AI, Hybris, Humanitas
To align with the theme of this issue, we initially wanted to write about a film focused on the use of artificial intelligence in the world of work, and especially on the implications this use has for individuals: passive reliance, or the need to set boundaries; enthusiasm versus distrust; and the discomfort or unease generated by the fear of being overtaken—or even replaced—in one’s job. We couldn’t find a film that fully addressed these reflections, but suggestions are welcome.
That said, since the early days of cinema there has been a substantial body of work in which humans and machines endowed with varying degrees of artificial intelligence—whether computers, robots, or androids—come into conflict, as machines rebel against their creators. These works span science fiction, thrillers, comedies, and dramas. This dynamic mirrors a persistent human fear: being overpowered by the very machines we have created, and—today more than ever—seeing artificial intelligence dangerously emancipate itself from natural intelligence.
As early as Frankenstein—Mary Shelley’s novel dates back to 1818, while James Whale’s famous horror film was released in 1931—the creature, assembled in a laboratory to artificially reproduce a human being, escapes the control of its creator and turns against him. The cinematic seed of fear toward technological development had already been planted by Fritz Lang. In Metropolis (1927)—set in the dystopian future of the year 2026—the captivating android Maria is built to control the unrest of brutally exploited workers, but instead becomes the leader of a rebellion. Although the film focuses on social conflict, the perceived threat of a machine created by humans is unmistakable.
In Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), the supercomputer HAL 9000 (significantly, an acronym for Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic Computer, referring to a system capable of learning through experience and trial and error) possesses advanced artificial intelligence. It controls the spacecraft Discovery One on a mission to Jupiter and becomes a dangerous, unpredictable antagonist, ultimately killing the astronauts on board. Similarly, in The Terminator (1984) by James Cameron, an AI called Skynet becomes self-aware and decides to exterminate humanity.
If you’re looking for a hidden gem on this theme, we recommend Westworld (1973) by Michael Crichton—the same author behind Jurassic Park (1993), where resurrected prehistoric creatures rebel against their creator. Westworld is set in a futuristic theme park where androids are designed to be indistinguishable from humans, yet devoid of emotions and free will. However, one of them—the Gunslinger, played by Yul Brynner (a self-parody of his role in The Magnificent Seven, 1960)—begins to develop a form of consciousness and turns against his creators.
Crichton explores the human–machine dialectic through the relationship between the Gunslinger and the park’s visitors. Androids created to be inferior to humans can evolve, and the film suggests that creating artificial intelligence may be an act of hybris—overreaching arrogance. It invites reflection on the responsibilities inherent in being creators.
The theme becomes especially compelling when the ethical implications of creating and using artificial intelligence are explored. For example, in Minority Report (2002) by Steven Spielberg, a crime prevention system based on advanced predictive analysis raises fundamental questions about freedom and justice.
Cinema, as an art form, provokes necessary reflections on empathy and vulnerability at the core of the relationship between AI and humanity. At the heart of the matter lies the risk of losing humanitas—the very quality that distinguishes humans from machines: “the ideal of education, benevolence, mutual respect, and culture that elevates human beings above a feral state.”
And yes—this definition comes from AI itself.