the DJ, couples are matched into relationships that begin with an expiry date. This means that everyone is constantly searching for their perfect partner without ever truly finding love. Sounds familiar? Anyone who has ever made an account on Tinder or Hinge can attest to the fact that it can be incredibly difficult to commit to any one person on a dating app. This leaves users feeling unfulfilled – but, more importantly, always coming back for more.
Striking Vipers may just be one of the wackiest episodes the show has ever produced. The segment follows two close friends who play a virtual reality video game with each other. Eventually, they begin having a virtual affair with their two avatars, leading them to forgo their real-life relationships.
It sounds uncanny – but it’s beginning to look a lot more like modern reality. Particularly as VR dating apps, and hook-up-based chat rooms, like Flirtual and Nevermet, are increasingly popping up across the Internet.
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