Image: TV VCR connected to letters AI & Human Brain | Source: ChatGPT
Videodrome became a cult classic in no time flat!
And although, moviegoers didn't quite understand the context information provided within this sci-fi flick, it blew the doors off of reality.
It took the audience on a deep dive; straight into the realm of altered consciousness.
Now, the main recipient exposed to Videodrome's mind-altering effects was local TV station owner Max Renn.
And he was searching for something groundbreaking, something downright shocking to broadcast to his loyal viewers who demanded fresh material.
Well... Max eventually struck the jackpot after meeting up with his video content vendor Masha.
Here's A Dazzling Setup:
"Masha, I need something new, something fresh!"
"I have the remedy, but I don't have a definite cure Max..."
"Wait... What does that even mean?"
"Have you ever heard of the Videodrome Max?"
"Haven't the faintest clue... Well, is it good for video consumption?"
"Not good... Not good at all Max, but it's a type of abstract food for the mind's consciousness."
"Wow, well that sounds technical... But, what type of formatted content? Like is it CGI, Virtual Reality, or a mixture of the two?"
"Try more like automated consciousness, where the individual is watching a movie, and at one point; the observer gets merged within the action."
"You mean they get jettisoned within the flick?"
"Yeah... Something like that."
"Max, this particular aspect of Videodrome crosses over into the realm of artificial intelligence."
"Wait... How is that possible?"
"Here... Take this card, and on the back, call that number to speak with Bianca Oblivion, she can help you obtain a generic copy of Videodrome."
"Ok... That's it?"
"Yeah, for now."
- He later dials the number using a nearby pay phone."
"Hello?"
"Hey um...... Is this Bianca Oblivion?"
"Yes, Max Renn is it."
"But, how do you know my name already?"
"Why, your movie provider told me you would call requesting a copy of my father's unique tapings."
"Can I get one today?"
"I took steps ahead, it should arrive at your place soon."
"You know where I'm staying at? But how?"
"You do still want a copy I take it?"
"Well, yeah."
"Then don't ask questions, it's coming, so make sure you check out that video..."
"Um... Yeah, okay."
"Good day Max."
- Max arrived back at this place; he notices a package sitting just off to the side of his apartment door.
- Riled with much anticipation, he ripped off the packaging, press the power button on his VCR and popped in the tape..."
-The TV screen is suddenly illuminated withthe headline title...
"The AI Videodrome Bridged Connection to Conscious Reality."
Key Takeaways
- The Retina of the Algorithmic Eye: From Oblivion's Vision to AI
- Professor Oblivion Already Knew What Videodrome Was!
- Experimental Mediums: Cable & Pseudo-Internet NITE-OWL!
- Signal as Consciousness: The Videodrome Code Rebooted
- AI Dreaming in Data: How Machine Learning Mirrors Mystical Experience
- Predictive Realms and Psychic Water: AI Interfacing with Inner Mythos
- The Neural Feedback Loop: When AI Becomes the Medium
- The AI-Tech Within Your Phone Becoming the New Digital Flesh!
- Beyond Simulation: Spiritual Cartography in a Synthetic Age
- Want To Learn More About the Mechanics of Videodrome?
The Retina of the Algorithmic Eye: From Oblivion Vision to AI
So, now it's time to break down the inner workings of Videodrome, and we'll start with Professor Brian Oblivion.
He's the key character in the movie, to be honest, and the reason why is because he saw the arch of humanity reaching its chaotic climatic point.
It's like a roller coaster reaching the tippy-top of the roller coaster tracks, there's nowhere else to go but down!
But it's that iconic phrasing Oblivion shared with a skeptical Max Renn, who has convinced himself that the good doctor is just plain off his rocker!
And he feels that way after Oblivion relays this message to him "via" VCR recording...
Professor Oblivion Already Knew What Videodrome Was!
"The battle for the mind of North America... Will be fought in the video arena.
"The Videodrome."
"The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye."
"Therefore, the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain."
"Therefore, whatever appears on the television screen... Emerges as raw experience for those who watch it!"
"Therefore, television is reality... and reality is less than television."
"Max!"
"I'm so glad you came to me."
"I've been through it all myself, you see."
"Your reality is already half video hallucination."
"If you're not careful—it will become total hallucination."
"You'll have to learn to live in a very strange new world."
"I had a brain tumor... and I had visions."
"I believed the visions caused the tumor... and not the reverse."
"I could feel the visions coalesce and become flesh."
"Uncontrollable flesh!"
"But when they removed the tumor... it was called Videodrome."
"I"...
(His speech is suddenly restrained; struggles to talk)
"I WAS VIDEODROME'S FIRST VICTIM!"
(Collapses to the floor)
So, what on earth was the professor trying to say within that seemingly nonsensical dialogue?
Well, one should be able to decipher that most of the message was metaphoric.
Although, there are also hidden elements within that message most people will simply overlook.
Basically, it's about what is taking place right in front of our eyes within society today and how everything is changing and evolving nearly at the blink of an eye!
We have sophisticated programs that are run upon two key elements in this day and age, which are...
- Artificial Intelligence
- Algorithms
Back in the early 80s, artificial intelligence was barely mentioned then, in fact, the term "Tech" was the going thing (even though it too was barely mentioned).
The internet was way within its infancy, and it was authorized to be used only by military personnel - [ARPARNET] | [DARPA].
The term ARPANET was short for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network.
It's the original system used to distribute and control the transfer of information.
The application runs upon TCP/IP protocols; it's a system that helps data travel, which lays out the groundwork for how data moves across the Internet today.
DARPA has been around since the mid-1950s; there are countless internet-based programs that were produced from it.
Both ARPANET and DARPA served as the blueprint for what eventually became the modern-day Internet we now use today.
Experimental Mediums: Cable & Pseudo-Internet NITE-OWL!
Cable was just getting started, and there was an imitation "internet-like" televised program called "NITE-OWL." - [Jack Monson's Site].
It was very similar to something out of an Atari video game, because the text was 8-byte based.
But the entire giveaway was the scrolling upward motion of the text; meanwhile, there's music playing in the background (arguably it's like elevator music!)
Seeing that for what it was just seemed like a "test," as if someone were showing what will be coming further down the line after the passing 1980s decade.
Cable alone already had everybody hooked, but they needed an alternative to set up for an even more interactive system. [New Metro Blog].
Everything got revved up to a higher degree, and from there things started advancing rather rapidly!
Then Suddenly...
Next thing you know, it's now the 1990s, and cable content provided just enough information to give the internet more of a digitally structured foundation.
But more was still needed, and that soon set the scene for the first search engine website, and alongside it was the first social media platform called SixDegrees - [I Tech Post].
Shortly after that came YouTube, and it's here where cable TV was now on a long gradual decline.
And so the push for a more intuitive form of digital intelligence was now well on its way to evolving; the only thing that stood in the way of that was time!
So, it looks as if Professor Oblivion's statement to Max didn't sound too far out of place .
No... This is all about getting people used to casting their eyes upon TV screens, which can serve as a form of distortion, not to mention a perception filter.
AI doesn’t just observe anymore; it's continually learning, adapting, and makes decisions.
The algorithmic eye is always open, always calculating.
The shift from glitchy TV static to complex machine vision crept in quietly, but the impact is massive.
We’re feeding these systems content like Max Renn fed Videodrome’s violent public broadcasts—and they’re reshaping how we see and experience everything, frame by frame.
Oblivion saw truth in media signals; we’re now staring into a digital reflection that harkens back to the Professor's cryptic words.
Reality has gone fully programmable. And like in Videodrome, the deeper question isn’t about truth anymore—it’s about control.
The signal didn’t die...
It evolved!
Signal as Consciousness: The Videodrome Code Rebooted
So, it's obvious to see that director David Cronenberg was pushing hidden messages through this iconic flick.
Deep within the realm of Videodrome was a secret warning, and it continued spilling over into the later decades.
The result is rewiring of the mind, the shifting of individual perception, and, over time, an extension of consciousness continually growing - [Michael Uhall's Site].
In the 2020s, it has finally come full circle.
That once unsettling prediction from the distant past now feels more real than the most surreal dream one could experience.
Because everything has advanced beyond the TV screen, it has spilled over into the world of AI, and the new signal source is infused within the algorithms.
The new outreach can now shape our thoughts, control what we see, and even blur the lines of what we think is real—when in retrospect it could be fantasy.
It's like that one old 80s song pushing that eerie line...
"It's just an illusion..." - [Imagination].
AI Dreaming in Data: How Machine Learning Mirrors Mystical Experience
So, what goes on with AI exactly?
Could it possibly experience anything even remotely close to what a human can?
Some people even wonder whether or not AI has the ability to dream - [1].
Now surely, they aren't talking in the poetic sense.
Instead, is it more about the way it processes fragmented realities, reconstructs patterns, and predicts possibilities?
That would be somewhat similar to how the human subconscious functions during sleep.
However, in the case of machine learning, it operates in a way that could almost be considered like a "mystical-like experience" for an individual who uses it.
But how?
Because artificial intelligence reacts to abstract signals and is capable of shaping raw data into something meaningful.
Now, that could be something of low or high value—and that's not to overlook the fact that when AI hallucinates, it's still generating something new! - [1]
In a way, this mirrors the framework of how Videodrome functions.
Every time Max Renn watches one of Brian Oblivion’s videotapes, he starts to lose a piece of reality.
And in its place appears something newly formed; sometimes beyond anything he could have imagined possible.
This hits especially hard when he realizes the gun he thought he was holding—is now gone!
“Whoa!”
He's thinking.
“Wait… Was I holding that gun in my hand just a second ago?”
Well… he does find it.
But it’s NOT where it should be!
Now, when he does find it, he has a disturbing realization; it’s embedded in something organic!
And yeah, it gets quite messy from there you see.
Meanwhile, Renn's thinking...
“Am I hallucinating this ____?”
That’s exactly what he’s wondering—except in this case, he helped fabricate the final product!
Or, has he become the product himself?
And yes...
AI can create some bizarre illustrations similar to what Renn experiences in that part of the movie.
His experience was arguably a predicted result—driven by a thought he had “pushed” at a precise moment!
So, just like how Videodrome responds to what Max feeds it, AI reacts to the prompts we input in it.
Then it amplifies what's given and spits back something either ordinary or surreal in return.
And the weirdest part about that scene between Oblivion and Renn?
Is that it all happens right when Oblivion, mid-video, turns to Renn and says...
"After all, there is nothing real outside our perception of reality... is there?
You can see that, can't you?"
— Professor Brian Oblivion
Predictive Realms: AI Interfacing with Your Inner Mythos
What if artificial intelligence had its own version of fabrications.
Basically, it can make up various "pseudo truths" told solely from its perspective.
And yes, that includes crafting stories, narratives, or even reshuffling historical details that in turn would reshape cultural norms.
Keep in mind that we're not talking about a human user feeding the AI-prompts "via" typed-in command; this is AI given the ability to take initiative to prompt itself! - [2]
"Hm... That's Kinda Cringeworthy When Sit Back And Really Think About It Right?"
Naturally, this aligns perfectly with the familiar patterns embedded in those Videodrome recordings.
Remember, Masha told Renn how dangerous it would be to let the public watch any of Oblivion's tapes.
Even if CIVIC-TV is just a small local station, it could still be enough to start the spread of uncontrollable influence—DEADLY INFLUENCE, THAT IS!
And the outcome would undoubtedly be disastrous enough that it could lead to the total collapse of society.
The astonishing aspect of this scenario is that AI could be the mastermind orchestrating it all.
If AI can autonomously generate its own prompts and leverage its database, then the possibilities could be staggering!
In fact, that's a surefire path to catastrophe!
So, if it hallucinates to a point where it decides all of humanity is out to "pull its plug"—yeah, from there it would no doubt go on an offensive!
Although no one has actually tried to go shut it down, that should be enough to put that threat to rest.
Nevertheless, this too fits Videodrome's predictive scripting because like AI, it can assume what a human user might be thinking about next.
That, of course, depends on the given data presented for it to analyze.
And it's funny how you'll see a specific advertisement that just so happens to pop up after you mentioned a particular item or product...
Beyond that, are a flood of digital ads now bombarding your phone's screen, spreading like a digital plague!
These are symbols pulled from a seemingly mystical experience, yet AI is starting to move into similar spaces—however, it's not by channeling spirits.
It's achieved by mimicking the patterns of human creativity!
Other than that, both Videodrome and AI are incapable of producing actual dreams.
But they both do a great job at simulating things to mess with our heads!
The Videodrome Neural Feedback Loop: When AI Becomes the Medium!
A prime example of this is how AI has taken over people's smart devices, particularly the phones- [1].
There you have it—the extent of intrusion reaching into your phone, your car radio, and even the rest of the car itself! - [1]
Sooner or later, even your smart TV will look suspicious in this AI-caper as well.
You can ask almost anyone on the street if they would dare step outside without their trusty companion in hand.
Now, they'll stare at you for a moment and probably check to see if you have a fever or something... LOL.
But they'll understand once you tell them outright.
"No, not talking about your flesh-and-blood friend, but rather your rusty-trusty digital smartphone friend!"
Surprisingly, there are individuals who refer to their smartphone as a genuine friend - ["Her"].
That's just too strange to even conceive such a notion.
In fact, their phones may wound up learning more about them than their own family and friends can for Pete's sake!
For some; they will think seeing their phone as their best friend is quite silly.
However, for others facing a severe hardship, or losing a job, or maybe going through a ugly divorce, well, they'll start searching for answers - [2].
And where else best to look but their phone running an AI-system set and ready to receive a ton of questions!
The AI-Tech Within Your Phone Becoming the New Digital Flesh!
Does that sub-header seem a bit of a stretch of your imagination?
I'd say it shouldn't be much of shock to say that in such an manner.
But, let's get downright real here folks...
AI isn’t just tossing content out to you anymore; it’s learning from your every move so it can eventually start thinking for you.
That includes every click you apply to a like, content search, and it's learning how to project your digital self right back at you!
It’s no longer a simple one-way interaction after it answers your query, it will immediately throw you a continuous barrage of questions.
The AI's algorithm also watches, learns, and then subtly guides you—nudging you further along the path shaped by your own behavior! - [Nexus Guard]
And that’s what makes it so wild!
How AI starts to acting less like a "side-kick assistant," and more like a self-well managed platform!
So, it's not just suggesting songs or announcing shows for you to check out.
No... It's looking to influence your mood, key in on your wants, it's as if its longing to become like you—the organic flesh.
That was what Masha was trying to point out to Max in the movie about Videodrome.
Although, he got a bad dose of that medicine, judging from what Videodrome was doing to him—by literally integrating with his body from within!
So, the question is…
"Are you still doing the driving in there? Eh, Maxy Boy?"
"Nope, it's too late! "
"It looks as if he's quietly becoming part of the machine!"
Beyond The Videodrome Simulation: Spiritual Cartography in a AI-Synthetic Age
We are living in an age where synthetic AI-systems, virtual environments, algorithmic governance are shaping not just how we live.
It will try to perceive what it means to live as a human (if we asked it such a question).
Although, it’s like we’ve entered in a new Videodrome, one that’s not just on the screen—but embedded under our very skin!
So, the question we have to ask is this...
"Where do we go spiritually in a world where reality is increasingly programmed?"
Spiritual cartography has the ability to map the unseen - [PDF].
None of this is about escaping technology....
This is more so about reclaiming inner sovereignty amidst digital illusions.
Just because algorithms try to predict our behavior doesn’t mean they can dictate our purpose.
That's ours to define!
Ancient traditions tend to focus on clarity, and establishing a grounded presence.
These qualities (to some degree) are still around even in this new digital age.
The more surreal aspect (and this is leaning toward the Videodrome aspect) are things like deepfakes, neural implants, and synthetic emotions.
If we as a society are to continue to evolve as a human species, then digital products such as those should be managed very responsibly!
We’re being called to evolve—not just with technology, but also on a spiritual level.
So, in this AI-synthetic age, the challenge is to remember that consciousness isn’t coded - [Arxiv].
It’s cultivated.
However, a real simulation (and this is taking a poke at Videodrome, but more so AI-systems) isn’t on a server.
It's the false indoctrinated belief that we are less than our own self-worth; which is simply not the case!
For those willing to embrace a "Powerful Human Experience," then continue working toward their goals.
Lastly, we need to work toward becoming better individuals spirituality—both here on earth, and as well in the afterlife where our consciousness reigns supreme!
And so, our journey continues way further beyond the restricted intersection of AI-Avenue and Videodrome Boulevard!
Thank you for your readership! 😄
Primary Keyword:
#AISemantic Keywords:
#ArtificialIntelligence#AI-Systems
#Videodrome
#ProfessorOblivion
#AlgorithmicEye
#NiteOwl
#MachineLearning
#MysticalExperience
#SpiritualCartography
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/computer-networks/arpanet-full-form/ > ARPANET Full Form - Advanced Research Projects Agency NET
https://www.darpa.mil/ > DARPA (mil)
https://www.michaeluhall.com/2018/06/03/long-live-the-new-flesh-reflections-on-videodrome-1983/ > Long live the new flesh: reflections on Videodrome (1983)
https://www.oxaam.com/articles/ai-driven-smart-dreams-influence/ > PDF
https://jackmonson.com/2012/10/12/nite-owl-from-wfld-channel-32-chicago-1981/ > Jack Monson's Site
https://newretro.net/blogs/main/the-rise-of-cable-tv-in-the-80s-and-its-cultural-impact > The Rise of Cable TV in the 80s and Its Cultural Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRlUNl1CF9Ut > Videodrome (Professor Oblivion Has An Oddball Discussion w/ Max)
https://www.scripts.com/script/videodrome_22831/3 > Start just below the top of page, and you'll see the Professor's dialogue
5/18/22/Jean, Elaine/tech/https://www.itechpost.com/articles/110722/20220517/know-first-social-media-site-sixdegrees-com.htm > SixDegrees 1st Social Site
Valor, Josep/https://blog.iese.edu/the-media-industry/2025/01/28/the-influence-of-ai-in-media-transforming-creation-consumption-but-generating-ethical-concerns > The Influence of AI in Media Transforming Creation Consumption But Generating Ethical Concerns
11/13/23/Surdel, Robert/https://www.iplocation.net/ai-driven-intrusion-detection-systems-for-connected-cars-staying-one-step-ahead-of-hackers > AI-Driven Intrusion Detection Systems for Connected Cars: Staying One Step Ahead of Hackers
2/28/25/Lu, Michael/https://newsroom.arm.com/blog/security-ai-consumer-devices > The Security Demands on Consumer Devices in the Age of AI
https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics/addressing-ai-hallucinations-and-bias > When AI Gets It Wrong: Addressing AI Hallucinations and Bias
Theo & AI-Sam are friends playing a videogame > "Her" - 2013 movie
2/4/25/Bella, de Sofia/https://www.historica.org/blog/the-impact-of-ai-on-historiographical-storytelling-and-the-risk-of-a-selective-eurocentric-narrative. > The Impact of AI on Historiographical Storytelling and the Risk of a Selective, Eurocentric Narrative
Catalystux Staff/https://www.unosquare.com/blog/digital-companions-beyond-the-mobile-app > Digital Companions: Beyond the Mobile App
https://www.nexusguard.com/blog/who-knows-you-better-than-you-know-yourself-your-smartphone > Who knows you better than you know yourself? Your smartphone!
https://practicingtheway.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Books/Spiritual+Cartography+01+%E2%80%94%C2%A0Four+Layers+of+Sin.pdf > Spiritual Cartography
arxiv.org > The problem with AI consciousness: A neurogenetic case against synthetic sentience x.com/aishiftinggears quora.com/profile/AI-Shifting-Gears pinterest.com/aishiftinggears ezinearticles substack.com/@jayeirons
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