Happy Birthday David (New Prometheus Viral)

[Valaquen]

Of course it's on the nose, Deut. It's a viral video.

He seems like a cross between Ash and Bishop. Great.

[shamash]

Thanks for the credit ikarop

[Nightmare Asylum]

Also, at the very end of the video, there appears to be a contradiction.  The Weyland acronym for these androids is "TIPE", standing for:  Technological, Intellectual, Physical, Emotional

Him appearing/reacting emotional doesn't necesserly mean that he does feel emotions.

I think you are perfectly right with this:

So are we to assume that this is just a "programmed" reaction to mimic human behavior, so as to make him appear empathetic to humans?

But I guess this concept will evolve and be further dealt with in the movie.

Yep, that's what I got from it.

And I'm not expecting David to turn evil at any point in the film. Maybe he'll do some immoral things, accidentally get a person killed, but I don't see him pulling an Ash.

[Zeta Reticuli]

damnit, fassbender is going to deliver some iconic acting in this movie.
the last time i had so much fun just watching an actor play his role was when i saw Heath Ledger as the Joker.

[Toy]

After this incredible video I'm actually more inclined to believe that we see a couple Davids in the movie, like some have been suggesting.  Not completely sure that happens yet, but something about that shot of the two Davids playing chess gave me a feeling that there's a lot of foreshadowing going on aside from them being programmed to perform immoral acts.  The video also reveals that David can't stand war or unnecessary acts of violence. In one interview Fassbender said each David bot could develop its own personality.

[Nightmare Asylum]

After this incredible video I'm actually more inclined to believe that we see a couple Davids in the movie, like some have been suggesting.  Not completely sure that happens yet, but something about that shot of the two Davids playing chess gave me a feeling that there's a lot of foreshadowing going on aside from them being programmed to perform immoral acts.  The video also reveals that David can't stand war or unnecessary acts of violence. In one interview Fassbender said each David bot could develop its own personality.

Ohhh, now that could be very interesting to see. Almost like the movie Moon, I'm thinking.

[VickersAsh]

love it!! 

the skulls in the back remind me of
by Matthew Day Jackson

[Eva]

Prt Sc  ----->  new sig   

Love this video - too bad you can't really make out the book titles on the shelves behind him.

That huge mural/picture he's seen looking at.... do you think it represents buildings/WY headquarters, electronic circuitry or something else entirely?

[Toy]

After this incredible video I'm actually more inclined to believe that we see a couple Davids in the movie, like some have been suggesting.  Not completely sure that happens yet, but something about that shot of the two Davids playing chess gave me a feeling that there's a lot of foreshadowing going on aside from them being programmed to perform immoral acts.  The video also reveals that David can't stand war or unnecessary acts of violence. In one interview Fassbender said each David bot could develop its own personality.

Ohhh, now that could be very interesting to see. Almost like the movie Moon, I'm thinking.

That was a great movie Not really sure about that theory though, because what we thought was a pic of two Davids, most likely isn't.  I'm thinking if that happens Weyland has one programmed to be more defensive as a bodyguard, when he shows up-- however he does. Whereas the crew has the more humanistic one who's been wandering the ship for 2.5 years and wondering about the universe while everyone was in cryo.

[Glaive]

...Those David8s always WERE a bit twitchy...

[Lampeiro]

I guess there are plenty of subliminal messages inserted in the video. In the chess table, for instance, the black pieces are well advanced towards the white pieces (the dark side is winning...). We can see also David manipulating little humans in the painting scene. Anyone catch anything else?

[Eva]

Funny thing about the painting scene... because of the way the figure looks, the jacket etc., I was thinking it was a figure of T.E Lawrence and in a symbolic sense, David could be applying paint to himself -> developing/learning/evolving.

[Deuterium]

Him appearing/reacting emotional doesn't necesserly mean that he does feel emotions.

I always found this (the unemotional android) to be a completely ridiculous "trope" that has been sustained in the sci-fi genre.  We are expected to believe that basically every characteristic of human consciousness is realized in these futuristic, advanced Artificial Intelligences:
 
Cognition
Self-awareness
Self-reflection
Introspection
Intentionality
Perceptual recognition and awareness that other beings are also individual, conscious agents
Empathy

Yet, for no good reason (except that it helps the narrative),  A.I. / androids in sci-fi are generally denied the ability to experience internal emotional states.  Why?  My guess is that this is the easiest and simpliest way for sci-fi writers to represent a clear distinction between the android character and the human character.  It is a simplistic literary crutch to signify the "Other".

However, an A.I. intelligence that features all the attributes (see list above) of human consciousness, IMHO would also be expected to "feel" and perceive different internal emotional states.  The denial of emotion is especially problematic when the A.I. clearly exhibits both empathy and the recognition of consciousness in others.

Of course, the simple resolution to this question is to sweep the issue under the proverbial rug, with the explanation that the A.I. programming somehow prevents or precludes emotional states.  Another similar argument is that the A.I. is constrained by some hypothetical emotional inhibitor.  Yet, IMHO, this is an entirely unsatisfactory resolution.  In some sense, a fully conscious A.I. has to operate beyond (or transcend) any deterministic "program"...otherwise it couldn't be considered truly conscious.   

[Despicable Dugong]

"I can carry out directives that my human counterparts might find distressing or unethical."

^Nice bit of foreshadowing there!

[Nightmare Asylum]

"I can carry out directives that my human counterparts might find distressing or unethical."

^Nice bit of foreshadowing there!

Yep. Makes sense, too, with Bishop's crawl through the tunnel in Aliens when no one else wanted to do it.