Ex Machina

[spoiler warning]

2015 has been rich with AI sci-fi but this one is wow. Hooked from the first scene (okay, from the first dialogue between Caleb and Ava). Sometimes the film is just a bunch of words setting up a situation (like the thankfully short beginning) but that is really not the point. What shocked me the most is the scene where Caleb cuts himself because he doubts his own human-ness. Just two AIs one of whom actually passed the Turing test (and who — or what — wasn’t even the subject of it — Kyoko, come on, he had no fucking idea she was one of them, I don’t think I had any idea). That was scary.

There are just so many things wrong and right with an idea of an AI. It is so incredibly controversial, and I just love it. I feel like it’s a question that will never be answered and it’s also a question that has so many answers and none of them is right or wrong.

In terms of the film, I don’t think that Ava being out there is a bad thing. I don’t harbour any illusions that she will actually return for Caleb (I thought about it for like a moment). But he’d have been a huge hindrance to her in her exploration of the world. Despite some of his surprising choices I imagine that he would have got scared and he would have tried to control her.

But it’s scary as fuck.

I loved the film. It’s simple yet requires some brain power, it’s got good visuals with all those mountains and the sleek beauty of minimalist interiors, and it’s got ideas and lively dialogue. No message is imposed on us other than the one that existed from the first AI films (which is they’re dangerous and can kill you, run for your life!! and don’t play god). The God comparison is another interesting thing that deserves some thought. It’s like a modern Frankenstein’s monster, only Mary Shelley’s one was physically stronger whereas this one is just smarter than us, and better than us.

And as with all innovations, AI should be introduced when we’re ready. From the kinds of media like Humans and Ex Machina I’d guess we aren’t. Some people (including me at first) are still freaked out over Facebook’s facial recognition thing. So we’ve got a long way to go before we start accepting robots in our lives, no matter how cute they are in Star Wars and how unconditional their love for humans is.

All these issues aside, I love films that spark that kind of discussion and introduce a new perspective. Maybe they are what is preparing us for the inevitable. Or maybe they’re right in warning us. Ex Machina does neither, and that’s what makes it so great.