1. 2001 (1968)
We begin and end with Kubrick, to whom everyone making or watching films about A.I. owes a tremendous debt. 2001 is about a space mission assisted by a computer called HAL (its name is cleverly derived from the letters that precede those in IBM). Things start well, until HAL reveals its own agenda and Dr. David “Dave” Bowman decides to shut it down.
In addition to anticipating the threats posed by A.I., 2001 also envisions a future in which we can perhaps attain a kind of immortality through digital encapsulations of ourselves. Or at least that’s our interpretation. It’s also visually stunning, gloriously ambitious, and eerily beautiful in a way only humanity can be.
Oh, and one more thing?
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