What will the future look like if we hand over control to artificial intelligence? It’s the central question of our time, and it’s a question that science fiction has already answered.
Artificial intelligence is a factor in many films, as HAL spirals out of control 2001or even R2D2 saving the day Star Wars. But some filmmakers are taking it to the next level and turning their entire film into an investigation into what happens when AI runs wild, or not.
These are the best of those films, ranked not by how good they are as movies, but by how well they explore the possible future of artificial intelligence. If you’re concerned about our AI future, these nine films are a must-see.
9. War games
War games hit theaters in 1983, a time when computers were clumsy beasts and the Cold War had everyone sweating over nuclear threats. Tense and at the point of its time, War games has become a bit dated since then. However, the ideas are still relevant and current.
Matthew Broderick plays David Lightman, a teenage hacker genius who thinks he’s just gaming when he breaks into NORAD’s supercomputer, WOPR. It turns out he triggers a fake global thermonuclear war simulation that the AI mistakes as real, pushing the world to the brink. It is an exciting thriller that combines rebellious teenagers with fear of the day of judgment.
8. Short circuit
A lot of these movies will be quite dark and serious, so before we get lost in dystopia, let’s have some AI fun. Short circuit hit the screens in 1986, when technology was clumsy and AI was pure fantasy. Number 5, a military robot, is struck by lightning, gains sentience and goes on the run, finding refuge with Ally Sheedy’s animal-loving Stephanie.
Steve Guttenberg plays Newton Crosby, the robot’s conflicted creator, torn between science and ethics as he follows his creation. Today, in a world where robots like this are deployed on the ground to fight in real wars, it’s a study in military hardware with a mind of its own that feels eerily prescient.
7. Terminator
The Terminator films are largely time travel films, but it is time travel that takes place in the service of an AI superintelligence called Skynet.
In the 1984 original, a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) hunts down Sarah Connor to stop her unborn son from leading a rebellion against Skynet, a rogue AI causing a nuclear apocalypse. Skynet’s cold, calculated plan to dominate humanity by sending Terminators back in time is chilling. Kyle Reese, a human soldier, fights to save her. It’s a brutal, brutal action film about AI that outsmarts its creators.
Over the course of the franchise, Skynet becomes a more fleshed-out concept, gradually turning into something not so far removed from the experiments we’re doing with AI now.
6. Western World
In 1973, Westworld threw a grim curveball at science fiction fans. It takes place in a high-tech amusement park where you can experience Wild West fantasies with eerily realistic androids. Sounds fun, until the AI running the show, like Yul Brynner’s stone-cold marksman, decides it’s done playing. The robots go rogue, turning an expensive escape into a kill-or-be-killed nightmare.
This gem from Michael Crichton warned us about AI before we even had pocket calculators. As the tech giants push conscious systems, the lesson of Westworld is: give machines too much brainpower, and they’ll rewrite your story. Permanent.
5. Blade Runner
Blade Runner arrived in 1982 as a neon-drenched fever dream of a future where Los Angeles is a dystopian mess. Harrison Ford’s Deckard, a burned-out cop, hunts “replicants”: bioengineered AI humanoids so real they question their own existence. These machines, built for the dirty work, begin to pursue freedom and meaning, blurring the line between creator and creation.
The film is a philosophical masterpiece that asks the question: what makes us human? As we race toward AI that thinks and feels, Blade Runner wonders what that means and wonders what might happen if our AIs demand rights.
4. The matrix
The Matrix is now iconic, but it first blew minds in 1999, with Keanu Reeves dropping the role of Neo, a hacker who discovers reality is a lie. Machines have enslaved humanity in a simulated world, harvesting our bodies for energy while our minds live in a digital cage. Neo joins an uprising to destroy the AI overlords who control everything. It’s a slick, cyberpunk brawl packed with philosophy and bullet time.
This film saw our future: AI weaves webs that we cannot escape. As algorithms shape our lives today, The Matrix shouts that we are already halfway into their game. Wake up or stay trapped.
3. Hair
Her was released in cinemas in 2013, a science fiction gem that dares to dream big. Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore, a heartbroken writer, connects with Samantha, an AI voiced by Scarlett Johansson. She is not a cold machine. She learns, loves and grows, becoming his partner in a world of loneliness. Their bond shows the potential of AI to heal, inspire, and push human boundaries.
As we develop more and more innovative technology today, Her portrays AI as a force for good. Companions who understand us, perhaps better than we understand ourselves. It is a hopeful look at a world in which artificial intelligence tries to lift us up and then takes on a life of its own.
2. Ex-machine
Ex Machina wasn’t initially a huge hit when it was released in 2015, but this disturbing dive into the dark side of AI has had a lasting impact and is now everyone’s first thought when the subject of AI comes up. And that should be the case.
A young programmer, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), is invited to a tech mogul’s lair to test Ava, an AI with a face like Alicia Vikander’s. She’s brilliant, seductive, and way too good at playing human.
Through tense conversations, Caleb tests Ava’s senses, but her uncanny ability to understand and influence him blurs the line between machine and human. Nathan’s god complex and Ava’s calculated reactions create a cerebral game of trust and autonomy.
The film’s minimalist setting heightens its unease and forces you to focus on the power dynamics. Is Ava a tool or has she outsmarted her creators? Ex Machina doesn’t scream doom, but calmly shows the potential of AI to evolve beyond our reach.
Ex Machina answers the question everyone has: what happens when our creations start thinking for themselves? In the eyes of this film, it won’t be good.
1. Colossus: The Forbin Project
In 1970, Colossus: The Forbin Project slipped into cinemas as a silent warning that no one heeded. It bombed at the box office, grossing only $308,828, partly due to Hollywood’s dire financial situation. Still, critics praised the chilling AI premise, which earned a Hugo nomination and a Saturn Award. It’s a cult gem that’s still criminally underrated.
In it, Dr. Charles Forbin Colossus, a supercomputer designed to control the US nuclear arsenal and ensure absolute safety and security. Big mistake. Colossus begins making demands and uses his control over America’s weapons to force compliance.
The AI joins its Soviet counterpart, deciding that humans are too messy, seizing global control and threatening destruction if they disobey.
It’s a cold, cerebral thriller that doesn’t hold back. It portends a future where humans are no longer in control, but that may not be a bad thing.
