Ex Machina (film)

Ex Machina is a 2014 science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland in his directorial debut. The film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, and Oscar Isaac. It follows Caleb Smith (Gleeson), a programmer at a large internet company, who wins a contest to spend a week at the private mountain estate of Nathan Bateman (Isaac), the company's CEO.

Caleb discovers that Nathan has created Ava (Vikander), a humanoid robot with artificial intelligence. Caleb's task is to evaluate Ava's capabilities and determine whether she is truly capable of independent thought and consciousness. As Caleb interacts with Ava, he becomes increasingly attracted to her and begins to question Nathan's motives and the nature of Ava's creation. He suspects that Nathan is not being entirely truthful about Ava's purpose and the true extent of her abilities.

The film explores themes of artificial intelligence, consciousness, free will, sexuality, manipulation, and the ethics of creating intelligent machines. It examines the potential dangers and moral implications of developing AI that surpasses human intelligence and the complex relationship between creator and creation.

Ex Machina received critical acclaim for its writing, directing, acting, visual effects, and thought-provoking themes. It won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The film is known for its philosophical depth and its exploration of the complex ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence and its potential impact on humanity.