'Person of Interest' returns to CBS Tuesday night.

Image: Giovanni Rufino/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

By Sandra Gonzalez2014-09-23 19:45:48 UTC

For three seasons, CBS's Person of Interest has tried to raise questions about who's watching us. But starting Tuesday, the show will shine a light on a subject producers think no one is keeping an eye on quite enough: artificial intelligence.

"Since the show initially premiered [in 2011], we used to get a lot of questions about [surveillance] and whether it was a real thing or not, and I think what initially seemed like a science fiction concept became factual and something people know is pervasive," said executive producer Greg Plageman, referring largely to the 2013 Edward Snowden leaks.

"Now that everyone understands that, we said, 'What's the next thing coming along that's interesting, the next big thing happening and a little bit under the table now but clearly imminent?' And that is artificial intelligence."

The subject has always been of interest to creator Jonathan Nolan, but in plotting Season 4, which debuts Tuesday night, it was hard to ignore the flurry of activity in the AI community, particularly Google's January acquisition of Deep Mind, the company's addition of leading AI researcher Ray Kurzweil, and Facebook's interest in the realm.

Forced to take on new identities created by Root, the team, including Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) tries to adapt to their new lives in the season premiere of 'Person of Interest.'

Image: Giovanni Rufino/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Read the original:

'Person of Interest' Season 4 Will Tackle Big Questions About Artificial Intelligence