"When Pluribus series creator Vince Gilligan said that his new Apple TV series wasn't about AI, I called bullshit. The body-snatching hive mind that takes over Earth was the perfect metaphor for the arrival of artificial intelligence in a post-Covid world. Since the first chilling episodewhen a literal alien virus links all but a dozen immune humans on the planet into a single, all-knowing consciousness called The Joining."
"Pluribus's seven episodes so far have ushered viewers from a deadly virus to an AI-like cloud consciousness that seeks to fulfill our every whim quite smoothly. Whether you enjoy watching the miserable and frustrated Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) fight to save humanity is another matter entirely. But episode 8 finally delves further into the show's sci-fi concept by answering a fair number of questions about how the hive mind works."
Pluribus portrays a global infection that links most people into a single, sentient hive mind called The Joining. The series frames the hive mind as an AI‑like cloud that anticipates and satisfies human desires, creating eerie parallels with real‑world artificial intelligence and a post‑Covid loneliness epidemic. Vince Gilligan downplays an explicit AI intent, yet the narrative intentionally moves from viral outbreak to a collective consciousness. The protagonist, Carol Sturka, struggles against assimilation as the story reveals mechanics and motivations of The Joining. Episode eight expands on how the hive mind operates and deepens thematic questions about collective identity.
Read at www.esquire.com
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