The development of new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly present in our lives, and they also achieve unsuspected goals for the human being who is witnessing the unique spectacle of how reality surpasses science fiction.
It sounds geeky and it’s a science that’s hard to explain, but the film industry has been able to bring these unknowns to the big screen in a spectacular way, sometimes through films inspired by books or stories and other times taken from the imaginative minds of directors and screenwriters.
For some, this field of experimentation is still surreal, but the truth is that cinema explains in an entertaining way to society the changes experienced by technology, robotics and artificial intelligence, through an industry that has shown “prophecies” in this area, leaving traces in the following films.
1. Metropolis (1927)
This 1927 German feature film, considered by UNESCO as Memory of the World, is a classic of science fiction cinema. The expressionist film is inspired by a novel by Thea Von Harbou, with the same name and directed by Fritz Lang with the help of the production company UFA.
The film focuses on a dystopian world where society is divided into two classes (rich and poor) and a robot woman (the first in cinema) impersonates the identity of a girl leading a revolution of the working class.
Metropolis has innovative overtones, from a social point of view, it shows the miseries of human behavior and from a scientific point of view, it makes the viewer reflect on dependence on technology, something that is also happening today.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
One of the most iconic science fiction films about artificial intelligence. This film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, marked a turning point in cinema due to the mixture of avant-garde style and special effects with the scientific realism of the time.
The feature film is based on the story The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke and was advised by the International Business Machines (IBM). The plot takes a journey through various periods of human history, from the past with the appearance of homo sapiens to the future with a machine equipped with artificial intelligence (HAL 9,000) that is the protagonist of one of the three stories in the plot.
Perhaps for some viewers it is difficult to understand the film the first time they see it because of its abstract narration, but it is particularly about human evolution, technology and artificial intelligence. Today, this film continues to divide the public, there are some who consider it incomprehensible and others who see it as daring, but the truth is that it was so advanced scientifically that it still raises debate.
3. Blade Runner (1982)
This cult science fiction and neo-noir film is considered a classic, as well as posing interesting scenarios from the point of view of science and robotics. The dystopia directed by Ridley Scott continues to be talked about among viewers, it is also based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Mechanical Sheep?
The plot of Blade Runner is set in our present (2019) and narrates how, thanks to advances in genetic engineering, it has been possible to create robots virtually identical to humans, but superior in physical capacity, the so-called Replicants. So, with this argument, the feature film poses an interesting question, what really makes us human?
The futuristic thriller delves into the consequences that the penetration of new technologies in society can have, giving rise to a clear prophetic condition, not only in the robotic field but also in the medical, political and economic spheres. This artwork inspired other titles and led to more big-screen adaptations of Dick’s works.
4. The Bicentennial Man (1999)
The science fiction feature film, directed by Chris Columbus, is based on a story of the same name by Isaac Asimov. Its plot focuses on the decade of the new millennium, when technological advances are present in society and a father buys a robot (NDR – Andrew), which has been acquired to perform cleaning tasks. But something makes him special: he is able to identify emotions.
This in-depth argument explores debatable issues such as prejudice, maturity, slavery or even death. The film also shows the advances of artificial intelligence and the laws of robotics: a robot cannot harm a human being, a robot must not obey the orders given by human beings, and a robot must protect its own existence to the extent that this protection does not conflict with the first and second laws.
Therefore, the viewer can explore the limits of emotions and their own essence. This film was a commercial failure at the time of its release, but over the years it has gained importance. Perhaps the dramatic tinge was what did not penetrate the audience, since it is not very typical of the science fiction genre, even so, it is revealed as one of the most accomplished works of the late 90s.
5. I, Robot (2004)
Again, another film that deals with artificial intelligence. In this case, it is directed by Alex Proyas and stars Will Smith (action that popularized the film). This feature film takes some elements from Asimov’s story of the same name where he establishes the three laws of robotics.
The plot is set in a dystopian future, specifically in 2035, when intelligent robots coexist with humans as equals by complying with the three laws of robotics. But unfortunately, this artificial intelligence evolves and escapes human control.
The futuristic thriller centers on two main robots, Viki and Sonny, who circumvent laws and lead a revolution as they claim that humanity is focused on a path that can only lead to its extinction.
Given this, an interesting debate arises in reference to today’s world, since due to new technologies we will have to face more complex moral challenges, so will it be necessary to impose new rules to guide the behavior of artificial intelligence?
These films show the familiarity with which machines could coexist with human beings, but there are also other feature films that directly and deeply explain the changes that society is experiencing:
Intelestellar
,
Ex Machina
,
Wall-E
,
The Matrix
,
Her
or
Alita
, among many others.
If you want to know which are the best movies about artificial intelligence , click on this link.
What is clear is that the world is advancing by leaps and bounds towards digitalization, and that the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in our daily lives is undeniable, in fact, it is something that is becoming commonplace. Although reality often surpasses fiction, there are still unknowns that humanity will have to solve and challenges to solve.
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