Film Analysis Essay on Ex Machina

Introduction

In today's world computers are everywhere and it's impossible for a man to lead a normal life without it. Vehicles, phones, and ATMs all contain computers inside them. It is this reason that data processing machine has to become smarter so that the lives of people can become easier (Zhou, and Shen 156). Though smart computers benefit the society they are some people who think that they will lead to the end of human beings. In the comic book the Descender and the film Ex Machina, the world has progressed to great levels where robots with artificial intelligence are a common sight to the people. These androids were made to help men and provide comfort during their times of need. Tim 21 is programmed to provide companionship to human beings specifically young human boys (Nguyen, and Lemire).

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The revolution of the humanoids is the fear most critics of artificial intelligence have. In the Descender, the robots turn on individuals and attack and kill them. In the film Ex machine the same outcome is seen when Ava kills his creator and leaves Caleb to die of starvation in the house. While both Tim 21 and Ava are robots with artificial intelligence, Tim 21 behave the way he was programmed. Ava does not follow her programming instructions and ends up killing her developer and running away from the house.

Tim 21 and Ava are similar in very many ways. Tim 21 and Ava are artificial intelligence beings which were created in the lab. They are the product of man's hands. Tim 21 is created by Doctor Quan and Ava is developed by Nathan. Captain Tesla informs doctor Quan that one of the Tim models robots he created has switched back online. This shows that Tim 21 is a product of the human mind. In the start of the second issue of the Descender, Tim 21 has the memory of his earlier days which includes doctor Quan telling him all the relevant information about him. The doctor says him that he is a robot with artificial intelligence.

Doctor Quan adds that he is simply the creator of Tim 21 and not his father. In the movie the Ex Machina, Nathan notifies Caleb that he has built an artificial intelligence machine and Caleb will be part of the touring test of the Artificial Intelligence. During the first session between Caleb and Ava, Ava tells Caleb that she only knows Nathan in her life and that she is a machine. Ava and Tim 21 exhibit human-like behavior that is so realistic that can easily fool a person. Tim 21 is programmed to adapt and assimilate to human ways by use of its proprietary empathy settings. In Tim 21 first birthday he tells Andy that he has been working hard in order to be more like the people. Andy tells him that he has become a part of their family. Tim gets frightened similarly to the way young human boys do when they are faced with danger. During bedtime, Tim 21 wish was to dream like how other characters do.

The moment where Ava went to the closet and hesitated on which dress to put on shows that Ava has human behavior. Its normal for human beings to be conscious of what they put on. People never want to portray themselves in a bad manner, thus the type of clothing to put on is important. Another example of Ava with human-like characteristics is when she feels attracted to Caleb. There was some kind of romance brewing up between Caleb and Ava. This kind of attraction is mostly seen between a man and a woman and not a man and a machine ("Ex Machina (2015) Featurette - The Director").

Though these two characters share a lot in common, they have major differences between them. The first difference is that Tim 21 is a robot which is made in the image and likeness of a young boy. On the other hand, Ava is a female robot with artificial intelligence.

For example, doctor Quan informs Tim 21 that he is a class A robot whose primary functions are to assist, educate and protect the human child. Another difference that is clear between the two is that Ava is a liar and manipulative robot which only cares about itself and not the needs of human beings. Ava pretends that she genuinely feels for Caleb when she does not. It was just a ploy to make Caleb help her escape from Nathan. In ordinary circumstances, a person is supposed to feel a sense of obligation towards the person who helped him or her out of a murky situation ("Ex Machina (2015) Featurette - The Director").

Primarily, all men and women would be indebted to their saviors. Ava does not care for Caleb even though he has done everything for her. During their sessions, Caleb believes he is developing trust with Ava but this was not so. Ava was simply planning the way she would escape from that house. Tim 21 is different from Ava because he is genuine in everything he does (Nguyen, and Lemire). For instance, he tells the truth about the dream he had thought this was not expected of robots. In addition, he also tells the bot driller killer robot that UGC officials will not harm them and this is true. They come into harm from the squid ship. Also, Tim 21 is a very kind-hearted robot, unlike Ava who left Caleb in the house for dead after she escaped. Tim 21 always responds in a respectful manner whenever he thinks he has wronged. When the good doctor was patching him up, he says sorry to him (Nguyen, and Lemire).

Conclusion

In conclusion, robots with artificial intelligence are both a blessing and a curse o the society. Cyborgs are a blessing because of the many benefits they offer to the individuals and society as a whole. The robots make processes which are normally long and tedious to be very simple. For instance, the process of getting an identification card is usually complex but with artificial intelligence, this process is made simple. In the film the Ex Machina, Caleb is astonished by how fast he gets his ID straight after his photo was taken by a computerized door. The machines become a liability to the community when they become unresponsive to the instructions of their creators. The machines may also adapt to tier surroundings and start making their own decisions. When these things start to happen, human beings should be very cautious because the effects may be catastrophic ("Humans Versus Artificial Intelligence"10). In the comic book the Descender, the robots went rogue and destroyed the civilization. Another example of the negative effects of artificial intelligence is how Ava manipulates and lies to Caleb and Nathan. She manipulates them so that she can flee from the house (Muller 298).

Works Cited

"Ex Machina (2015) Featurette - The Director". Youtube, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WATnWfUELvI. Accessed 19 Nov 2018.

Lemire, Jeff, and Dustin Nguyen. Descender, Vol. 1 : Tin Stars. Image Comics, 2015, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25546167-descender-vol-1. Accessed 19 Nov 2018.

Nguyen, Dustin, and Jeff Lemire. Descender. 1st ed., Image Comics, 2015, https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Descender/Issue-4?id=13833. Accessed 19 Nov 2018.

Muller, Vincent C. "Risks Of General Artificial Intelligence". Journal Of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence, vol 26, no. 3, 2014, pp. 297-301. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/0952813x.2014.895110. Accessed 19 Nov 2018.

Zhou, Jifan, and Mowei Shen. "When Human Intelligence Meets Artificial Intelligence". Psych Journal, vol 7, no. 3, 2018, pp. 156-157. Wiley, doi:10.1002/pchj.216.