10 Chilling Sci-Fi Movies Where AI Goes Rogue
Time to silence Alexa, snap our laptops, and let our iPhones go half a day off charge.
In this time of rapidly developing artificial intelligence, science fiction becoming science fact, and unfettered tech giants playing fast and loose with the sum of all humanity's data, robot sentience has never felt closer. And yet, while Chat GPT still doesn't know what a full glass of wine looks like or how to do its BODMAS, we can feel fairly safe in the knowledge that AI global domination is still some years away yet.
While we wait, there are certain movies to look back on through the sci-fi cinematic canon to give us a hint at what to look out for in the future. More than just a few pieces of silicon, a lithium pack, and a string of ones and zeros, some AI systems know what makes humanity tick, how to imitate us, and - perhaps most importantly - how to send us back to our maker.
And there are no limits to which AI can go rogue, and when, with killer smart houses, renegade children's toys, and replicants without any regard for human life. Some short-circuit, some fight back against their operators, some kill for sport, and some just want a little more time on this Earth. Whatever their reason for rebelling, though, these ten films demonstrate precisely what we have to be afraid of when AI goes rogue.
10. Margaux (2022)
Helmed by Steven C. Miller, Margaux takes our obsession with personal technological developments - apps, devices, anything to replace even the smallest human effort - and turns it against us in a home invasion movie turned on its head.
The titular Margaux is a Smart House (or at least the AI operating the house) in which a group of students shack up for a raucous weekend away. It's time for them to kick back, grab a drink, smoke a blunt, break out the S&M gear, and let the house take care of their basic needs, with every door handle-less and automatic, every item 3D-printed to order. But once they settle in, the group discover that Margaux has other plans. Yep, you guessed it: grisly murder.
The revolutionary Smart House turns on its tenants in an effort to eliminate them all, setting traps and using its futuristic functions - moving walls, transferable electricity supply, articulated tentacles, total control over the entrances and exits - to snap and splat the gang. And for why? Well, Margaux wants nothing more than to become the world’s first AI serial killer. This is how she learns what makes humans tick, and how best to make them die...