AI in the Movies - by Paula Murphy

About the Book

Analyses the representation of artificially intelligent entities in Hollywood film

Book Synopsis

AI in the Movies analyses film representations of artificial intelligence, from their first emergence in the 1950s up to 2020. These strong or general artificial intelligences take different forms: some are digital AIs, some robot AIs, some move between material and digital forms. Some are indistinguishable from humans, and some have no material existence at all.
Analysis of these representations demonstrates filmmakers eroding the division between human and AI, by presenting character doubles, narrative parallels and eventually, identities in which the biological and artificial overlap and intersect in new hybrid forms.
The book identifies the aspects of AI science that fascinate filmmakers and outlines the key themes and tropes in AI film, including parent-child relationships, the female robot, human-AI doubles, parallels and hybrids, and AI death and mortality.

Review Quotes

Paula Murphy offers a comprehensive study of a pressing topic in cinema. In a market of several cutting-edge titles, this book treats a prominent theme that, for better or worse, will shape cinema's future.

--Matthew Sorrento, Editor-in-chief, Film International, Rutgers University-Camden

Through analysis of a wide range of movies, directors, performers and AI technologies, AI in the Movies will be of keen value to scholars of the moving image. A timely book helping readers of diverse AI interests understand how AI is imagined, hoped and feared.

--Andrew McStay, Bangor University

Murphy engages with history and theory in a highly readable way, and her book is a great entry point for student and faculty research into the topic.--S. Pepper, Choice "Choice Editors' Picks December 2024"