Abstract

Exploring posthuman identity in the AI era: Focusing on <Zima Blue>

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the identity of the posthuman reproduced in sci-fi narratives, focusing on the Netflix short animation <Zima Blue>. The development of technology, including AI, predicts the advent of the post-human as a new human being fused with technology. The post-human in the SF narrative reflects the desires and emotions of modern humans for the new humanity to come in the future. The posthuman identity reproduced in the SF narrative has the characteristics of hybridity of body, hybridity of memory, ubiquity and specificity of place. Unlike the existing SF narratives that portrayed the post-human from a humanistic point of view, <Jima Blue> embodies the post-human as an independent subject. Zima, who was a painter, becomes a cyborg and explores the truth of the universe in order to communicate with the universe. Realizing the truth of her universe, her Jima returns to her original place, the 'pool', through her performance of dismantling herself. Jima's identity as a post-human is a 'cyborg' with the hybridity of the body and the fusion of memories through remodeling and transformation, and a 'narrative-subject' who talks about his life with his own voice based on the memory of a specific place. In contrast to the existing post-human discourse dotted with techno-omnipotence and technophobia, Zima, an independent cyborg, suggests new possibilities for post-human identity in the AI era.

Key words : Posthuman identity,  AI,  Cyborg,  SF narratives,  Zima Blue

Contents

1. 프롤로그: What is posthuman?

2. AI, 포스트휴먼, 그리고 정체성

3. <지마 블루>의 포스트휴먼 정체성: I’m going home!

4. 에필로그: Who is posthhuman?