Dietmar Fischer

And once machines can imitate human communication, they can also be used to shape emotion, trust, fear, anger, and desire.

That is why Metropolis still feels modern.

The film asks, who controls the machine and what do they want people to believe?

This is a much better question than simply asking, is AI good or bad?

AI is not a fairy godmother, and it is not a demon with a Wi-Fi connection.

It is a tool inside a system of power.

If the goal is to help people, AI can be wonderful.

If the goal is to manipulate people, AI becomes dangerous very quickly.

The same applies to work.

In Metropolis, the workers are treated almost like parts of the machine.

They keep the city running, but they have little control over their own lives.

That connects directly to today's AI debate.

Will AI help workers by removing boring tasks, or will it be used to monitor them, pressure them, and squeeze more output from fewer people?

That is the real issue.

AI can support human work, or it can make humans feel even more like machine parts.

Lovely choice, really.

One option feels like progress.

The other feels like being managed by a spreadsheet with delusions of grandeur.

For marketers, this matters even more.

Marketing is already about attention, trust, and persuasion.