Pluribus: A fight against Artificial Intelligence?

I am sure most of contemporary society would agree that we live in a largely antisocial and predictable climate, where citizens avoid conversation with strangers and only offer help when absolutely necessary. But when empty supermarkets suddenly fill up with employees similar to ants delivering food to their queen, this seemingly utopian life quickly becomes a frightening and hellish fever dream in Apple TV’s, Pluribus.

Apple TV’s recent hit, Pluribus, starring Rhea Seehorn, follows the apocalyptic, monotonous yet strangely tranquil life of Carol Sturka which has erupted into existential and lonely chaos. With a premise that seems almost laughable due to its resemblance to a typical sci-fi videogame, this series is a crossover between The Truman Show (1998) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Pluribus is less interested in comforting its audience than it is in quietly unnerving them. Where living in a world of technology combined with a scientific malfunction produces a global ‘group mindset’, where the population’s sole purpose is to serve and protect animals, nature and the seven remaining humans, including Carol. The series moves between moments of intense emotional stress, and long stretches of just Carol plotting alone in her kitchen to save humanity, seemingly to deliberately emphasize her isolation.

Pluribus is less interested in comforting its audience than it is in quietly unnerving them.

Despite its slow pace and minimal cast, the show remains unexpectedly addictive, we come to understand Carol’s sometimes ruthless actions as a deeply human response to an inhuman world. Through time skips her strained relationship with her late partner is revealed, alongside recurring motifs of alcohol and addiction. We come to admire her determination and sharp wit when facing this dystopian world alone where interaction with the outside world feels like a therapy session with ChatGPT.

Having also directed Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan knows how to capture a disillusioned audience, blending bleak situations with dark humour and crafting morally meticulous characters we genuinely care for which is something not all shows can achieve. Part of the show’s compelling nature comes from the fact that Carol seems alone in her views and drive to save humanity. We are immediately frustrated and disappointed by the other unaffected humans’ desire to bring back individuality because living as the controlled collective unit in many ways is the easy option in life and the ‘simple way of living’.

However, this asymmetrical divide in the community perhaps symbolises our population’s current use of Artificial Intelligence.

Rather than offering spectacle, it offers a warning: comfort can be more dangerous than chaos.

This reliance and sense of comfort we receive from AI has stolen our individuality, has made us submissive, and hinders us from genuinely reaching our potential. If Pluribus was in fact an attempt to exaggerate AI’s dystopian consequences through a global pandemic of robotic speakers, it very much achieved that, and perhaps even exceeded its original intention.

This show is one of the most relevant series of 2026 so far. Rather than offering spectacle, it offers a warning: comfort can be more dangerous than chaos. Pluribus reminds us that the greatest threat to humanity may not be destruction, but group submission. This show teaches us all a powerful lesson. Never stop forming authentic ideas. Because not doing so can have disastrous consequences.