Minority Report : The Temptation of Predicting Behavior

Minority Report is an adaptation of a short story by Philip K. Dick. Adaptations, whether for film or other media, always take certain liberties—hence the term adaptation. However, the film Minority Report manages to retain the hallmark of Dick’s work. It’s a subtle disruption in the fabric of reality, something barely noticeable and bordering on the fantastic. Nothing too extreme—no magic involved—but just enough for this anomaly to create a fascinating and unsettling alternative world where the author can develop his plot.

In the film Minority Report, as in the original story, the key disruption is encapsulated in one word: precogs. These individuals have the ability to see glimpses of the future while under the influence of drugs, hence their name, short for precognitives. They introduce the necessary twist in the futuristic, materialistic world of the film, setting the stage for the adventure of John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise. Anderton’s downfall prompts him to question the purpose of the society he actively helps to construct. Cruise’s character is an officer in a new police division called Pre-Crime, which uses the precogs’ visions to intervene before crimes occur.

Given this narrative framework, the film invites viewers to consider two main ideas. The first is about citizenship in a near future where surveillance permeates every layer of society. The second explores the vision of the future city and the individual’s place within it—a vision that isn’t as far removed from our present as it might seem.

The City of Tomorrow: Playground for Algorithms?

Let’s delve into the city of the future. The action in Minority Report is set in 2054 in Washington, D.C., a city depicted in various facets. We see it as traditional and bourgeois at the film’s start during the first Pre-Crime intervention. It appears high-tech when Tom Cruise’s character is on the run, jumping from one magnetic propulsion car to another among towering skyscrapers. The industrious side is shown in a scene depicting the automated construction of an Audi coupe. Finally, we see a poor Washington inhabited by the marginalized, when Anderton undergoes a radical operation to escape the city’s surveillance systems. This multifaceted depiction is one of the film’s strengths, offering a comprehensive vision of the future city.

The Gap Between Concept and Reality

In contrast, when contemporary urban planners imagine the future, their visions often come across as homogeneous and sanitized, making it hard for individuals to envision themselves in such settings. Take, for example, the numerous designs proposed for the future of Bangkok, a city sinking into the delta of the Chao Phraya River. These designs feature floating cities, bridge cities, and modular cities. While aesthetically pleasing, these visions often fail to consider individual differences, projecting a future where everyone must be rich, healthy, and free of life’s scars—unlike the diverse, inequality-ridden city in Minority Report.

Algorithms and New Mobility

The film also showcases a fascinating evolution in transportation. Autonomous vehicles travel on dedicated magnetic tracks, likely available as a shared service. These vehicles, seating two to four passengers, can navigate autonomously to pick up new users. Larger vehicles, possibly carrying ten to twenty people, could also exist. This shared mobility system, managed by powerful AI using predictive algorithms, optimizes both transportation and energy consumption.

Toward New Uses of Predictive Algorithms

When Minority Report was released, the commercial tracking of individuals was striking. Today, we are tracked through our online activity, phones, and credit cards. In the film, it’s the human body—specifically the iris—that’s used for tracking. This is particularly relevant as AI can now identify individuals from their gait, even from behind. This level of surveillance, already in place in China, mirrors the film’s predictive policing, albeit through millions of cameras and algorithms rather than mutant visions.

In Minority Report, the precogs are enslaved by their mutant bodies and drugged to enhance their visions. The state exploits these visions to prosecute individuals for crimes they haven’t yet committed. Once convicted, these virtual offenders are kept in a catatonic state for “moral rehabilitation,” a nightmarish scenario.

Predictivity Everywhere?

Today, instead of precogs, we have algorithms and AI with ever-growing capabilities, driven by investors eager for returns. Predictive algorithms for preempting minor offenses were tested in the U.S. in the 2010s but discontinued due to biased targeting. New generations of these algorithms may soon emerge, posing questions about their effectiveness and fairness.

In Minority Report, even ordinary citizens are subjected to pervasive tracking, unable to avoid identification by stores they pass. The film paints a picture of a totalitarian society without naming it, where it’s better to be wealthy, healthy, and compliant rather than poor, ill, and rebellious. This dystopian vision is a cautionary tale about the potential future shaped by our current societal choices.

If you’re a Chinese citizen, remember to pay your taxes to avoid virtual public shaming!