- Blade Runner (1982)
- A.I. (2001)
- Her (2013)
- Minority Report (2002)
- Ex Machina (2014)
There are some movies with an AI character or element in them that are better than some of the ones on my list, but they are not really about AI. For example, The Matrix or Alien. Prometheus might fit a bit better than Alien tho (and I love that movie, fight me).
And there’s also Minority Report, which doesn’t directly have an AI, at least not a clearly defined and prominent one. But if you forget about the precogs, what’s left is a pretty prophetic world where algorithms rule society, not only to tell you what to buy, but also to put you in jail even before you commit any crime. It’s scary how close we are getting there, and this comes from a 2002 movie based on a 1956 book. More ML than AI, but whatever, it’s my list.
Two movies that didn’t make it into the list by a whisker were Westworld and The Iron Giant. I probably like The Iron Giant more than I like Ex Machina, but Ex Machina is more on theme, so there’s that.
Space Odyssey 2001. A classic through and through.
Ex Machina. I like how it dips into the subject of ownership and choice. At what point does someone’s creation have autonomy?
I, Robot. Wasn’t much of a fan of Will Smith’s character but I loved how it broached the topic of AI having an evolving view on it’s own programming in a way that could seem counter to it’s original intent. Of course this came from Asimov originally and not the screenwriters.
Short Circuit 2. The first one is good but focused more on the military trying to erase Johnny Five as a mistake. The second is much more about Johnny trying to just fit in and the inevitable truth of how a sentient robot would be discriminated against.
The Matrix. It’s main focus isn’t AI of course but it really goes to show how fucked we’d be if we got into a war with machines. Yes, Terminator touches on this too but the “destroy all humans” thing makes less sense in that universe.
Great list!
