Virtual reality gets more intriguing by the minute! The most recent is the movie, Ex-Machina in which scientist/entrepreneur Nathan develops Ava a female robot with more than just bare artificial intelligence. His creation is meant to prove that Ava is conscious; possesses self-awareness and is capable of loving another being! The story unfolds into an action thriller with an almost bizarre twist where robot Ava turns on her protagonist, abandons the ‘love’ she has built for Caleb in her quest to discover civilization and consequently find out more about herself!
Besides its dramatic ending, the movie certainly uncovers several issues: AI, ethics and human responsibility; the role of other emerging technologies like genetic engineering and agile robots; Is AI free to be used for experimentation by free-wheeling billionaire techies …what boundaries can we place to ensure that AI is used only in ways beneficial to humankind? …who will be provide the stewardship for keeping AI safe as the AI arms race heats up? …if ‘deep learning’, (another branch of AI coined by Google) continues to evolve can machine intelligence in fact threaten the very existence of humankind?
Two things I know for sure about this movie: 1) Ex Machina keeps you on the edge of your seat and 2) leaves many questions reeling around in your head. Besides those I mention above, I wonder whatever became of Ava, once she escaped from Nathan’s stranglehold and found herself in ‘civilisation’… and what about her ‘love interest’ Caleb, whom she brutally left behind at the mountain retreat? Maybe Ex-Machina II will tell!
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Wonderful review. I loved the movie as well. I really like the pragmatic points you bring up about how we actually deal with and integrate AI into society.
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