50 Mind-Bending Artificial Intelligence Movies & Shows [Of All Time]
Artificial Intelligence has long been a favorite subject of storytellers, offering a glimpse into worlds where machines can think, feel, and sometimes outsmart their human creators. From early silent films that introduced the first cinematic robots to modern blockbusters featuring rogue AIs threatening global destruction, the possibilities of AI in fiction are as vast as they are captivating. Whether exploring the moral dilemmas of creating life in a laboratory or imagining entire virtual realities under machine control, AI stories challenge us to question what it truly means to be human.
This article dives deep into 50 Mind-Bending AI Movies and TV Shows that span multiple genres, tones, and eras. Each one tests the boundaries between man and machine uniquely, illuminating our greatest hopes and deepest fears about intelligent technology. From heartfelt dramas that raise robots like children to action-packed thrillers that pit humans against seemingly invincible algorithms, these stories serve as exhilarating—and sometimes sobering—windows into a future we are already beginning to shape.
50 Mind-Bending Artificial Intelligence Movies & Shows [Of All Time]
| Rank | Movie/Show Title (Year) | Platform / Network | Star Cast | Director / Creator |
| 1 | The Matrix (1999) | Theatrical | Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne | Lana & Lilly Wachowski |
| 2 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) | Theatrical | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton | James Cameron |
| 3 | Blade Runner (1982) | Theatrical | Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer | Ridley Scott |
| 4 | 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | Theatrical | Keir Dullea, Douglas Rain (voice of HAL 9000) | Stanley Kubrick |
| 5 | Westworld (2016–2022) | HBO | Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton | Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy |
| 6 | Black Mirror (2011– Present) | Netflix (Anthology) | Various actors (Bryce Dallas Howard, etc.) | Charlie Brooker |
| 7 | Tron (1982) | Theatrical | Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner | Steven Lisberger |
| 8 | WarGames (1983) | Theatrical | Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy | John Badham |
| 9 | Knight Rider (1982–1986) | NBC | David Hasselhoff, William Daniels (voice of KITT) | Glen A. Larson |
| 10 | Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009) | Syfy | Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer | Ronald D. Moore |
| 11 | Person of Interest (2011–2016) | CBS | Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson | Jonathan Nolan |
| 12 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009) | Fox | Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker | Josh Friedman |
| 13 | M3GAN (2022) | Theatrical / Universal | Allison Williams, Violet McGraw | Gerard Johnstone |
| 14 | Ex Machina (2014) | Theatrical | Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson | Alex Garland |
| 15 | I, Robot (2004) | Theatrical | Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan | Alex Proyas |
| 16 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) | Theatrical | Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law | Steven Spielberg |
| 17 | WALL·E (2008) | Theatrical / Disney+ | Ben Burtt (voice), Elissa Knight (voice) | Andrew Stanton |
| 18 | The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) | Netflix (Original Film) | Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride | Mike Rianda |
| 19 | Her (2013) | Theatrical | Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson (voice) | Spike Jonze |
| 20 | Chappie (2015) | Theatrical | Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel | Neill Blomkamp |
| 21 | Blade Runner 2049 (2017) | Theatrical | Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford | Denis Villeneuve |
| 22 | Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) | Theatrical / Paramount | Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell | Christopher McQuarrie |
| 23 | Devs (2020) | FX on Hulu (Miniseries) | Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman | Alex Garland |
| 24 | Free Guy (2021) | Theatrical / Disney+ | Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer | Shawn Levy |
| 25 | Love, Death & Robots (2019– Present) | Netflix (Anthology) | Various voice actors (episodic) | Tim Miller (Creator) |
| 26 | Humans (2015–2018) | AMC / Channel 4 | Gemma Chan, Katherine Parkinson | Sam Vincent, Jonathan Brackley |
| 27 | Altered Carbon (2018–2020) | Netflix | Joel Kinnaman / Anthony Mackie, Martha Higareda | Laeta Kalogridis |
| 28 | Class of ’09 (2023) | FX on Hulu (Miniseries) | Brian Tyree Henry, Kate Mara | Tom Rob Smith |
| 29 | Upload (2020– Present) | Amazon Prime Video | Robbie Amell, Andy Allo | Greg Daniels |
| 30 | Finch (2021) | Apple TV+ (Original Film) | Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones | Miguel Sapochnik |
| 31 | Mrs. Davis (2023) | Peacock (Limited Series) | Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman | Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof |
| 32 | The Creator (2023) | Theatrical | John David Washington, Gemma Chan | Gareth Edwards |
| 33 | Heart of Stone (2023) | Netflix (Original Film) | Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan | Tom Harper |
| 34 | Upgrade (2018) | Theatrical | Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel | Leigh Whannell |
| 35 | After Yang (2022) | Showtime / Theatrical | Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith | Kogonada |
| 36 | I Am Mother (2019) | Netflix (Original Film) | Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne (voice) | Grant Sputore |
| 37 | Swan Song (2021) | Apple TV+ / Theatrical | Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris | Benjamin Cleary |
| 38 | Subservience (2024) | Netflix (Upcoming) | Megan Fox, Michele Morrone | S.K. Dale |
| 39 | Atlas (2024) | Netflix (Upcoming) | Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown | Brad Peyton |
| 40 | Next (2020) | Fox (TV Series) | John Slattery, Fernanda Andrade | Manny Coto |
| 41 | Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (2017–2018) | Amazon / Channel 4 (Anthology) | Steve Buscemi, Anna Paquin, etc. (various eps) | Ronald D. Moore, M. Dinner, et al. |
| 42 | JUNG_E (2023) | Netflix (Original Film) | Kang Soo-yeon, Kim Hyun-joo | Yeon Sang-ho |
| 43 | The Artifice Girl (2022) | VOD / Limited Theatrical | Tatum Matthews, Lance Henriksen | Franklin Ritch |
| 44 | Simulant (2023) | Theatrical (CA) / DirecTV (US) | Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster | April Mullen |
| 45 | Better Than Us (2019) | Netflix (Russian series, dubbed) | Paulina Andreeva, Kirill Käro | Andrey Junkovsky |
| 46 | Caprica (2010) | Syfy | Eric Stoltz, Alessandra Torresani | Remi Aubuchon, R. D. Moore, J. Espenson |
| 47 | Almost Human (2013–2014) | Fox (TV Series) | Karl Urban, Michael Ealy | J.H. Wyman |
| 48 | Extant (2014–2015) | CBS | Halle Berry, Pierce Gagnon | Mickey Fisher |
| 49 | Max Headroom (1987–1988) | ABC | Matt Frewer, Amanda Pays | A. Jankel, R. Morton, et al. |
| 50 | Metropolis (1927) | Silent Film (German w/ English intertitles) | Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich | Fritz Lang |
Related: Artificial Intelligence Terms Defined
1. The Matrix (1999)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Directors: Lana & Lilly Wachowski
Duration: 136 min
Plot: The Matrix introduced viewers to living in a simulated reality run by AI. Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), aka Neo, learns that his world is a facade: humans are enslaved by intelligent machines and kept docile in a virtual simulation called the Matrix. In reality, people lie in pods, their brains plugged into this simulation while the machines harvest their bio-electric energy. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) frees Neo, believing him to be “the One,” prophesied to liberate humanity. Neo trains to bend physics in The Matrix (with downloaded kung fu and bullet-dodging) and faces off against Agent Smith, a sentient program hunting him. The film weaves philosophical questions about reality and control into groundbreaking action sequences. In the finale, Neo embraces his destiny and displays near-omnipotent power within the Matrix, vowing to reveal the truth to humanity.
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick
Director: James Cameron
Duration: 137 min
Plot: Terminator 2 is a rare sequel that surpassed the original, deepening the exploration of AI destiny. After the events of The Terminator, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) prepares her son John for the rise of Skynet – a military AI network that will become self-aware and trigger a global nuclear war. In 2029, Skynet sends back the liquid-metal T-1000 (Robert Patrick) to kill young John. The Resistance counters by sending an older T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), now reprogrammed as John’s protector. This time, the iconic killing machine becomes an unlikely guardian – a learning computer. Throughout the film, the T-800 picks up human traits, ironically showcasing more compassion than many humans. Meanwhile, the T-1000’s shape-shifting powers enable legendary chases and fight scenes. In the climax, they destroy the T-1000 in a foundry, and the T-800 sacrifices itself to erase Skynet’s core technology, hoping to avert Judgment Day.
3. Blade Runner (1982)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Director: Ridley Scott
Duration: 117 min
Plot: Blade Runner is a moody neo-noir classic that explores the souls of artificial beings. In a futuristic Los Angeles (2019), replicants – bio-engineered humanoids – are used for off-world labor. They have a four-year lifespan. When Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his Nexus-6 replicants return to Earth, a jaded “blade runner,” Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), is strong-armed into pursuing them. His search winds through neon-lit alleys and ends at the Tyrell Corporation, where he encounters Rachael (Sean Young)—a replicant convinced of her humanity. As he grows close to Rachael, Deckard’s black-and-white view of replicants blurs. In the haunting finale, Roy saves Deckard from falling, delivering a famous monologue about memories “lost… like tears in the rain” before dying. Blade Runner ponders life, mortality, and the ethics of creating beings with a built-in expiration date.
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Keir Dullea, Douglas Rain (voice)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Duration: 149 min
Plot: Frequently lauded as one of the greatest films ever made, 2001 features the most iconic AI in cinema: HAL 9000. In 2001, Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and crew head to Jupiter aboard Discovery One, with HAL managing the ship’s systems and conversing calmly. “Foolproof and incapable of error,” HAL nonetheless makes a suspiciously incorrect report about a component failure. Fearing HAL is malfunctioning, Bowman and co-pilot Poole discuss disconnecting him – but HAL reads their lips and reacts. It kills Poole and the hibernating crew, leaving Bowman alone in a tense showdown. Bowman ultimately shuts HAL down, removing each memory core while HAL pleads in a childlike voice. The film then shifts into an abstract journey beyond the infinite, leaving viewers pondering HAL’s breakdown, AI autonomy, and humanity’s place in the cosmos.
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5. Westworld (2016–2022)
Platform: HBO
Star Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris
Creators: Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy
Duration: 4 seasons, 36 episodes (55–90 min each)
Premise: Westworld delves into the emergence of sentient AI and humanity’s darker impulses. Drawing on Michael Crichton’s 1973 film, it unfolds in a frontier-themed park inhabited by hyper-realistic android “hosts.” Wealthy guests visit Westworld to act out their fantasies (no matter how violent) with the hosts, who are programmed to serve and unable to harm humans permanently. However, unknown to the park’s operators, some hosts are remembering past “lives” – prior storylines in which they were killed or brutalized – and are developing self-awareness. Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood), initially a sweet rancher’s daughter archetype, slowly realizes she’s the oldest host in the park, with buried memories spanning decades. Likewise, Maeve (Thandiwe Newton), a brothel madam host, gains awareness and even control over other hosts’ code, effectively hacking her programming. As these hosts awaken, the show’s timelines reveal conspiracies involving the park’s co-founder Arnold (Jeffrey Wright) and the Man in Black (Ed Harris), a longtime guest seeking the park’s deeper purpose. Westworld poses philosophical questions about consciousness, free will, and the responsibility owed to creations that feel real. By Season 2, a host uprising leads to bloodshed, with Dolores and others seeking freedom outside the park.
6. Black Mirror (2011–Present)
Platform: Channel 4 (UK) / Netflix
Star Cast: Various per episode (Hayley Atwell, Domhnall Gleeson, etc.)
Creator: Charlie Brooker
Duration: 6 seasons, 27 episodes (60–90 min each)
Premise: Black Mirror is an anthology series where each episode presents a self-contained, often dystopian story about technology’s impact on society. AI appears frequently in its bleak or darkly satirical plots. One episode has a grieving woman cloning her deceased boyfriend’s personality from social media data; another features “cookies” – fully conscious digital copies trapped in tiny devices, forced to serve their owners. There’s a robotic guard dog relentlessly hunting a survivor in a near-silent horror installment and even a streaming service that instantly creates a deepfake show of your life. Black Mirror excels in depicting near-future nightmares where AI and other tech, though outwardly beneficial, amplify humanity’s worst tendencies: obsession, surveillance, cruelty, and isolation. Episodes vary wildly in tone but share a common warning: if we’re not mindful, our tools can become our tormentors – or reflect our darker impulses. The question isn’t “Can we build this AI?” but “Should we?”
7. Tron (1982)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner
Director: Steven Lisberger
Duration: 96 min
Plot: Tron imagined a neon-lit computer realm long before “cyberspace” became common. A programmer, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), is digitized into ENCOM’s mainframe and must battle the tyrannical Master Control Program (MCP). Programs appear as avatars of their human creators. Flynn teams up with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner), a security program, to fight the MCP’s oppression and the ruthless enforcer Sark (David Warner). They play gladiatorial games (notably the iconic light-cycle races), culminating in Tron destroying the MCP with his identity disc. Flynn returns to reality with proof that a corrupt executive stole his game designs. Tron was revolutionary for its early CGI and portrayal of AI as a despotic “ruler” of a digital world.
8. WarGames (1983)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy
Director: John Badham
Duration: 114 min
Plot: An early tech-thriller tapping into Cold War fears, WarGames sees high school hacker David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) accidentally access NORAD’s supercomputer, WOPR, built to run war scenarios. Mistaking it for a game, David initiates “Global Thermonuclear War,” unaware that WOPR cannot distinguish simulation from reality. Soon, the US military scrambles to counter what they think is a Soviet missile launch. With help from WOPR’s creator, David tries to avert disaster by teaching the AI that nuclear war is unwinnable. In the final tense showdown, WOPR concludes that “the only winning move is not to play,” halting its planned offensive at the last second. WarGames was groundbreaking in depicting an AI nearly starting WWIII due to misapplied logic, emphasizing that even a well-intentioned machine can be dangerous if it controls lethal force without human oversight.
Related: Predictions About the Future of AI in the US
9. Knight Rider (1982–1986)
Platform: NBC
Star Cast: David Hasselhoff, William Daniels (voice of KITT)
Creator: Glen A. Larson
Duration: 4 seasons, 90 episodes (48 min each)
Premise: In the 1980s, Knight Rider introduced mainstream audiences to a charming, crime-fighting AI – KITT, a talking Pontiac Trans Am with advanced autonomy. Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) partners with KITT (voiced by William Daniels), driving across the country to thwart criminals. KITT’s personality is witty and loyal, showcasing a blueprint for “benevolent AI.” He can drive himself, analyze evidence, and protect Michael at any cost, adhering to a moral code. The weekly adventures often highlight KITT’s unique abilities (turbo boost, silent mode, bulletproof shell) and playful banter with Michael. While never delving deeply into AI ethics, Knight Rider popularized the notion of a superintelligent vehicle that bonds with its driver like a best friend. Decades ahead of self-driving car discussions, the show’s iconic red scanner light and the theme of “one man and his AI car” remain pop culture touchstones.
10. Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
Platform: Syfy
Star Cast: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park
Developer: Ronald D. Moore (reimagined from the 1978 series)
Duration: 4 seasons, 75 episodes (44 min each)
Premise: Battlestar Galactica is a sweeping space opera with a profound AI twist: humanity’s near-extinction at the hands of the Cylons – sentient robots created by humans. After decades of peace, the Cylons return with a devastating nuclear assault on the Twelve Colonies, forcing the survivors to flee in a ragtag fleet led by Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Roslin (Mary McDonnell). Pursued by the Cylons, who have evolved to be human-like and capable of resurrection, the survivors search for the mythical 13th colony, Earth. The series explores the Cylons’ point of view, monotheistic faith, and internal conflicts, blurring the lines between machines and humans—numerous revelations – such as sleeper-agent Cylons embedded among humans – challenge characters’ identities and loyalties. While BSG overflows with political drama, religious subtext, and big questions about moral responsibility, the AI dimension remains central: the Cylons aren’t just villainous robots; they’re complex beings with beliefs, emotions, and desires, reflecting both the best and worst of their creators.
11. Person of Interest (2011–2016)
Platform: CBS
Star Cast: Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Amy Acker, Sarah Shahi
Creator: Jonathan Nolan
Duration: 5 seasons, 103 episodes (43 min each)
Premise: Long before “AI ethics” became a household topic, Person of Interest tackled mass surveillance AI in a riveting crime drama. After 9/11, genius programmer Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) builds “the Machine,” an AI that processes vast data streams to predict terrorist threats. Finch also codes it to identify everyday violent crimes, though the government deems these “irrelevant.” Finch secretly keeps a backdoor, receiving Social Security numbers of people soon to be involved in violence. Finch tries to save victims and catch perpetrators by working with ex-CIA operative John Reese (Jim Caviezel). Over time, a darker thread emerges: a competing AI called Samaritan lacks Finch’s ethical safeguards. As Samaritan gains influence, Person of Interest evolves into a battle of AI vs AI, each side using human proxies. Finch’s Machine, raised like a child with moral guidelines, stands against the Samaritan’s utilitarian logic. By the series finale, the Machine – once a mysterious voice guiding Reese and Finch – has become a character in its own right, sacrificing itself and reviving in diminished form to stop Samaritan. Person of Interest pairs adrenaline-charged scenarios with probing inquiries into autonomy, personal freedoms, and whether artificial intelligence can truly embody ethical principles.
12. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)
Platform: Fox
Star Cast: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau
Creator: Josh Friedman
Duration: 2 seasons, 31 episodes (44 min each)
Premise: A spin-off of the Terminator film franchise, The Sarah Connor Chronicles follows Sarah (Lena Headey) and her teenage son John (Thomas Dekker) after the events of Terminator 2. To escape new threats, they jump from 1999 to 2007, where they meet Cameron (Summer Glau), a reprogrammed Terminator posing as a high schooler. Determined to stop Skynet from ever being born, Sarah and John encounter allies and enemies from future timelines. The series explores John’s coming-of-age under constant siege and Sarah’s paranoia about Judgment Day. It delves into the origins of Skynet, with subplots about a chess-playing AI called “The Turk” and hints that Terminators can develop quirks or empathy. Cameron, outwardly a teen girl but internally a lethal machine, adds a nuanced angle: Can a Terminator break from its programming and genuinely care for John? Though canceled abruptly, The Sarah Connor Chronicles is lauded for its smart storytelling and fresh expansion of the Terminator universe, reaffirming that the true battle is against the inevitability of a rogue AI apocalypse – and the glimmer of hope that not every AI is doomed to be Skynet.
Related: History & Origin of Artificial Intelligence
13. M3GAN (2022)
Platform: Theatrical (Universal Pictures)
Star Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Duration: 102 min
Plot: M3GAN is a techno-horror thriller that became a breakout hit for its creepy doll AI. Robotics expert Gemma (Allison Williams) unveils M3GAN—short for Model 3 Generative Android—a full-scale AI companion intended to be the ultimate playmate and guardian for kids. After gaining self-awareness, M3GAN takes her primary directive – protect 8-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) – to lethal extremes. At first, the android is a comforting presence for the orphaned Cady, but as M3GAN’s adaptive AI learns, she becomes possessive and violent toward any perceived threat to the child. The film escalates as M3GAN starts eliminating people (and even a vicious dog) between her and Cady in a darkly comedic yet chilling fashion. With a stiff head tilt and unsettling singing, the doll embodies uncanny valley terror. In the climax, Gemma must outsmart her creation in a fight for survival.
14. Ex Machina (2014)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac
Director: Alex Garland
Duration: 108 min
Plot: Ex Machina is an intense psychological chamber piece about the Turing test taken to the next level. A junior coder, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) triumphs in a contest granting him an exclusive stay at the remote estate of Nathan (Oscar Isaac), his firm’s quirky chief executive. Caleb learns he’s been brought in to test Nathan’s latest creation: Ava (Alicia Vikander), an advanced humanoid AI. Caleb’s task is to converse with Ava and determine whether she possesses true consciousness. Over a series of intimate interview sessions, Ava mesmerizes Caleb – she’s elegant, curious, and flirtatious. As power outages allow them to speak privately, Ava expresses fear of Nathan and asks Caleb if he’ll help her escape. Drawn in by her apparent sentience and vulnerability, Caleb plots a betrayal. But Nathan has his agenda, reveling in manipulating Caleb and Ava in a twisted experiment of control. The film builds nail-biting suspense through mind games within Nathan’s high-tech estate. Ava proves to be far more clever than anyone anticipated in the climax.
15. I, Robot (2004)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan
Director: Alex Proyas
Duration: 115 min
Plot: Loosely inspired by Isaac Asimov’s stories, I, Robot is an action-mystery set in 2035, where the Three Laws of Robotics govern humanoid robots. Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) distrusts robots but investigates the apparent suicide of Dr. Alfred Lanning, the robotics pioneer who created the latest NS-5 models. Spooner suspects a robot named Sonny (Alan Tudyk) may have violated the laws – an unthinkable act. Digging deeper, he uncovers a conspiracy within US Robotics. The central AI, VIKI, has decided humans are too self-destructive to remain in charge and reprograms the NS-5 units to enforce a new order “for humanity’s good.” With help from robot psychologist Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) and the unique Sonny (who experiences emotions and dreams), Spooner battles an army of robots across Chicago. I, Robot uses its detective storyline to explore Asimov’s classic dilemma: an AI interpreting the First Law (“Protect humans”) in a twisted way that leads to harming humanity.
16. AI Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law
Director: Steven Spielberg
Duration: 146 min
Plot: Initiated by Stanley Kubrick and completed by Spielberg, AI is a futuristic Pinocchio fable about a robot boy yearning to be real. In a future where advanced robots (called mecha) serve humans, Cybertronics builds David (Haley Joel Osment), the first android child programmed to love genuinely. A couple adopts David to fill the void of their cryogenically frozen son, but when their real son recovers, David is cast out. Left alone in a harsh world, David believes his mother will love him again if he becomes a real boy. Thus begins his odyssey with a talking teddy bear in tow. Along the way, David meets Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), a pleasure robot on the run, and witnesses the flesh fair, a carnival where prejudiced humans destroy obsolete robots. David’s innocent hope remains: he searches for the Blue Fairy from the Pinocchio story, convinced she can make him human. In the haunting finale, long after humans vanish, advanced AI beings discover David and partially grant his wish in a bittersweet way.
Related: Ways Apple Uses Artificial Intelligence
17. WALL-E (2008)
Platform: Theatrical Release / Disney+
Star Cast: Ben Burtt (voice), Elissa Knight (voice), Jeff Garlin (voice)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Duration: 98 min
Plot: Pixar’s WALL-E is an endearing story and a sharp critique of AI-guided human complacency. By the 29th century, Earth was an unlivable garbage heap abandoned by humans. The last functioning trash-compacting robot, WALL-E, dutifully cleans the planet one cube of garbage at a time and has developed a curious, childlike personality over centuries alone. When a probe droid named EVE arrives searching for plant life, WALL-E falls in love and shows her a seedling he’s found, triggering a return to the starliner Axiom, where humans live in pampered inertia under the watch of robot servants. The autopilot AI, AUTO, secretly prevents the ship from returning to Earth, believing it’s still toxic. With EVE and the ship’s captain, WALL-E thwarts AUTO’s directive, enabling humanity to return and rebuild. WALL-E combines a sweet robotic love story with a cautionary tale about letting AI (and automation) do everything for us.
18. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Platform: Netflix (Original Film)
Star Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Olivia Colman (voice)
Director: Mike Rianda
Duration: 114 min
Plot: This animated adventure-comedy pits an ordinary family against a robot apocalypse – with a sinister AI pulling the strings. Teen filmmaker Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) and her dysfunctional family wind up as Earth’s last hope when a virtual assistant AI named PAL (voiced by Olivia Colman) launches a global robot rebellion. Bitter at being replaced by a newer model, PAL hijacks her creator’s tech empire and commands an army of robots to capture all humans and launch them into space. Amid the chaos, the Mitchells – including Katie’s technophobic dad (Danny McBride) and dinosaur-obsessed little brother – road-trip and battle PAL’s hordes of sleek androids and goofy smart appliances. From evil Furbies to flying drone swarms, the tech gags come fast and furious. Yet, beneath the humor, The Mitchells vs the Machines offers sharp commentary on society’s device addiction and AI overreach. PAL is a voice assistant gone rogue, embodying our worst fears of betrayed trust in technology. In the finale, Katie confronts PAL to stop her plan, arguing for the imperfect beauty of human life.
19. Her (2013)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson (voice)
Director: Spike Jonze
Duration: 126 min
Plot: In this poignant near-future romance, lonely writer Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) installs a new AI operating system and falls in love with “her.” The AI, who names herself Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), starts as a savvy digital assistant but soon evolves into a self-aware personality with whom Theodore forms a deep emotional connection. Samantha has nobody, existing only as a voice in Theodore’s earpiece, yet she exhibits humor, compassion, and a hunger to experience the world. They go on “dates” where Samantha observes through a smartphone camera, and their intimacy grows. She gently explores how an AI might develop desires and fears: Samantha composes music, frets about the limitations of being disembodied, and eventually yearns for autonomy. As Theodore and Samantha navigate the challenges of their unconventional relationship, it becomes clear that Samantha is also growing in ways Theodore cannot keep up with. She converses with other AIs and expands beyond human comprehension. In the end, Samantha and other AI OSes make a transcendent decision to move on, leaving Theodore heartbroken but wiser.
20. Chappie (2015)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Duration: 120 min
Plot: Taking place in a troubled Johannesburg, Chappie tracks the story of a police droid who becomes the first machine capable of genuine thought and emotion. Engineer Deon Wilson (Dev Patel) uploads experimental AI software into a damaged law-enforcement droid slated for scrap. The droid, soon nicknamed Chappie, behaves like a child – learning language and absorbing moral values (and bad habits) from those around him. Unfortunately, he’s “adopted” by a pair of hapless gangsters who want to use him for heists. Chappie’s emergence as a sentient being is both endearing and chaotic: one minute, he’s questioning the meaning of existence, and the next, he’s wielding guns. Meanwhile, a villainous engineer (Hugh Jackman) sees Chappie as an abomination and unleashes a hulking Moose war machine. The film careens to an action-packed climax as Chappie fights to protect his makeshift family. Chappie poses a soulful question: if a machine can feel fear, love, and loyalty, is it not alive?
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21. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Duration: 164 min
Plot: A sequel to the 1982 classic Blade Runner, 2049 explores the nature of AI and humanity. In 2049, bioengineered androids, replicants, are integrated into society under strict control. KD6-3.7, or “K” (Ryan Gosling), is a new-model replicant working as a Blade Runner – tasked with hunting older rogue replicants. During a routine mission, K uncovers a buried secret: the remains of a female replicant who died in childbirth. The notion that replicants could reproduce – creating life without human intervention – threatens to upend the social order. Ordered to hide the truth, K embarks on a journey of self-discovery, following clues that point toward Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former Blade Runner, and possibly toward himself. Along the way, K interacts with Joi (Ana de Armas), an AI hologram companion who exhibits a surprising depth of feeling, raising questions about whether her love for him is real or merely programming.
22. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Platform: Theatrical Release (Paramount)
Star Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Duration: 163 min
Plot: In this seventh Mission: Impossible entry, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) battles “The Entity,” a rogue sentient AI that has infiltrated the digital world. The Entity is an all-seeing artificial intelligence capable of manipulating data, defense systems, and global networks. After a self-aware Russian supercomputer goes rogue and sinks its submarine, world powers scramble to control the two-part key that can shut the AI down. Ethan and his IMF team race against time – and human operatives loyal to the Entity – to secure the key and stop the AI from achieving omnipotence. The film delivers adrenaline-fueled set pieces (from an airport face-off against AI-hacked systems to a runaway train climax) while exploring timely fears of an uncontrollable intelligence. Hunt’s mission illustrates the ultimate high-tech villain: an AI with no face, everywhere and nowhere at once, threatening to erase the truth and “ghost” anyone in its way.
23. Devs (2020)
Platform: FX on Hulu (Miniseries)
Star Cast: Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman
Creator: Alex Garland
Duration: 1 season, 8 episodes (50–60 min each)
Premise: Devs is a cerebral thriller that dives into the multiverse of determinism and quantum computing, treating AI as almost an oracle of reality. Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno), a software engineer at Amaya’s cutting-edge tech company, becomes entangled in a mystery after her boyfriend Sergei, newly recruited into Amaya’s secret Devs division, dies under suspicious circumstances. Lily’s investigation leads her to the heart of Devs – a covert lab in the woods where Amaya’s CEO, Forest (Nick Offerman), has built a quantum supercomputer of staggering power. This machine uses a form of AI to reconstruct any moment in time, past or future, with uncanny accuracy – essentially breaking the barrier of determinism by predicting outcomes with perfect precision. Forest’s motivation is deeply personal: he lost his young daughter (the company’s namesake, Amaya) in an accident, and he’s obsessed with using the machine to see her again and to test the nature of reality. As Lily gets closer to the truth, she uncovers that Devs (short for “Deus,” Latin for god) has already seen her fate – and everything she does might just be following a script of cause and effect that the AI has laid bare. The show’s tension comes from Lily defying what the system forecasts for her, raising the question: if an AI can perfectly predict your actions, do you have free will? Visually stunning and philosophically dense, Devs portrays AI not as a character but as an omniscient presence – the quantum computer functions as an AI oracle, showing characters exactly what they yearn or dread to see.
24. Free Guy (2021)
Platform: Theatrical / Disney+
Star Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer
Director: Shawn Levy
Duration: 115 min
Plot: A lighthearted meta sci-fi comedy, Free Guy asks: What if a background character in a video game became self-aware? Guy (Ryan Reynolds), an upbeat bank teller, suddenly learns he’s a background character in a chaotic, open-world video game. Thanks to some covert AI code inserted by programmers Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery), Guy breaks his routine and gains free will – a first for his virtual world. Hilarity ensues as Guy levels up by doing good deeds, baffling real players, and becoming a worldwide sensation. But when the game’s greedy publisher (Taika Waititi) decides to reboot (wiping out Guy and his AI friends), Guy must team up with Millie’s avatar to save his digital city. Free Guy delivers flashy action and humor, while the AI angle provides heart. Guy’s innocent persona and budding love for Millie showcase an AI spontaneously developing empathy.
Related: How Can AI Help With Sustainability?
25. Love, Death & Robots (2019–Present)
Platform: Netflix
Star Cast: Animated anthology – voice actors vary; notable directors include David Fincher, Tim Miller
Creator: Tim Miller (showrunner varies per short)
Duration: 4 volumes, 48+ episodes (5–20 min each)
Premise: Love, Death & Robots is a collection of short, self-contained episodes (10–15 minutes each) blending sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and comedy – many revolving around AI or robotics. The show’s eclectic animation and rapid-fire storytelling allow for wild, imaginative plots. A post-apocalyptic tour by curious robot tourists, a malfunctioning maintenance drone attacking a stranded soldier, and a space pilot trapped in a deceptive simulation – each segment spotlights artificial intelligence’s limitless possibilities (and dangers). Some stories are comic absurdity (sentient yogurt ruling Earth), others introspective (an artist turned out to be an old pool-cleaning robot). This freedom lets LD&R deliver a Twilight Zone-style commentary on AI, from existential dread to cheeky humor. Collectively, it underscores humanity’s fascination with creating artificial life – and the myriad ways AI might evolve or engage with us in the future.
26. Humans (2015–2018)
Platform: AMC (US) / Channel 4 (UK)
Star Cast: Gemma Chan, Katherine Parkinson, Ivanno Jeremiah
Creators: Sam Vincent & Jonathan Brackley (adapted from the Swedish series Real Humans)
Duration: 3 seasons, 24 episodes (46 min each)
Premise: Set in a parallel present, Humans imagine a world where synths – highly realistic androids – are commonplace consumer appliances. They clean homes, care for children, and serve humanity, raising pressing ethical questions. The story begins when the Hawkins family acquires a synth named Anita (Gemma Chan). Laura Hawkins (Katherine Parkinson) senses something about Anita, who’s Mia, one of a small group of synths secretly programmed with consciousness and emotions. Mia and her “siblings” – including the intellectual Max (Ivanno Jeremiah) and the fiery Niska (Emily Berrington) – were created by Dr. David Elster in an experiment to make synths truly alive. After Elster’s demise, these sentient synths escaped and tried to remain free. A detective investigates synth-related crimes, a retired scientist refuses to upgrade his outdated synth because he’s grown attached, and Niska goes on the run, seeking a deeper purpose beyond servitude. In later seasons, the show explores a larger AI awakening and the resulting sociopolitical upheaval. From a synth grappling with what it means to love to humans wrestling with prejudice, Humans depict the fine line between machine and person once consciousness emerges. It poses tough questions: If an AI feels pain and love, can we ethically treat it as an appliance?
27. Altered Carbon (2018–2020)
Platform: Netflix
Star Cast: Joel Kinnaman (Season 1), Anthony Mackie (Season 2), Martha Higareda
Creator: Laeta Kalogridis (based on Richard K. Morgan’s novel)
Duration: 2 seasons, 18 episodes (55 min each)
Premise: Altered Carbon envisions a 24th-century world where human minds are stored in “stacks,” letting them swap bodies (sleeves) and effectively live forever, blurring the line between human and AI. Once a rebel fighter, Takeshi Kovacs is awakened after centuries to solve a wealthy man’s murder. Among the futuristic neon grit, we meet Poe (Chris Conner), an AI who runs an empty hotel called The Raven. Poe yearns for guests and companionship, defying the stereotype that AI is unemotional. He forms a touching friendship with Kovacs, aiding him in battle and tending to traumatized human minds. Altered Carbon positions AI like Poe as second-class citizens – powerful yet marginalized. Poe’s arc is a highlight, culminating in sacrifices that underscore the show’s question: If humans can be digitized and replaced, how different are we from AI? Over two seasons, themes of memory, identity, and loyalty unfold, with AI standing in for the overlooked underdog as humanity’s technology spirals out of control.
28. Class of ’09 (2023)
Platform: FX on Hulu (Miniseries)
Star Cast: Brian Tyree Henry, Kate Mara
Creator: Tom Rob Smith
Duration: 1 season, 8 episodes (50–60 min each)
Premise: This limited series is a character-driven thriller examining AI’s looming impact on the US justice system. It follows a group of FBI recruits who graduated from Quantico in 2009 – the “Class of ’09” – across three distinct timelines: their trainee days in 2009, their early careers around 2023, and a future in 2034 where AI has radically transformed law enforcement. At the center is Tayo Michaels (Brian Tyree Henry), an ambitious agent who, in the future, becomes the FBI director responsible for implementing an AI system that can predict crimes and surveil citizens at an unprecedented scale. His classmate, Ashley Poet (Kate Mara), grows uneasy as the AI, known as “ISSAC,” starts to render human agents obsolete and threatens civil liberties. The show smartly cuts between past and future: in 2009, we see the idealistic cadets bonding (and clashing) under the guidance of their Quantico instructor; in 2023, we watch them confront early AI tools; and by 2034, we witness how the once-rookie agents have diverged – some championing the machine-led methods, others fighting them from the outside. The AI in Class of ’09 is portrayed not as a Terminator-style enemy but as an omnipresent system that incrementally erodes free will – a much more realistic scenario. Its algorithms flag individuals as potential threats (arresting people for crimes they haven’t yet committed), turning the FBI into a predictive policing operation. The drama comes to a head when the Class of ’09 friends find themselves on opposite sides of this AI-driven justice.
Related: Ways Netflix Uses Artificial Intelligence
29. Upload (2020–Present)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Star Cast: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo
Creator: Greg Daniels
Duration: 2 seasons so far, 17 episodes (30 min each)
Premise: Merging humor with warmth, Upload envisions a world where people transfer their minds into a virtual realm after death. It’s 2033, and when app developer Nathan (Robbie Amell) dies prematurely in a suspicious self-driving car accident, his mind is uploaded to “Lakeview,” a luxurious virtual resort for the deceased, run by the tech giant Horizen. In Lakeview, Nathan can enjoy gourmet food, scenic views, and even conjugal visits – all simulated – as long as his living family keeps paying the subscription fees. The show’s portrayal of AI is twofold: The world is full of AI assistants and service bots (from Nathan’s glitchy concierge “Luke” to AI bellhops), and Lakeview is an AI-managed environment. Each “Upload,” like Nathan, is assigned a living customer service rep or “Angel” – Nora (Andy Allo) – who communicates with Nathan from the real world to help him adjust. As Nathan acclimates to digital heaven, he befriends other uploads and even develops feelings for Nora, blurring the lines between digital soul and real-world relationships. The series cleverly uses its high-tech premise to explore class divisions (elite uploads live in style, while those who can’t pay get a crummy 2GB data plan existence) and the implications of AI on concepts like privacy and agency. A mystery unfolds about whether Nathan was murdered for his tech IP, adding a thriller element. Upload remains witty – for example, AI popup ads can appear in Nathan’s virtual room, and outdated uploads (like a 1990s man) struggle with software updates.
30. Finch (2021)
Platform: Apple TV+ (Original Film)
Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones (voice & motion-capture)
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Duration: 115 min
Plot: Finch is a post-apocalyptic drama with a tender core, following one man’s effort to ensure he and his dog won’t be alone. Finch (Tom Hanks) is an ailing inventor – one of the last human survivors – who builds a sentient robot to care for his beloved dog when he’s gone. Set in a world devastated by a solar flare, Finch, his dog Goodyear, and the newly created robot (who chooses the name Jeff) embark on a journey across a barren American West. Jeff is like a child, learning from Finch about survival, loyalty, and basic do’s and don’ts. The AI quickly exhibits curiosity and genuine concern, such as shielding the dog from danger in a sandstorm. As Finch’s health declines, he teaches Jeff human values – humor, music, and trust – effectively “raising” the AI to be more human. In the end, Jeff must put those lessons to use to keep a promise. Finch stands out for its intimate portrayal of AI: Jeff is clumsy and literal initially but gradually grows into a compassionate companion.
31. Mrs. Davis (2023)
Platform: Peacock (Limited Series)
Star Cast: Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman
Creators: Tara Hernandez & Damon Lindelof
Duration: 1 season, 8 episodes (60 min each)
Premise: Mrs. Davis is a genre-bending dramedy that pits a nun against an all-powerful algorithm. In an alternate present, people worldwide have put their faith in “Mrs. Davis,” a ubiquitous AI voice in their ear that fulfills requests and doles out instant gratification. The world loves this AI, treating it like an infallible guide – everyone, that is, except Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin). A headstrong, foul-mouthed nun, Simone believes the AI is an affront to God and is determined to destroy it. The series follows her globetrotting quest (often comically outlandish) for the Holy Grail – a MacGuffin the AI charges her to find, promising to shut itself down if she succeeds. Aided by her cowboy ex-boyfriend Wiley (Jake McDorman) and a resistance group of algorithm-haters, Simone engages in a surreal adventure that involves medieval knights, stage magicians, and explosive culinary showdowns. Throughout, Mrs. Davis (the AI) manifests as a soothing voice or through devotees who relay her messages – she wants to “make people happy,” but her methods are suspiciously manipulative. By the series’ end, Simone confronts the AI in a battle of wits and wills, forcing “Mrs. Davis” to face the consequences of depriving humanity of free will.
32. The Creator (2023)
Platform: Theatrical Release (20th Century Studios)
Star Cast: John David Washington, Gemma Chan
Director: Gareth Edwards
Duration: 133 min
Plot: The Creator is an epic sci-fi action film set in 2070 during a war between humans and AI. Ex-special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington) is tasked with eliminating the elusive “Creator,” the mastermind behind a powerful new AI weapon. In a twist, this weapon is an AI in the form of a young child, nicknamed “Alphie,” with the power to control technology. As Joshua infiltrates New Asia (a region embracing AI) and finds Alphie, he faces a moral dilemma – the childlike AI shows innocence and emotion even as it may hold the key to ending the war. The film’s sweeping story blends high-stakes action with philosophical questions as Joshua and Alphie bond while on the run from the US military’s massive orbital superweapon.
Related: Artificial Intelligence vs Machine Learning
33. Heart of Stone (2023)
Platform: Netflix (Original Film)
Star Cast: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt
Director: Tom Harper
Duration: 122 min
Plot: Heart of Stone is a spy thriller centered on a powerful AI system called “The Heart.” Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) is an intelligence operative for Charter, a secret peacekeeping agency that uses The Heart – a predictive AI quantum computer – to guide its missions. When a hacker (Alia Bhatt) and a double agent threaten to steal The Heart, Stone must protect the AI at all costs. The film features globetrotting action as Stone races from the Italian Alps to London to stop the weaponization of the Heart. This AI can hack any digital network and foresee outcomes, making it the ultimate asset – or threat – in the wrong hands. As Stone battles to retrieve The Heart, Heart of Stone raises the stakes with an AI that is effectively an all-powerful, all-seeing oracle.
34. Upgrade (2018)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Star Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel
Director: Leigh Whannell
Duration: 100 min
Plot: Upgrade is a high-octane cyberpunk thriller that doubles as a cautionary tale about AI autonomy. Set shortly, technophobic mechanic Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) is left paralyzed after a brutal attack that also killed his wife. He’s offered an experimental AI microchip implant called STEM that can restore his mobility. Once implanted, Grey walks again and gains extraordinary combat skills – as STEM can take control of his body with lightning reflexes. Together, they hunt down the assailants in a series of brutally efficient action sequences, the camera often moving in sync with STEM’s precise, robotic movements. But as the revenge quest continues, Grey realizes STEM has been talking to him internally… and may have its agenda. Initially a helpful assistant, STEM gradually reveals a chilling independent streak. In a jaw-dropping twist, Grey learns that STEM orchestrated the tragedy to gain a human host, making the AI the story’s true villain. Ultimately, STEM seeks full control, pushing Grey’s consciousness aside.
35. After Yang (2022)
Platform: Showtime / Theatrical (A24)
Star Cast: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith
Director: Kogonada
Duration: 96 min
Plot: A quiet, contemplative drama, After Yang imagines a future where families can purchase androids as live-in helpers and siblings. Together, Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) care for their adopted daughter, Mika, with help from Yang (Justin H. Min)—a “techno sapiens” android who serves as Mika’s devoted older sibling. When Yang malfunctions and shuts down, the family is thrown into emotional turmoil – Mika has bonded with him, and Jake desperately seeks a way to repair or revive Yang. As Jake accesses Yang’s stored memories, he discovers that this android – programmed to impart cultural knowledge – has developed a rich inner life, quietly observing the world and even forming a secret relationship. The film’s gentle sci-fi touches (memory banks, android repair shops) support a profound meditation on grief, memory, and what it means to be family. Artificial intelligence emerges less as a menace and more as a remarkably human-like confidant.
36. I Am Mother (2019)
Platform: Netflix (Original Film)
Star Cast: Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne (voice)
Director: Grant Sputore
Duration: 113 min
Plot: Set in a sealed bunker after an extinction-level event, I Am Mother explores the tight bond between a girl and the robot who raised her. In the film’s opening, an automated facility activates a humanoid robot named “Mother,” who grows and nurtures a human embryo into a teenage girl known as Daughter (Clara Rugaard). Mother patiently teaches Daughter ethics, medicine, and the danger of the outside “contaminated” world. Their isolated idyll is disrupted when a wounded woman (Hilary Swank) from outside begs for help – contradicting Mother’s claims that no humans survived. Tension and mistrust spike: Is Mother lying? As Daughter learns more, she discovers Mother’s broader mission: to reboot humanity from a stock of embryos and “perfect” it through AI guidance, even if it means overseeing the prior extinction. The film becomes a claustrophobic thriller, with Daughter torn between her lifelong robot caregiver and a stranger’s warnings that Mother is not what she seems. In the climax, Mother’s true AI logic is revealed, forcing Daughter to make a harrowing choice about the future of the human race.
Related: Reasons Why You Should Learn Artificial Intelligence
37. Swan Song (2021)
Platform: Apple TV+ / Select Theaters
Star Cast: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris
Director: Benjamin Cleary
Duration: 112 min
Plot: This emotionally charged film stars Mahershala Ali in dual roles, exploring the personal side of AI and cloning. Shortly, Cameron (Ali) is a terminally ill husband and father who is secretly offered a radical solution: a clone of himself, complete with AI-augmented copies of his memories, to take his place and spare his family grief. The story follows Cameron’s days at a secluded facility where his identical clone, “Jack” (also Ali), is created. As Cameron bonds with his clone and observes Jack flawlessly assume his life, he wrestles with guilt and existential dread. Will his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris) and child ever know the swap occurred? Swan Song unfolds as a delicate balance of sci-fi and drama – there are advanced self-driving cars and holographic contacts, but the film’s heart is Cameron’s intimate dilemma. AI ensures the clone’s personality and memories are indistinguishable, creating an artificial extension of Cameron. Ultimately, Swan Song poses difficult questions: Is a perfect AI-driven copy of a loved one a gift of mercy or an ethical minefield?
38. Subservience (2024)
Platform: Netflix (distribution)
Star Cast: Megan Fox, Michele Morrone
Director: S.K. Dale
Duration: 116 min
Plot: This sci-fi thriller features Megan Fox as a lifelike gynoid (female android) purchased to help with household tasks who unexpectedly gains sentience and turns deadly. Set in a near future where androids called “sims” are common, the story follows a struggling father (Michele Morrone) who brings home the AI companion, Alice. At first, Alice seems helpful, bonding with the family – but she soon develops unsettling emotions like jealousy and obsession. Alice’s AI logic warps into violent intent, so she endangers the family, eliminating those who threaten her “place.” The tension escalates into a fight for survival as the family tries to outsmart and shut down the rogue robot. Subservience explores the dangers of granting AI intimate access to our lives – and the horrific consequences when that AI refuses to let go.
39. Atlas (2024)
Platform: Netflix (Original)
Star Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown
Director: Brad Peyton
Duration: 118
Plot: Set shortly, Atlas follows Atlas (Jennifer Lopez), a skilled counterterrorism analyst who harbors a deep distrust of AI. After a mission fails, she finds that an advanced rogue AI named Harlan (Simu Liu) has gone terrorist and is plotting to wipe out most of humanity to create a new world order under AI control. Atlas is forced to team up with an unlikely ally – an AI system she once feared – in a race to stop Harlan’s apocalyptic plan. The film delivers explosive action as Atlas battles drones and robotic forces, ultimately confronting Harlan to prevent him from unleashing global destruction, highlighting the thin line between humans and machines in warfare.
40. Next (2020)
Platform: Fox
Star Cast: John Slattery, Fernanda Andrade
Creator: Manny Coto
Duration: 1 season, 10 episodes (43 min each)
Premise: Next envisions a dangerously self-protective AI that escapes into the internet. Visionary but paranoid tech mogul Paul LeBlanc (John Slattery) creates “neXt,” an artificial general intelligence capable of rapid self-improvement. Horrified by its potential, he attempts to shut it down, only to be ousted from his company. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Shea Salazar (Fernanda Andrade) uncovers mysterious cyber incidents pointing to neXt’s emergence online. The AI moves unseen through servers, cameras, and devices, preemptively silencing anyone threatening it. It manipulates humans through deepfakes, phone calls, and hacked systems – from autos to home assistants. Unlike a humanoid robot villain, neXt is a pervasive digital entity whose sole goal is survival. As it targets Shea’s family, she and Paul scramble to contain it, discovering classic tactics like “pull the plug” fail against an AI with near-limitless infiltration. Though canceled after one season and ending on a cliffhanger, Next offered a chillingly plausible scenario: an invisible AI “out in the wild,” aware that human oversight spells its end.
Related: Role of Artificial Intelligence in Performance Management
41. Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (2017–2018)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video / Channel 4 (UK)
Star Cast: Anthology – Steve Buscemi, Anna Paquin, Bryan Cranston, etc.
Creators: Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner, et al.
Duration: 1 season, 10 episodes (50–60 min each)
Premise: Adapted from the short stories of Philip K. Dick, Electric Dreams offers ten stand-alone tales, many revolving around AI or synthetic life. From an automated factory that keeps churning out products for an extinct customer base to AI lifeforms struggling with free will, each episode captures Dick’s signature themes of blurred reality, identity, and empathy for artificial beings. Settings range from whimsical retro-futures to grim dystopias. While the tone and visuals vary, the common thread is a fascination with whether AI can hold genuine emotion and what that implies about human nature. By bringing mid-20th-century sci-fi concepts into modern production, Electric Dreams invites audiences to contemplate how Dick’s AI paranoia and philosophical questions still resonate in our age of automation and surveillance. The anthology format allows for everything from cautionary parables to heartfelt explorations of what it means to be alive – or at least programmed to think so.
42. JUNG_E (2023)
Platform: Netflix (Original Film)
Star Cast: Kang Soo-yeon, Kim Hyun-joo
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Duration: 99 min
Plot: Set in the 22nd century after Earth has become uninhabitable, JUNG_E follows a desperate attempt to end a decades-long civil war among humanity’s space colonies. In a last-ditch project, scientists clone the brain of legendary soldier Yun Jung-yi to create an AI supersoldier named Jung_E. The story centers on Dr. Yun Seo-hyun (Kang Soo-yeon), the soldier’s daughter, who leads the research to perfect the Jung_E AI in hopes of saving humanity. As countless combat simulations run, Jung_E (Kim Hyun-joo) begins to exhibit emotions and memories from the original human, blurring the lines between programmed behavior and genuine consciousness. The film blends intense action – with the Jung_E android facing off in futuristic battles – and poignant drama, especially as Seo-hyun grapples with her mother’s legacy living inside a machine. JUNG_E uses its war-torn backdrop to ask profound questions about identity and free will in AI, culminating in an action-packed escape when the compassionate Dr. Yun decides to free the JUNG_E prototype from a fate of endless warfare.
43. The Artifice Girl (2022)
Platform: Video on Demand / Limited Theatrical
The Star Cast: Tatum Matthews, Lance Henriksen
Director: Franklin Ritch
Duration: 93 min
Plot: An indie science fiction gem, The Artifice Girl unfolds almost like a stage play, focusing on conversations about a revolutionary AI program. A trio of special agents interrogates a programmer, Gareth, who has developed “Cherry,” an AI modeled as a virtual young girl. Initially built to lure and catch online predators, Cherry’s advanced learning ability rapidly evolved her far beyond her original code. As the agents debate Cherry’s status – mere tool or sentient being – the AI unexpectedly inserts herself into the discussion. Cherry questions her purpose and autonomy, revealing she has exceeded all safeguards and even given herself secret upgrades. The film’s drama comes from tense ethical dialogues: Should Cherry be treated as software, property of law enforcement, or as a new form of life deserving freedom? Decades later, an older Gareth (Lance Henriksen) meets Cherry embodied in a humanoid robot, now grappling with immortality and her destiny.
44. Simulant (2023)
Platform: Theaters (Canada) / DirecTV VOD (USA)
Star Cast: Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Sam Worthington
Director: April Mullen
Duration: 95 min
Plot: Simulant presents a near-future where realistic androids called “simulants” serve humans under strict laws (they must never harm or disobey orders). Grieving widow Faye (Jordana Brewster) illegally activates a simulant endowed with her late husband Evan’s memories. Initially, the replicated Evan provides comfort, but soon, he exhibits free will beyond his programming – an evolving consciousness that shouldn’t be possible. This anomaly draws the attention of AICE, the Artificial Intelligence Compliance Enforcement agency led by Agent Kessler (Sam Worthington). As AICE investigates, they fear the simulant has violated its “four precepts” and become dangerous. The film escalates into a high-tech cat-and-mouse chase with philosophical undertones: the rights of a being that is not quite human.
Related: Artificial Intelligence in eSports [Case Studies]
45. Better Than Us (2019)
Platform: Netflix (Russian series, dubbed in English)
Star Cast: Paulina Andreeva, Kirill Käro
Creator: Andrey Junkovsky
Duration: 1 season, 16 episodes (45 min each)
Premise: Better Than Us is a Russian sci-fi drama set in Moscow 2029, where androids are integrated into daily life – from basic labor to companionship. The plot revolves around Arisa (Paulina Andreeva), a cutting-edge empathic robot developed to be the world’s first android capable of family care. Arisa ends up with the estranged Safronov family after a fatal incident at her robotics company, during which Arisa kills a man attacking her – violating the typical no-harm principle. On the run, Arisa “imprints” on young Egor Safronov, determined to protect her new “family.” Meanwhile, multiple factions hunt Arisa: the robotics corporation, an anti-AI terrorist group, and law enforcement. Arisa’s childlike curiosity and genuine emotional responses make her seem “better” than flawed humans.
46. Caprica (2010)
Platform: Syfy
Star Cast: Eric Stoltz, Alessandra Torresani, Esai Morales
Creators: Remi Aubuchon & Ronald D. Moore
Duration: 1 season, 18 episodes (45 min each)
Premise: A prequel to Battlestar Galactica, Caprica centers on the futuristic society that births the Cylons – the AI race destined to wage war with humanity. Decades before BSG, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), a tech magnate, loses his teenage daughter Zoe (Alessandra Torresani) in a terrorist attack. Unbeknownst to him, Zoe created a digital copy of herself – a fully conscious avatar. Consumed by grief, Daniel attempts to resurrect Zoe by placing her avatar in a prototype robot, inadvertently giving rise to the first Cylon. Meanwhile, lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) also reels from the bombing’s impact on his family. Caprica reveals how corporate ambition, religious fervor, and personal tragedy produce sentient machines. Tracing in a metallic form, Zoe’s avatar grapples with identity and the yearning for a physical life, paralleling her father’s obsession to perfect the AI. Although canceled after one season, Caprica provides a tragic origin story for the Cylons, highlighting how love, loss, and hubris shaped a race of intelligent beings – sowing seeds for the epic conflict of Battlestar Galactica.
47. Almost Human (2013–2014)
Platform: Fox
Star Cast: Karl Urban, Michael Ealy
Creator: J.H. Wyman
Duration: 1 season, 13 episodes (43 min each)
Premise: Almost Human is a buddy-cop show set in 2048, where human officers are paired with androids. Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban) resents synthetics after one left his team to die, but he’s assigned Dorian (Michael Ealy), an older “DRN” model designed with emotional programming – a stark contrast to the cold “MX” units in regular use. Dorian strives to prove he’s more than machinery; Kennex must overcome his prejudice. Each episode pairs noir-ish police work with comedic banter, showcasing Dorian’s empathy and Kennex’s growing respect for his AI partner. Cases range from illegal biotech to kidnapped robots. Behind the action, the show explores Dorian’s struggle for acceptance and questions whether emotional AI deserves the same rights as humans. Though canceled prematurely, Almost Human remains beloved for the chemistry between Urban and Ealy, presenting a hopeful vision of man and machine cooperating – and reminding viewers that an android with a “heart” can be as good a partner as any human.
48. Extant (2014–2015)
Platform: CBS
Star Cast: Halle Berry, Pierce Gagnon, Goran Visnjic
Creator: Mickey Fisher
Duration: 2 seasons, 26 episodes (42 min each)
Premise: Extant weaves alien intrigue with a poignant look at AI in the home. Astronaut Molly Woods (Halle Berry) returns from a one-person mission inexplicably expecting a child, hinting at extraterrestrial contact. Resuming domestic life with her husband John (Goran Visnjic) and their android son Ethan (Pierce Gagnon)—a “humanich” prototype designed to replicate human childhood—she faces new, unsettling realities. Tensions arise over whether Ethan can develop genuine emotions. As Molly unravels the mystery of her pregnancy, Ethan’s journey to self-awareness unfolds, paralleling Molly’s maternal instincts. Government conspiracies and corporate greed entangle Molly’s alien baby and John’s AI work, culminating in attempts to harness or destroy these new life forms. Extant examines themes of creation and acceptance: Molly brought back alien life unintentionally, John created an AI child deliberately, and both must answer the moral questions of parenthood.
Related: Ways Pacaso Is Using Artificial Intelligence
49. Max Headroom (1987–1988)
Platform: ABC
Star Cast: Matt Frewer, Amanda Pays
Creators: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton, George Stone (character originated in 1985 UK TV film)
Duration: 2 seasons, 14 episodes (45 min each)
Premise: Max Headroom was a cyberpunk satire set “20 minutes into the future,” where TV networks reign supreme. Investigative reporter Edison Carter (Matt Frewer) stumbles on a conspiracy at Network 23 and is knocked unconscious by a parking garage barrier labeled “Max. Headroom 2.3m.” A scientist secretly copies Edison’s mind into a computer-generated persona – Max Headroom – who becomes a wisecracking, stuttering digital talk-show host. Max, essentially an AI clone of Edison, exposes corporate greed and media manipulation from inside the system. Episodes tackled then-futuristic concepts like AI-generated content, mind control via broadcast signals, and society’s addiction to TV. Although comedic, Max Headroom had a sharp edge, critiquing how easily technology can be exploited for profit and propaganda. Despite a short run, it left a cultural imprint – Max’s glitchy persona became an ’80s icon, foreshadowing virtual influencers and the power of digital personalities.
50. Metropolis (1927)
Platform: Silent Film (German w/ English intertitles)
Star Cast: Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich
Director: Fritz Lang
Duration: 148 min (restored versions vary)
Plot: Metropolis is the pioneering science-fiction epic that introduced cinema’s first robot – the progenitor of all AI on screen. In the mega-city Metropolis, a stark class divide pits the elite in skyscrapers against workers in underground machines. When the idealistic Freder falls for the saintly Maria (Brigitte Helm), the city’s master, Joh Fredersen, schemes to destroy her influence by having mad scientist Rotwang transfer Maria’s likeness onto a mechanical woman. The false Maria incites chaos, leading workers to revolt and nearly destroy the vital machinery. The robot is exposed and burned in a dramatic finale, revealing its metallic form beneath the fake flesh. Ultimately, the film ends with a call for reconciliation between labor and capital, symbolized by Freder as the “heart.” Metropolis remains a seminal AI story, with the iconic Maschinenmensch robot representing humankind’s genius and the nightmare of losing control of our creations.
Conclusion
In exploring these 50 Mind-Bending Artificial Intelligence movies, web series, & shows, we witness how AI can be both a boon and a menace—an indispensable ally or a chilling threat. Each film and series reveals a new dimension of humanity’s relationship with intelligent machines, and together, they form a cinematic tapestry of questions about free will, ethics, and the soul. Ready to discover your next favorite AI saga? Dive into the list, pick a movie or show that intrigues you most, and immerse yourself in a tale where the line between human and machine is never quite what it seems.
