When J.J. Abrams pitched screenwriter Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar, The Dark Knight) and producer Lisa Joy (Burn Notice) on the idea of adapting the 1973 sci-fi–Western flick Westworld for the small screen, Nolan demurred. But Joy (who is also married to Nolan) sold him on the potential emotional complexities in a futuristic show that’s set in an Old West–style theme park where guests pay $40,000 a day to shoot up bad guys, bed damsels, and interact with a population of robotic “hosts” who are programmed to let them live out their fantasies, however perverse or violent. The series, which HBO launched in 2016 with a reported per-episode budget of between $8 million and $10 million, has been praised for its stunning visuals and epic scope. After a year-plus hiatus, the second season of Westworld debuts on April 22. Here, Nolan and Joy talk about the blurring of fact and fiction, the possibilities and perils of AI, and what it’s like to be married to your writing partner.
Fast Company: Westworld addresses issues that are playing out in real life, such as the rise of AI that can cause more harm than good. Do real-world scenarios affect your story lines?
Lisa Joy: Both of us are curious and interested in technology. It’s a vital part of culture. If the arts are meant to be a reflection or contemplation on the world, you have to take into consideration the great strides or stumbles that we’re making.
Jonathan Nolan: Sadly, since we started putting the show out there, the world has taken on a dystopian feeling. You have these companies–Facebook, Google–barreling toward AI with zero accountability, because it services their corporate mandate. The better they can read your mind, the better they can sell you shit. It’s taken Facebook a long time to come to grips with the fact that it’s responsible for interfering in our last election; if they’re taking the same approach toward AI that they’re taking toward their responsibilities in social media, we’re fucked.
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