In the Movies, A.I. Wants to Help … Until It Doesn’t – The New York Times

This article is part of our latest Artificial Intelligence special report, which focuses on how the technology continues to evolve and affect our lives.

As we tackle a pandemic, the world is changing from moment to moment. Those changes are reorienting the way we use technological tools. Artificial intelligence, and the desire to smooth out the rough edges of human biology through it, has frequently made its way into the movies.

But while the most intriguing of films that dabble in the subject tell entertaining stories, they warn of the complications of relying too much on technology to solve problems. Will a smart machine bring salvation or destruction? Below, a look at five films that creatively weave the good and the not-so-good of artificial intelligence into their narratives.

‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)

Stanley Kubrick’s science-fiction classic keeps its eyes wide open and its scope broad from beginning to end. Starting in prehistoric times, then expanding into futuristic space, the film explores the mystery of the cosmos and its relationship to human consciousness in bold ways that few films before it attempted. One of its most recognizable characters is not a human, but a supercomputer, the HAL 9000. Its growing sense of understanding has it coming to its own defense and making calculated decisions that conflict with astronauts on a mission. Those decisions lead to the tragic disabling of systems, both on the human and digital front. The film still feels ahead of its time in its portrayal of how close and eerie the connection between humans and technology could be.

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‘The Terminator’ (1984)

The glint of malevolent sentient computers shown in “2001” blossoms into a giant, world-destructive portrayal in James Cameron’s breakout film. The featured digital player here is Skynet, an A.I. defense system that reaches self-awareness. When humans try to deactivate it, it fights back by launching a nuclear attack. Throw in time travel, sophisticated weaponry and one giant killer android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and this film packs a considerable amount of bang for its sci-fi buck. “The Terminator” has a strong hero to root for in Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), smartly choreographed action scenes and the kind of all-in, escapist world-building that Mr. Cameron’s movies would become known for.

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‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Think A.I. couldn’t find more creative ways to wreak havoc on humans than it did in “The Terminator?” Take the red pill and see just how inventive computers become in the pulse-pounding combo of sci-fi, action and kung fu from Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is the audience guide to a world where, once again, intelligent machines have outsmarted humans. This time, they have confined the majority of humans to pods, harvesting people for their energy. Most are linked into a giant digital simulation of the world, but a faction of people freed from the pods are fighting to take back control. The film’s tech geekiness converges with breathtaking action set pieces and groundbreaking visual effects to create a thoughtful, and telling, critique of the convergence of the digital and physical.

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‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ (2001)

The digital becomes emotional in Steven Spielberg’s android Pinocchio story. Haley Joel Osment mesmerizes as David, a sentient robot programmed to provide a son’s love and comfort to childless adults after an environmental catastrophe has led to limits on childbearing. His initial encounters with his new mother (Frances O’Connor) are friendly, yet awkward. But once a special imprinting program is activated in his system by his mother, he develops an undying attachment to her. You can see the not-quite-human sheen on his face, combined with a very human-looking twinkle in his eye and devotion in his voice. The film, which also wanders into adventure territory, does an amazing job of making the audience empathize with its android lead, who is often treated less than kindly. You’ll feel his yearning.

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‘Her’ (2013)

Hey Siri, recommend a movie. In the seven years since the release of Spike Jonze’s film about a man who falls in love with his software, people are having a lot more daily conversations with their tech. A committed performance from Joaquin Phoenix and extraordinary voice work from Scarlett Johansson as the assistance program Samantha make the movie an intriguing romantic comedy for our age. And as Samantha both grows more connected and becomes more sentient, the film shows just how the complexities of relationships can coincide with the complexities of technological achievement.

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