Person of Interest (POI) is my personal top ten favorite TV series. It tells of the story of a geek genius, Harold Finch, and a former CIA operative, John Reese, using an advanced AI system, The Machine, invented by Finch to prevent crime from happening.

One famous line would definitely be the opening narration by Finch: YOU ARE BEING WATCHED. Person of Interest is a science fiction television that primarily discusses about artificial intelligence, surveillance, and ethics. In an interview, the cast admitted that many things in this show had become real.

Looking back at this show in 2024, it is less science fiction and more of a prescient warning about technological development. In this blog, I would like to talk about what has become true in our own world.

the machines capabilities

According to Harold Finch, The Machine analyses everyone’s behavior every hour and every day, which is why The Machine can detect crimes even before they happen. The Machine receives training to use probability as a model to provide the most probable outcome.

In reality, predictive policing algorithms now attempt to forecast potential criminal activities using similar data analysis techniques.

Root’s hacking skills

Root is another hacker in this TV series. Instead of constraining AI in a cage as Harold Finch desires, Root wishes to set the AI free, letting it be God to rule and guide us mundane humans. Root has an extraordinary ability to penetrate any digital system. Her moves look really fancy in the show, where she can code with her hands on different devices (I do not think Amy Acker actually knew what she was typing). She can create a loop that no one can trace the origin. She can also access the government corporate and private networds at will.

Today, in real life, state-sponsored, which means in legal manners, hackers and cybersecurity experts can perform similar network infiltrations. Real-world examples include sophisticated state-level cyber attacks like Stuxnet and ongoing digital espionage.

surveillance technology

Have you ever encountered such a situation when you are chatting with your friend on WhatsApp, mentioning you would like to purchase a certain type of product, and after a while, you receive ads of the exact same thing? Or even you are talking in the real world to someone, mentioning your wish; you soon see the products you were talking about on the front page of your shopping website.

In Person of Interest, the super AI has all access to your cameras, and then, you will have your personal profile, which ultimately will define if you are an underlying perpetrator.

Another thing that looks quite awesome in the show is that The Machine turns all cameras connected to the internet into their own use. It is already a reality — Chinese-style surveillance systems, ring doorbell networks, city-wide camera grids, and smartphone tracking.

social engineering techniques

Root goes by many aliases which are flawless. Modern AI can now generate convincing fake identities, deepfakes, and social media profiles with unprecedented sophistication.

government backdoors

The Machine was originally designed for the government to detect future crimes that pose threats upon the nation. However, Finch did not fully trust the officers, he benevolently left himself a backdoor — to receive the social security numbers in some way.

Edward Snowden’s revelations and subsequent investigations have confirmed similar real-world surveillance programs.

It has been over a decade since this TV series premiered. Witnessing things mentioned gradually becoming a reality, we might learn how to deal with AI in our own present. Finch named the AI he created The Machine, meaning that it is not human or god. Our attitudes towards AI should also be like this.