Moments of Movie Wisdom: Man vs. Machine in ‘Desk Set’ (1957)

Publicity still of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in "Desk Set" from 1957. MovieStillsDB

Commentary

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the biggest topics of our time. AI technology seems to be in the news every day, as many major companies are utilizing it in different forms. Automatic chatbots have been common for a few years, but it seems that the uses and popularity of more advanced AI technology is constantly increasing. Although some praise these developments as huge advancements for civilization, many warn that this technology could present more problems than benefits. However, the concern that machines could replace human beings is nothing new; people were also afraid of automation destroying their jobs in the 1950s.

Today’s moment of movie wisdom is from “Desk Set” (1957). The scene in question takes place 97 minutes into this 103-minute film. The women who work in the research department of a New York broadcasting station fear that their days with the company are numbered when a huge computer moves into their department. Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn), the intelligent middle-aged head of the department, pretends to be unconcerned by the presence of computer engineer Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy), his stuffy assistant Miss Wariner (Neva Patterson), and the monstrous Electromagnetic Memory and Research Arithmetical Calculator (EMERAC), nicknamed Emmy. However, Richard reveals that the purpose of the computer is not to replace meaningful human endeavors but to assist them.

The Story

Bunny Watson leads a team of three women in the research department of the Federal Broadcasting Network. They include her best friend, fellow spinster Peg (Joan Blondell); an attractive blonde who fears she’s headed in the same direction, Sylvia (Dina Merrill); and an eager young newcomer, Ruthie (Sue Randall). All three women have questions when the eccentric yet charming Richard Sumner starts measuring their department. They know that he’s been assigned to set up shop in their department by the head of the company, but he is very mysterious about his purpose there. When Bunny investigates him, she is uneasy to discover that he’s an engineer who designs elaborate computers. She and her co-workers suspect that he is surveying their department for the introduction of one of his EMERAC machines.

Bunny has been going steady with an enterprising executive, Mike Cutler (Gig Young), for years with no talk about engagement or marriage. Peg advises Bunny to make herself less available to Mike, who seems most interested in her because she has helped his career by writing excellent reports for him. As Richard’s time around the research department stretches on for weeks, the girls grow increasingly suspicious of him. While he and Bunny get to know each other better, they develop mutual respect, with a hint of something else; could it be romantic attraction? How can Bunny let herself be interested in a man who may be trying to send her and her friends into unemployment?

Publicity still of (L-R) Spencer Tracy, Neva Patterson, and Katharine Hepburn in "Desk Set" from 1957. MovieStillsDB

The Scene

On Christmas Eve, Richard and Bunny bond at the office’s champagne-soaked office party. However, the festivities are broken up when Miss Wariner barges in and starts surveying the office for where her desk and all the computer equipment can fit. The three research workers feel completely betrayed by Sumner, whom they had just started to trust.

In the new year, they grudgingly cooperate with the process of adapting their office for EMERAC. They have to rearrange the furniture, keep the doors closed to regulate the temperature, and avoid getting the books’ dust on the machine. All the while, they are dreading the moment of receiving pink slips in their next pay checks. When the day finally arrives, they are saddened but not surprised to learn that they’ve all been fired. They start packing their things.

When Richard arrives, he is confused by the sarcastic remarks the four women are making. As they refuse to help, Miss Wariner goes into a frenzy as she tries to answer several telephones and get the information from EMERAC. She’s an expert on computers, but her ignorance of the topics and how to use the research library puts her in a total disaster. When EMERAC goes berserk, the research girls step in and avert the crisis in a few minutes, demonstrating the power of human knowledge and old-fashioned research.

Its Significance

One of the best moments is when a flustered Miss Wariner and a confused Sumner are trying to answer research questions as the four research workers sit there, smugly watching because they have been fired. When the computer answers a question about whether a certain actor owns a car, Bunny comments, “That’s wrong information,” noting that the article cited by the machine is simply a review of the film. Meanwhile, Miss Wariner’s misspelling of Corfu results in reams of paper to print the long narrative poem “Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight.” Bunny sends Peg and Sylvia to find the information in the library, saying, “Let’s show ‘em what people can do.” They accomplish this quickly, proving that their skill can’t be replaced by a machine.

After Miss Wariner storms out, Richard realizes what has happened. He explains to the girls, “EMERAC is not going to take over. It was never intended to take over. It was never intended to replace you. It’s here merely to free your time for research. It’s just here to help you.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” Bunny asks. “Because of your darn grapevine, that’s why. They didn’t want that Atlantic stock to go up while the merger was going. There’s going to be more work here than ever before. As a matter of fact, they’re putting on a few more girls. I just hope they’re as good as all you are.” They soon realize that everyone in the building that morning was accidentally fired because the EMERAC in the payroll department malfunctioned. It’s yet another proof that machines are not an infallible replacement for human beings.

Time for What?

When Richard Sumner is explaining EMERAC to Bunny, he emphasizes the point that the computer can’t think, nor can it reason. It can only retrieve and repeat information which it is fed. If its information is wrong, that’s because the human element made an error in its programming. The same is true of modern computer technology. But humans are inherently flawed. Because computers are so complex now, they can answer questions, compose text, edit grammar, and even create art based on a few commands, but they still consistently make mistakes.

Artificial intelligence is a deceptive term, since it implies that computers can reason and think. However, the technology is just like EMERAC, a machine which stores, repeats, and recycles information. As this movie shows, an electronic database can be a useful tool, but it is no replacement for the genuine intelligence and wisdom which only a human being can wield through years of study.