Popular Culture’s AI Fantasies: Killers and Exploiters or Assistants and Companions?

Abstract

Abstract This article examines popular culture’s depictions of Artificial Intelligence. It begins with Hollywood’s sci-fi robot characters that were often depicted as dangerous and inimical to human existence. It identifies major Hollywood movies that depict artificial intelligence, starting with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984), Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report (2002), Garth Jennings’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Spike Jonze’s Her (2014), Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2014), and Toby Hanes’ Brexit (2019). These films illustrate artificial intelligence issues, including self-aware computers, facial recognition, crime prevention, and personal assistants. These technologies are depicted both positively and negatively in popular culture, and their depictions in these films reveals popular culture’s pervasive stereotypes and occasional timely warnings about emerging technology.