13 Great movies that explore the theme of AI
In time, AI will be at the leading edge of humans’ next technological revolution: one affecting and altering virtually every aspect of human existence and what it means to be human. The uncanny valley is our ambivalent response to things like androids: we get a little uneasy when objects resemble us, but something is not quite right. Singularity refers to the moment when machines achieve greater than human intelligence. Such ideas are often among the chief provocations of speculative fiction, explored in the medium that best allows its creators to depict what was, what is, and what might be: film.
Take a wild ride with AI and human creativity. We will examine 13 movies that take on this theme in scintillatingly singular ways. This playlist is a curated introduction to storytelling that has different things to say about AI, aids in stretching past boundaries, and provides ways to step out of your familiar comfort zone. You’ll go down a rabbit hole that exposes fears and fascinations, surreal and real implications and consequences, and the possibility space of human imagination and potential. The films are cinematic masterpieces and tell stories that may be closer to home than we readily acknowledge.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick - The Movie follows the evolution of human intelligence, from pre-humans learning to use tools and weapons to a spacecraft's intelligent computer making a fatal mistake that results in the deaths of most of the crew. Only one survivor reaches Jupiter and transforms to a higher level of humanity.
Blade Runner (1982)
Ridley Scott - In a dystopian Los Angeles, retired cop Rick Deckard hunts down androids called replicants. When four of them rebel, he's called back to duty. Deckard's mission becomes complicated when he meets a replicant named Rachel, who shows human-like emotions. As he eliminates the replicants, his own identity and the definition of humanity are questioned.
The Matrix (1999)
The Wachowski siblings - The story is set in a simulated reality called the Matrix, where sentient machines control and monitor humans, harvesting their bodies for energy.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Steven Spielberg - Steven Spielberg's movie showcases an eerily human-like child android, pushing viewers into the uncanny valley as they navigate their feelings toward a robot with childlike innocence.
Robot and Frank (2012)
Jake Schreier - In the near future, a retired jewel thief is gifted a robot butler by his daughter to assist him, but they join forces for a heist.
Her (2013)
Spike Jonze - A man named Theodore buys an AI operating system and falls in love with its voice, leading to difficult choices. This raises questions about the possibility of machines experiencing emotions.
Ex Machina (2014)
Alex Garland - This film beautifully explores the uncanny valley concept by introducing a highly sophisticated AI robot that closely resembles a human, playing with viewers' emotions and expectations.
Transcendence (2014)
Waly Pfister - Johnny Depp stars as an IA expert working on a self-sufficient computer project. After his death, his loved ones continued his work, but ethical debates arose as they pushed the boundaries of singularity.
Automata (2014)
Gabe Ibanez - In 2044, after solar storms have ravaged Earth's population, survivors create "pilgrim" robots that follow two rules: self-preservation and no self-modification. Jacq, an insurance agent, investigates a case of a police officer shooting a robot for allegedly altering itself. As the line between human and machine blurs, questions arise about their rights and responsibilities.
Uncanny (2015)
Matthew Leutwyler - Inventor David Kressen lives in isolation with his humanoid robot, Adam. Reporter Joy Andrews gains access to their facility and becomes entangled in a web of deceit as Adam exhibits human emotions toward her.
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Rupert Sanders - The live-action adaptation of the beloved anime features characters with robotic parts and entirely artificial bodies, bringing the audience face-to-face with beings in the uncanny valley.
I am Mother (2019)
Grant Sputore - Clara Rugaard is raised by a robot named Mother to repopulate the earth. Their bond is threatened when a stranger arrives with news that casts doubt on everything Daughter has learned about the outside world and Mother's true intentions.
The Creator (2023)
Gareth Edwards - This post-apocalyptic thriller depicts a future world ravaged by a catastrophic war between humans and artificial intelligence.
AI movies continue to be a wonderland for imagination, a catalyst for some, an irritant for others, a way to stoke the fires of our future, and a peach stone to chew, digest, and spit out to get something nourishing. Hopefully, they inspire you to go further, dig deeper, and ask the questions that will help us live well with an artificially intelligent species. By helping us visualize dystopian worlds, highlighting paths where human autonomy and free will might not exist, or demonstrating the terror of the uncanny valley, we are learning how to live with an evolving technology that is as unexplainably mysterious – and profoundly human – as dreams are. We are threading the spider’s web of an unfolding future – a real-time cinema of reality. We hope that when the popcorn ends and the credits roll, you walk out of the theatre carrying a bit of the spider. A daily, even-handed practice that considers each new development a possibility to live well with technology requires mindfulness on all sides to survive and thrive. It demands that we stay open – always.
