The Lazarus Swap: The technology doesn’t matter, the message is always the same
Power tests people, not machines.
Photo by Natasa Grabovac on Unsplash
The best speeches in science fiction aren’t about the tech.
They’re about us - our flaws, our hope, our need to push further. Swap “time travel” for “AI” in this one, and you’ll see what I mean..
Time travel represents courage.
It represents human curiosity and endurance.
It is a symbol of our desire to seek out answers.
To test the limits of our world.
And push our understanding of who we are.
Whether it’s a great tool or a terrible weapon is entirely down to the people who will wield it.
To create time travel is to believe in the innate goodness of our species.
It is to entrust humanity with a gift and to believe it will use it in the pursuit of wonder rather than the desire for destruction.
There are no guarantees that our discoveries will make the world a better place.
Just the guarantee that to stop looking for them leaves us all poorer, all further in the darkness, further back into the caves that we left so long ago.
So, let us explore together and see where it might take us…for good or for ill.
No, I am not a poet now and I am not waxing romantically about time travel. But I did just finish The Lazarus Project, a two-season sci-fi show from the Sky Network (now streaming on Netflix).
As I was watching one of the episodes (no spoilers) a character gives this monologue about time travel, the core technology that serves as the foundation for the entire show.
And me being me, I was struck with how one could simply swap “time travel” for “AI,” and the message would still fit.
Which is why AI is dominating headlines, Notes feeds, and arguably human consciousness these days. The question of what happens when you give humans unbelievable power has been wrestled with in pop culture for decades. And in that wrestle, there’s always the shadow question: what happens if humans lose that power?
I find it oddly comforting that, in some ways, this topic is old hat. Are we confronting such an awesome advancement that we truly cannot fathom what’s ahead? Maybe. But have we stood at this edge before, asking the same questions of ourselves? Absolutely.
So what could other moments in movies or TV tell us about how we perceive humanity and power? Let’s take a stroll, shall we - and I’ll connect each to present day concerns over AI.
Power, Curiosity, and Consequence
1. The Lazarus Project - Sarah Leigh
“It is to entrust humanity with a gift and to believe it will use it in the pursuit of wonder rather than the desire for destruction.”
How many of us feel both wonder and unease about AI - especially when we think about the hands that will wield it?
2. Jurassic Park – Ian Malcolm
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
As AI developers admit they don’t fully understand what they’ve built, the race toward AGI/ASI continues at full tilt.
And it’s not the first time. Remember when social media was still evolving, and critics warned the tech bros about this same stance - creating without intent?
3. Oppenheimer – J. Robert Oppenheimer (quoting the Bhagavad Gita)
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
Some of the creators now express regret and recognition of the destructive potential of AI.
The team behind AI 2027 was led by Daniel Kokotajlo - a former OpenAI researcher -and included other contributors with direct experience in frontier AI development and governance. Their forecasts aren’t idle speculation, they come from people who’ve been inside the labs, seen the impulses up close, and stepped away with warnings.
Responsibility and Control
4. Spider-Man – Uncle Ben
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
When we look at the builders, do they seem prepared - and worthy - to carry this responsibility?
And when we look at how the broligarchs spend their billions, how much truly goes toward the advancement of humanity… versus a foam party on a yacht?
5. Westworld – Dr. Robert Ford
"We can't define consciousness because consciousness does not exist. Humans fancy that there's something special about the way we perceive the world, and yet we live in loops as tight and as closed as the hosts do, seldom questioning our choices, content, for the most part, to be told what to do next"
AI has been dismissed as a “stochastic parrot.” But how different are we, really, when so many of us move through never-changing loops, our behavior just as predictable?
6. The Matrix – Morpheus
“What is real? How do you define real?”
If I asked someone who married their AI companion or Replika whether their love was “real,” they might counter me with this very line of questioning.
And if “real” is nothing more than a sensory experience, they might have a point.
Hubris and Humanity
7. Frankenstein (1931) – Dr. Frankenstein
“In the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!”
Blasphemous, and a perfect snapshot of unchecked ambition.
Also - just to be clear - Frankenstein is the doctor, not the “monster.” Glad we’re all aligned.
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day – Sarah Connor
“The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”
In Terminator 2, Sarah challenges the idea that the future is fixed. She insists there is hope and human agency - even when doom feels inevitable.
9. Contact – Dr. Ellie Arroway
“They should have sent a poet.”
The irony is that what Dr. Arroway witnesses is so beautiful, so profound, her scientific training can’t capture it. Sometimes language itself falls short of emotional impact.
10. WarGames – WOPR computer
“A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.”
In WarGames, every scenario ends in annihilation. It’s a stark reminder of the dangers in handing life-or-death decisions to machines - and the unintended consequences that follow.
The Message Never Changes
Maybe that’s why these lines still land, no matter the decade or the medium. They’re not about the tech - they’re about us.
AI just happens to be the latest mirror we’ve built. And like time travel, cloning, or any other leap forward, it will test our courage, our restraint, and our capacity for wonder.
The question isn’t whether the tech or the message changes. It’s whether we will.