Shubhabrata Dutta
With the usage of AI on the rise (AI chatbots, AI website builders, AI photo tools, etc.), it is only a matter of time before humanity finds itself surrounded by this form of technology. Like all other things, there are two sides to it: the good and the bad. And it is up to us to decide how we want to use it. In the following movies, the makers incorporate AI as a plot device. This gives us multiple angles from which to look at the technology and assess it better before relying on it. With that said, let’s check out the best AI movies on Netflix.
13. Wonderland (2024)
Kim Tae-yong’s Korean sci-fi drama ‘Wonderland’ is set in a future where AI technology has allowed humans to create a communication service called Wonderland. It allows people to interact with their deceased loved ones by resurrecting them virtually using photos, videos, and internet records. The aim is to give people closure, but is this the way?
7-year-old Bai Jia gets too close to the virtual version of her mother (Tang Wei), who died of a terminal disease. Flight attendant Gu Jung-in (Bae Suzy) has trouble adapting to life with her boyfriend, Park Tae-ju (Park Bo Gum), after having spent days with his virtual version while he was in a comatose state. Does all this look like peace? ‘Wonderland’ is an effectively executed reminder that the significance of life incorporates death, too, and it is important to accept the truth and not live in a lie. You can watch the film here.
12. Atlas (2024)
Directed by Brad Peyton, ‘Atlas’ stars Jennifer Lopez as analyst Atlas Shepherd, who is forced to shake hands with an AI, despite her hatred for it, to stop Harlan, an AI-powered humanoid who turned against humanity, thereby giving shape to a human-machine war. Atlas and Smith, the AI in that runs her mech (giant piloted robots), have to work together on alien soil to find Harlan and bring him to justice before he can cause more harm. What Atlas doesn’t know is that she and Harlan are connected by a secret that can be used against her. Simu Liu convincingly plays the role of Harlan, perhaps even better than Lopez plays Atlas. The movie almost completely relies on visual effects that can pull some viewers out of the story. However, ‘Atlas’ does deal with a potential AI-driven future that we, as humans, are headed towards, one that has already been addressed in the Terminator movies. You can watch it here.
11. AI Love You (2022)
While Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ (2013) showed a human falling in love with an AI, this Thai rom-com shows an AI falling in love with a human. In a world where buildings are fitted with artificial intelligence, we see Dob, an AI in charge of a corporate building, fall for a woman named Lana (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul), who works there. He eventually and inadvertently takes over a human’s consciousness, that of Bobby (Mario Maurer), but is glad about it because that way, the AI can be close to Lana. However, is Lana fine with it? Can something that doesn’t have a heart afford to love? The answer lies in ‘AI Love You,’ directed by Stephan Zlotescu and David Asavanond. You can stream it here.
10. Outside the Wire (2021)
Directed by Mikael Håfström, ‘Outside the Wire’ stars Damson Idris as drone pilot Lt. Thomas Harp and Anthony Mackie as android super-soldier Capt. Leo. After Harp inadvertently kills two of his peers during a mission in civil-war-torn Ukraine wherein the US has deployed peacekeeping forces; he is sent to the war zone where Leo joins him to prevent pro-Russian terrorist Victor Koval from getting his hands on nuclear missile silos. What follows is how they accomplish this dangerous mission in a potentially fatal terrain. You can watch ‘Outside the Wire’ here.
9. Jung E (2023)
This South Korean sci-fi film is directed by Yeon Sang-ho. Set in an almost-inhabitable Earth in the 22nd century when it has been divided into multiple shelters in the aftermath of climate change, the movie follows Yun Seo-hyun (Kang Soo-yeon), who struggles to keep the consciousness of her mother, Yun Jung-yi (Kim Hyun-Joo), a famous mercenary, alive by protecting the robot Jung E (also played by Kim Hyun-Joo) that contains the clone of Jung-yi’s brain. Will love thrive in a world divided by war, underscored by corporate motives and profits? To find out, you can stream ‘Jung E’ here.
8. Code 8 (2019)
How long can a good person, whose only fault is that he/she/them has powers they didn’t ask for, endure being treated like a criminal? ‘Code 8’ is set in Lincoln City, where 4% of the population has superhuman abilities. As expected, people with powers are often trafficked, and their powers are used to create a drug. This has led the cops to use face recognition tech and drones to fight power-related crimes. In the middle of all this chaos, we have 26-year-old Connor Reed (a superhuman who can control electricity; played by Robbie Amell) who takes to a life of crime and joins a group of criminals, headed by a guy named Garrett (Stephen Amell), to make money for his ailing mother’s treatment. But is he ready to face the consequences? Directed by Jeff Chan, ‘Code 8’ can be streamed right here.
7. Unknown: Killer Robots (2023)
This documentary addresses what is clearly one of the most pressing issues of our time, i.e., military tech going AI. With militaries racing to develop their AI-powered machines, which will turn the already heinous act of killing into a set of algorithms, the difference between what is legal and what is right will get lesser and lesser until it ceases to exist. Are we prepared for such a future? Will we ever be? ‘Unknown: Killer Robots’ tries to find an answer to this question by delving into AI in military warfare. It is directed by Jesse Sweet. You can stream it here.
6. Bigbug (2022)
This sci-fi black comedy offers a true-to-form absurd take on a future where everything is mechanical, and thus life too. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, ‘Bigbug’ is set in 2045. It follows a group of eccentric people taken hostage by their household robots while sentient Yonyx androids carry out an uprising outside, planning to take over because humans are obsolete. How the people react to their environment and end up going against each other in the face of a potential extinction makes ‘Bigbug’ an underrated humorous drama. It stars Isabelle Nanty, Elsa Zylberstein, Claude Perron, Stéphane De Groodt, Youssef Hajdi, Claire Chust and Alban Lenoir. You can watch it here.
5. Upgrade (2018)
Directed by Leigh Whannell, this underrated sci-fi film takes place in a future wherein technology is widespread and has invaded human life. We follow Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), a mechanic and auto enthusiast who loses his wife in an assault that leaves him quadriplegic. With no hope to live, he is approached by Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson), a tech innovator who offers to give him back control of his body and more. Grey eventually agrees, and an AI chip, Stem, is implanted in his neck, granting him access to his whole body. However, Stem soon becomes Grey’s alternate subconscious, speaking and explaining things to him. Grey now aims to exact revenge from those who killed his wife while Stem, unbeknownst to him, brews its own plan of complete control of Grey’s mind and body. Will AI win over human consciousness? To find out, you can watch this cool cyberpunk action film right here.
4. TAU (2018)
A sci-fi thriller that nicely showcases a budding relationship between a human and an AI which is based entirely on the give-and-take of information, ‘TAU’ follows Julia Julia (Maika Monroe), who is kidnapped by a guy named Alex (Ed Skrein), who keeps her in his house for experimental purposes. She develops a bond with the house’s AI named TAU (voiced by Gary Oldman), who is responsible for always keeping an eye on her. While TAU learns more about the world from Julia, she gains information about the house, which will help her escape. To find out what Alex plans for Julia and whether she can escape this prison of a “smart” home, you can stream ‘TAU’ here.
3. Oxygen (2021)
This equally mind-bending and distressing film follows a woman (Mélanie Laurent) who wakes up in an airtight cryogenic unit without having any idea of who she is. All she has at her disposal is the advanced AI MILO (Medical Interface Liaison Officer), who can help her with anything except letting her out. This includes giving her access to the internet, making and receiving calls, etc. What follows is the woman looking for a way to find out about herself and how she came to be in her present state. With new information almost every other minute, she gets overwhelmed time and again. With oxygen running out, will she be able to find the truth before she dies? To find out, you can watch this Alexandre Aja directorial right here.
2. Coded Bias (2020)
Is technology biased? Are all the tech that we are surrounded by based on prejudices? From being socially controlled in a way that can’t be seen to being scored by coded data on a daily basis, we are all being targeted by those who own the code without any accountability. MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini digs deep into facial recognition technology to highlight its flaws in this explosive Shalini Kantayya-directed documentary. You can stream it here.
1. I Am Mother (2019)
Starring Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne (voice), and Hilary Swank, this cyberpunk flick is directed by Grant Sputore. Set in the aftermath of a global extinction-level event, it centers on the relationship between a humanoid named Mother (Byrne’s voice) and a young girl named Daughter (Rugaard), who share a mother-daughter relationship. Daughter has been brought up by Mother inside a bunker, with the former having no idea of what lies outside the walls. But when a woman (Swank) knocks on the bunker’s door, Daughter becomes highly interested in knowing more about her and where she is from, much to the chagrin of Mother, who faces a compromise of her long-kept secrets. An intriguing take on motherhood and artificial intelligence, ‘I Am Mother’ can be streamed right here.
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