Swarming sensations: robo-bees and the politics of the swarm in Black Mirror

Abstract

This article investigates how robotic swarming entails new modes of sensing that not only blur the lines between human, insect and machine–and hence between natural and prosthetic sensoria–but also transcend beyond what the human sensory apparatus can possibly process and comprehend. Based on examples and analytical insights from the popular Netflix series Black Mirror the article analyzes how robotic surrogate bees capable of pollinating the world’s flora in order to prevent an ecological catastrophe is depicted in the episode “Hated in the Nation”. Thus, the article not only demonstrates how artificial intelligence and robotic swarms can expand, refine, or disrupt the sensory capacity of human perception–it also shows how the relationship between natural and artificial swarming is troubled by historical, social, and technical ties that altogether shed new light on the idea of machine autonomy.