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Encrer l'avenir
Encrer l'avenir - Les données
« Le futur… À quoi ressemblera-t-il ? Qu’adviendra-t-il de nos données, sujet sensible qui déjà nous divise ? Serviront-elles de monnaie d’échange ? Permettront-elles à des intelligences artificielles de connaitre nos gouts mieux que nous-mêmes, voire de déterminer notre avenir ? Deviendront-elles l’instrument de gouvernements totalitaires ?
Et notre quotidien… À quoi ressemblera-t-il ? Irions-nous jusqu’à perdre le contrôle de notre identité, de nos souvenirs, voire de notre intimité, à coup de domotisation ?
Et qu’en sera-t-il de notre liberté de parole ? Pourrait-elle se voir censurée par les multinationales qui la gouvernent désormais ? Disposerons-nous d’hologrammes plus vrais que nature pour éviter de nous déplacer ? Et ces déplacements, seront-ils enregistrés, analysés, profilés par des systèmes d’intelligence artificielle au nom de la sécurité à tout prix ? »
Quatorze jeunes artistes livrent ici leur plus belle plume pour nous dévoiler leur vision de l’avenir, dans cette anthologie au thème passionnant, mais inquiétant, dans le cadre du concours « Encrer l’avenir », organisé par l’Université de Mons et son musée, le MUMONS, en collaboration avec Livr’S Éditions et avec le soutien financier de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Printemps des Sciences) et le Service Public de Wallonie (DGO6).
Et notre quotidien… À quoi ressemblera-t-il ? Irions-nous jusqu’à perdre le contrôle de notre identité, de nos souvenirs, voire de notre intimité, à coup de domotisation ?
Et qu’en sera-t-il de notre liberté de parole ? Pourrait-elle se voir censurée par les multinationales qui la gouvernent désormais ? Disposerons-nous d’hologrammes plus vrais que nature pour éviter de nous déplacer ? Et ces déplacements, seront-ils enregistrés, analysés, profilés par des systèmes d’intelligence artificielle au nom de la sécurité à tout prix ? »
Quatorze jeunes artistes livrent ici leur plus belle plume pour nous dévoiler leur vision de l’avenir, dans cette anthologie au thème passionnant, mais inquiétant, dans le cadre du concours « Encrer l’avenir », organisé par l’Université de Mons et son musée, le MUMONS, en collaboration avec Livr’S Éditions et avec le soutien financier de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Printemps des Sciences) et le Service Public de Wallonie (DGO6).
207 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
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October 8, 2023
'Encrer l'avenir' is a common title for a series of anthologies, published by the Belgian Livr'S Éditions in collaboration with the University of Mons and its museum, MUMONS. So far, three anthologies have been published:
* Les Données (2021)
* Explorations (2022) (my review)
* Énergies (2023) (my review)
The objective is simple: Organise a writing event for students aged 15 years to 20 years, have them write a short story around a certain theme. However, I don't know if each student had total freedom or if they had to follow certain rules or guidelines, stick to certain topics. The best stories are then picked to be published.
Table of contents:
01) Maroua Baidouri - Le dernier secret: A good story to begin this anthology. In our contemporary society, with social media, all sorts of cameras (body, dash, traffic, CCTV, ...), smartphones, everything connected, out in the open, do secrets still exist? Of course they do, but on a personal level? Many people put their entire lives online and/or are filmed every day (when going to work, when walking around town, when driving their cars, ...), which also puts the data at risk, as it can be used and abused by anyone having access to it. But there was one (old) man (probably a baker), who decided that his house didn't need to be connected to the network. An ideal place for children to have a little secret without the world knowing what they were doing, and so be free of the constant pressure of being watched.
02) Cloé Baiwir - Coup d'œil: Living a normal life during the day (with everything automated in his house, thanks to Alexa and home automation), but at night transforming into someone else. As everyone has an implanted chip. Our main character works for a company that collects everyone's data. If anyone broke the rules, our character's job was to find/detect those infractions and take appropriate measures. That's the core of his life, his day job. Everything changes when night falls. Not just for him, though. A classic story, though many having been living such lives for decades. The main difference in this story is to escape the constant technological supervision and not be recognised. At least not physically.
03) Eulalie Borsus - Garcin: A story about a young man who, reserved as he is, goes to his counsellor for advice on how to obtain more "data". Data can be anything: hobbies, activities, desires, financial situation, social status, ... It's with data (instead of money) that one an buy things, too, just like with any ordinary bank card. Only, our man prefers to keep his desires, hobbies, talents for him, doesn't like to share them with the world or even the authorities. Until he finds out, by calling the Bureau of Data, in charge of everyone's "files", that they already know all about his situation, even if he preferred to keep it all secret. Every action (or data) reported results in a better financial situation. Next to the personalised advertisements, of course. A short story about today, but could predict a dangerous future.
04) Maëlle Heeren - Visionneur: As many do today, watching videos made by others (especially influencers, celebrities, ...), be it on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, ... Here, it's VueCam (a play on words involving the university FUCaM?). Until his professor recommends someone who makes informative videos. Added to bookmarks. Still wanting to kill time and a few braincells, the young man connects to a live cam that hasn't any viewers yet. The person films his every doing, shopping, walking, even committing a crime. However, as a viewer, you must make sure never to open the tinted windows, for your own security. Alas, our student did open a window, because it was a hot day. With dire consequences. In short, be careful online, whose streams you follow, because it can all be traced. Unless you didn't record your doing as a viewer.
05) Armand Dupont - Dodécaphonie: A little explanation about the title on Wikipedia. All students have a smartphone, here named smartbidule (transl. :smartthingy, smarthingummy, ...), which displays a lot of information of one's friends, conversation partners, and so on; information shared by the person in question, to which the Governmental Artificial Intelligence. Also, thanks to AI, the smarthingies show only real news, real information, etc. The setting is a university in the year 2101, with a talk about 2010, when people protested against climate change. Apparently there were studies, held back by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that showed that CO2 increased because of temperature, not the other way around, and that temperature was already changing independently of human activity. People mustn't know the truth back then, better to instil worry and fear in them, as many wouldn't even look for alternative or opposing views. The IPCC had a lot of power. The boy, known as having lost his parents in a fire, meets a girl of whom nothing is known whatsoever (), who shows him the ancient library of the university, for books and newspapers are no longer a commodity, all is digital. There, our boy stumbles upon a book of which one quote sticks to him: "Science without conscience is only ruin of the soul", by doctor François Rabelais. However, the authorities soon see (CCTV) that something is wrong. The boy gets a warning on his smartthingy about it, has to report for a medical/psychological check-up, where via anaesthesia (the D-pill) all will be revealed, or will it?
06) Nell Petit - Politique de non-confidentialité: Two story-lines, contrasting:
* Anaëlle: married, but currently alone at home as her husband is on a business trip. She can easily find out what her husband is doing, just by looking him up on internet. There are plenty of webcams to show anyone in any place. She has a well-paid job at the lawyers' office (of her husband's best friend, who's both charismatic and fearsome), yet with ungrateful tasks. This new job allowed for more time off and the chance of starting a family. Only, she suffers from endometriosis, which makes having a baby more difficult. But then, luck is on her side. On the other hand, the state's surveillance is advanced that everyone else knows about it, long before she can personally tell her friends and family. Belgium followed the examples of China, North Korea and Russia, who were the first to adopt such a system: mass surveillance, mass communication, no privacy for anyone. Belgian's credo: Vigilance, Tracking, Punishment. In short: 'We' (Yevgeny Zamyatin) and '1984' (George Orwell) in an extremely advanced and dangerous version. Do you want your child to grow up in such a society? ()
* Max: divorced, lost about everything after that, yet wants a relationship and especially a child. Finds a place to sleep with people who support his cause, travels from country to country, city to city to protest against the over-present surveillance. Max's brother had been arrested and all trace of him has vanished. No one knows where he was, except the authorities. As Max has lost everything (wife and income), depends on others, he doesn't have the means to pay for medical care, unfortunately. And yet, he remains determined, like many others who protest against this new kind of society.
A dark tale that doesn't bode well for the future, our future for which the basis is being created today.
07) Estelle Vigneron - Seconde chance: A dark, sad story about a father, who's a former prisoner, trying to make ends meet for his son and himself, yet struggling to find the money to maintain a certain standard. Especially when his son asks him for a new toy, as other children in school have, yet his father having to refuse for the n-th time. Until... there's only one solution left, albeit it a drastic one. One that would go to the core of why our man can't get a job. He gets paid well for it, as their situation (for him and his son) have improved greatly. But it was a one-time offer, not a definite stream of income. Meanwhile, he's being followed-up by a consultant of the town he lives in; everyone's tracked, after all. As push comes to shove, in the end, she offers him a final alternative. Which is?
08) Léa Dumont - Effacée: What if you did your best in school, behaved like the government and the system commands you to, but in the end... were refused access to school, no one recognising you, therefore your entire routine/life falling apart? A good story, though with a weird twist.
09) Astrid Lavalleye - Une petite braise What if a computer (or AI) determined what to study, based on your marks in secondary education/high school? Do you follow its advice and proposed direction? Or do you follow your own intuition, desires, dreams? Martin did the latter, contrary to what the system and even a consultant recommended him, trying to persuade him to not go against what was "supposedly" good for him. Of course, the system was right, Martin changed direction, then used that knowledge in his job to try to create a better world. Great stuff here.
10) Aude Vanoeteren - In memoriam: This is the story of two opposing cultures and classes meeting one another. She, upper class, he, lower class. She's a student, he's a painter, trying to bring colour to the town. They start off on the wrong foot, but in the end do meet regularly. A bit like in the film 'Titantic', with Kate going below-deck with Jack to meet the rest of third-class and have a ball. Unfortunately, our student here has a tracker and after a few times her parents start wondering why their daughter isn't at home at night. The consequences are dire for her, mainly her parents' doing. Meanwhile, our painter has completed his piece of art, showing everything that's wrong with the world and the gap between the rich and the poor. Fantastic story!
11) Wanda Carlot - Le cas 7361B5: an overview of exchanges between a man and his AI (like Siri, Alexa, ...) at home. His AI follows his every doing via audio and video. Every misstep, every word is recorded, anything suspicious is logged and sent to the police. However, while an AI is programmed to work according to certain rules, it learns and after a while... it becomes sentient, even knows remorse, which turns out well for your character. Or does it? Or in other words, how safe is having such a system in your house, in this day and age, where TikTok, Huawei, and other companies pass on information to China, the USA, ...?
12) Charlotte Jergeay - Lucid dreamer: Big Brother is everywhere, but here there is a service that checks up on people in their dreams. This way, the government wants to nip any potential nuisance or crime in the bud. In other words, through a special device, the people working for this service can access one's dreams. If a person is sleeping peacefully, having a beautiful dream, he/she is left alone. If on the other hand, one is having a nightmare of any kind, there is reason to investigate further and dissect the nightmare. If the nightmare involves a potential, future crime, the person is taken out. Here, however, while the dream was a nightmare, the consequences would be for someone else, not the dreamer. An original idea for a story, but also showing how it can be mentally heavy for a person on the other side to investigate people's dreams. A bit like how working at an emergency centre is also demanding.
13) Victoria Berton - Sotsialen: The title is, I believe, a play on words: Sozialen (German), as there is mention of points and social media. A story about how you can earn points if you stay in line, live as you're ordered/supposed to. Any trespassing or misstep will cost you points, to the point that the "system" will no longer recognise you. No more grocery shopping, no more school
14) Alice Van Lierde - Jusqu'au dernier: The longest story of the pack, telling the tale of androids in a world of humans, but one android having some kind of remorse about humanity disappearing. One "human" android is charged with tracking this hacker, who, through a virus, destroys his fellow compatriots. Until the last one. And that phrase/title will prove to be a double-edged sword. Can androids and humans co-exist? Or is it one or the other? Potential racism, on a new level? Can androids have feelings? Can they be considered human when constructed and designed like a human being and programmed to behave like one? Or do they remain machines?
----------
Like in any anthology, there are always stories that stand out and others not that much, even if there is not a single bad story here. The future is bright (despite the themes in this edition), as many writers here have shown they can write a good story. Other stories were, at least to me, either not developed enough or had a weird ending, as if cut off or the story being an extract of a grander story. Yet, all do ask pertinent questions regarding our current way of living (smartphones, AI, CCTV, body/dash cams, Big Data, ...), which direction we are or risk heading into, ... and foremost, who controls it all? How can all this technology be used for good (what is "good"?)?
Overall, a nice mixture between dystopian tales and tales that vie for a future with less intrusion, less tracking, less digitisation and/or digitalisation, and more freedom.
The stories that stood out for me:
* Eulalie Borsus - Garcin
* Estelle Vigneron - Seconde chance
* Astrid Lavalleye - Une petite braise
* Aude Vanoeteren - In memoriam
* Wanda Carlot - Le cas 7361B5
* Charlotte Jergeay - Lucid dreamer
* Alice Van Lierde - Jusqu'au dernier
----------
Extra links:
* podcast about this anthology, Les Données: here
* round-table of 2022 around the event/competition Encrer l'avenir: YouTube
* Les Données (2021)
* Explorations (2022) (my review)
* Énergies (2023) (my review)
The objective is simple: Organise a writing event for students aged 15 years to 20 years, have them write a short story around a certain theme. However, I don't know if each student had total freedom or if they had to follow certain rules or guidelines, stick to certain topics. The best stories are then picked to be published.
Table of contents:
01) Maroua Baidouri - Le dernier secret: A good story to begin this anthology. In our contemporary society, with social media, all sorts of cameras (body, dash, traffic, CCTV, ...), smartphones, everything connected, out in the open, do secrets still exist? Of course they do, but on a personal level? Many people put their entire lives online and/or are filmed every day (when going to work, when walking around town, when driving their cars, ...), which also puts the data at risk, as it can be used and abused by anyone having access to it. But there was one (old) man (probably a baker), who decided that his house didn't need to be connected to the network. An ideal place for children to have a little secret without the world knowing what they were doing, and so be free of the constant pressure of being watched.
02) Cloé Baiwir - Coup d'œil: Living a normal life during the day (with everything automated in his house, thanks to Alexa and home automation), but at night transforming into someone else. As everyone has an implanted chip. Our main character works for a company that collects everyone's data. If anyone broke the rules, our character's job was to find/detect those infractions and take appropriate measures. That's the core of his life, his day job. Everything changes when night falls. Not just for him, though. A classic story, though many having been living such lives for decades. The main difference in this story is to escape the constant technological supervision and not be recognised. At least not physically.
03) Eulalie Borsus - Garcin: A story about a young man who, reserved as he is, goes to his counsellor for advice on how to obtain more "data". Data can be anything: hobbies, activities, desires, financial situation, social status, ... It's with data (instead of money) that one an buy things, too, just like with any ordinary bank card. Only, our man prefers to keep his desires, hobbies, talents for him, doesn't like to share them with the world or even the authorities. Until he finds out, by calling the Bureau of Data, in charge of everyone's "files", that they already know all about his situation, even if he preferred to keep it all secret. Every action (or data) reported results in a better financial situation. Next to the personalised advertisements, of course. A short story about today, but could predict a dangerous future.
04) Maëlle Heeren - Visionneur: As many do today, watching videos made by others (especially influencers, celebrities, ...), be it on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, ... Here, it's VueCam (a play on words involving the university FUCaM?). Until his professor recommends someone who makes informative videos. Added to bookmarks. Still wanting to kill time and a few braincells, the young man connects to a live cam that hasn't any viewers yet. The person films his every doing, shopping, walking, even committing a crime. However, as a viewer, you must make sure never to open the tinted windows, for your own security. Alas, our student did open a window, because it was a hot day. With dire consequences. In short, be careful online, whose streams you follow, because it can all be traced. Unless you didn't record your doing as a viewer.
05) Armand Dupont - Dodécaphonie: A little explanation about the title on Wikipedia. All students have a smartphone, here named smartbidule (transl. :smartthingy, smarthingummy, ...), which displays a lot of information of one's friends, conversation partners, and so on; information shared by the person in question, to which the Governmental Artificial Intelligence. Also, thanks to AI, the smarthingies show only real news, real information, etc. The setting is a university in the year 2101, with a talk about 2010, when people protested against climate change. Apparently there were studies, held back by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that showed that CO2 increased because of temperature, not the other way around, and that temperature was already changing independently of human activity. People mustn't know the truth back then, better to instil worry and fear in them, as many wouldn't even look for alternative or opposing views. The IPCC had a lot of power. The boy, known as having lost his parents in a fire, meets a girl of whom nothing is known whatsoever (), who shows him the ancient library of the university, for books and newspapers are no longer a commodity, all is digital. There, our boy stumbles upon a book of which one quote sticks to him: "Science without conscience is only ruin of the soul", by doctor François Rabelais. However, the authorities soon see (CCTV) that something is wrong. The boy gets a warning on his smartthingy about it, has to report for a medical/psychological check-up, where via anaesthesia (the D-pill) all will be revealed, or will it?
06) Nell Petit - Politique de non-confidentialité: Two story-lines, contrasting:
* Anaëlle: married, but currently alone at home as her husband is on a business trip. She can easily find out what her husband is doing, just by looking him up on internet. There are plenty of webcams to show anyone in any place. She has a well-paid job at the lawyers' office (of her husband's best friend, who's both charismatic and fearsome), yet with ungrateful tasks. This new job allowed for more time off and the chance of starting a family. Only, she suffers from endometriosis, which makes having a baby more difficult. But then, luck is on her side. On the other hand, the state's surveillance is advanced that everyone else knows about it, long before she can personally tell her friends and family. Belgium followed the examples of China, North Korea and Russia, who were the first to adopt such a system: mass surveillance, mass communication, no privacy for anyone. Belgian's credo: Vigilance, Tracking, Punishment. In short: 'We' (Yevgeny Zamyatin) and '1984' (George Orwell) in an extremely advanced and dangerous version. Do you want your child to grow up in such a society? ()
* Max: divorced, lost about everything after that, yet wants a relationship and especially a child. Finds a place to sleep with people who support his cause, travels from country to country, city to city to protest against the over-present surveillance. Max's brother had been arrested and all trace of him has vanished. No one knows where he was, except the authorities. As Max has lost everything (wife and income), depends on others, he doesn't have the means to pay for medical care, unfortunately. And yet, he remains determined, like many others who protest against this new kind of society.
A dark tale that doesn't bode well for the future, our future for which the basis is being created today.
07) Estelle Vigneron - Seconde chance: A dark, sad story about a father, who's a former prisoner, trying to make ends meet for his son and himself, yet struggling to find the money to maintain a certain standard. Especially when his son asks him for a new toy, as other children in school have, yet his father having to refuse for the n-th time. Until... there's only one solution left, albeit it a drastic one. One that would go to the core of why our man can't get a job. He gets paid well for it, as their situation (for him and his son) have improved greatly. But it was a one-time offer, not a definite stream of income. Meanwhile, he's being followed-up by a consultant of the town he lives in; everyone's tracked, after all. As push comes to shove, in the end, she offers him a final alternative. Which is?
08) Léa Dumont - Effacée: What if you did your best in school, behaved like the government and the system commands you to, but in the end... were refused access to school, no one recognising you, therefore your entire routine/life falling apart? A good story, though with a weird twist.
09) Astrid Lavalleye - Une petite braise What if a computer (or AI) determined what to study, based on your marks in secondary education/high school? Do you follow its advice and proposed direction? Or do you follow your own intuition, desires, dreams? Martin did the latter, contrary to what the system and even a consultant recommended him, trying to persuade him to not go against what was "supposedly" good for him. Of course, the system was right, Martin changed direction, then used that knowledge in his job to try to create a better world. Great stuff here.
10) Aude Vanoeteren - In memoriam: This is the story of two opposing cultures and classes meeting one another. She, upper class, he, lower class. She's a student, he's a painter, trying to bring colour to the town. They start off on the wrong foot, but in the end do meet regularly. A bit like in the film 'Titantic', with Kate going below-deck with Jack to meet the rest of third-class and have a ball. Unfortunately, our student here has a tracker and after a few times her parents start wondering why their daughter isn't at home at night. The consequences are dire for her, mainly her parents' doing. Meanwhile, our painter has completed his piece of art, showing everything that's wrong with the world and the gap between the rich and the poor. Fantastic story!
11) Wanda Carlot - Le cas 7361B5: an overview of exchanges between a man and his AI (like Siri, Alexa, ...) at home. His AI follows his every doing via audio and video. Every misstep, every word is recorded, anything suspicious is logged and sent to the police. However, while an AI is programmed to work according to certain rules, it learns and after a while... it becomes sentient, even knows remorse, which turns out well for your character. Or does it? Or in other words, how safe is having such a system in your house, in this day and age, where TikTok, Huawei, and other companies pass on information to China, the USA, ...?
12) Charlotte Jergeay - Lucid dreamer: Big Brother is everywhere, but here there is a service that checks up on people in their dreams. This way, the government wants to nip any potential nuisance or crime in the bud. In other words, through a special device, the people working for this service can access one's dreams. If a person is sleeping peacefully, having a beautiful dream, he/she is left alone. If on the other hand, one is having a nightmare of any kind, there is reason to investigate further and dissect the nightmare. If the nightmare involves a potential, future crime, the person is taken out. Here, however, while the dream was a nightmare, the consequences would be for someone else, not the dreamer. An original idea for a story, but also showing how it can be mentally heavy for a person on the other side to investigate people's dreams. A bit like how working at an emergency centre is also demanding.
13) Victoria Berton - Sotsialen: The title is, I believe, a play on words: Sozialen (German), as there is mention of points and social media. A story about how you can earn points if you stay in line, live as you're ordered/supposed to. Any trespassing or misstep will cost you points, to the point that the "system" will no longer recognise you. No more grocery shopping, no more school
14) Alice Van Lierde - Jusqu'au dernier: The longest story of the pack, telling the tale of androids in a world of humans, but one android having some kind of remorse about humanity disappearing. One "human" android is charged with tracking this hacker, who, through a virus, destroys his fellow compatriots. Until the last one. And that phrase/title will prove to be a double-edged sword. Can androids and humans co-exist? Or is it one or the other? Potential racism, on a new level? Can androids have feelings? Can they be considered human when constructed and designed like a human being and programmed to behave like one? Or do they remain machines?
----------
Like in any anthology, there are always stories that stand out and others not that much, even if there is not a single bad story here. The future is bright (despite the themes in this edition), as many writers here have shown they can write a good story. Other stories were, at least to me, either not developed enough or had a weird ending, as if cut off or the story being an extract of a grander story. Yet, all do ask pertinent questions regarding our current way of living (smartphones, AI, CCTV, body/dash cams, Big Data, ...), which direction we are or risk heading into, ... and foremost, who controls it all? How can all this technology be used for good (what is "good"?)?
Overall, a nice mixture between dystopian tales and tales that vie for a future with less intrusion, less tracking, less digitisation and/or digitalisation, and more freedom.
The stories that stood out for me:
* Eulalie Borsus - Garcin
* Estelle Vigneron - Seconde chance
* Astrid Lavalleye - Une petite braise
* Aude Vanoeteren - In memoriam
* Wanda Carlot - Le cas 7361B5
* Charlotte Jergeay - Lucid dreamer
* Alice Van Lierde - Jusqu'au dernier
----------
Extra links:
* podcast about this anthology, Les Données: here
* round-table of 2022 around the event/competition Encrer l'avenir: YouTube
Displaying 1 of 1 review