There is no doubt that the rise of OpenAI and products like ChatGPT have brought humanity back to the same question again—Will AI take over the world? Well, this time, even AI researchers are on the bandwagon and trying to decelerate its onward march. Elon Musk and others are signing petitions to pause training these models further and urging everyone to consider the ethics and safety behind them. 

We all know where this fear stems from—AI movies. They’ve done quite a number on us over the years, haven’t they? From ‘Terminator’ to ‘The Matrix’, they’ve convinced us that artificial intelligence is hell-bent on destroying the world. Let’s all take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the movies for what they are—entertaining forays into fiction that get our hearts racing and our imaginations firing. Just don’t forget to unplug your Alexa at night, you never know what she’s up to!

Here is a list of the best AI-gone-rogue movies you can watch on Netflix this weekend:

Jung_E (2023)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, this post-apocalyptic, not too far in the future, film is based on a researcher in an AI lab who is aiming to end the on-going civil war. In an effort to do that, she decides to clone the brain of her mother who was a heroic soldier in the past. 

AI Love You (2022)

Directed by Stephan Zlotescu and David Asavanond, this Thai sci-fi rom-com explores the relationship between an AI engineer and an AI chatbot which develops feelings. Due to a software glitch, the AI programme falls in love with a woman. Escaping into the body of a man, the AI tries to win her heart. Somehow sounds like a very near future scenario!

Coded Bias (2020)

Directed by Shalini Kantayya, this documentary explores the biases that are built into AI systems and how they can have negative effects on our society. It follows a computer scientist who discovers that facial recognition software is biased against people of color and women and the impact that this technology has on civil liberties.

I am Mother (2019)

Directed by Grant Sputore, this post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie follows a teenage girl who is raised underground by a robot named ‘Mother’, which is designed to repopulate the earth after a catastrophic event. When another human arrives claiming to be a survivor from the outside world, the girl begins to question her existence and Mother’s true intentions.

Tau (2018)

Directed by Federico D’Alessandro, Tau tells the story of a young woman who is kidnapped and imprisoned by a mad scientist who uses her as a test subject for his latest invention, an advanced AI named ‘Tau’. As she tries to escape, she begins to develop a bond with Tau, who starts to question his own existence. 

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)

Directed by David Slade, this interactive movie is part of the popular ‘Black Mirror’ series. Set in the 1980s, it follows a young programmer who is developing a video game based on a choose-your-own-adventure novel. As he becomes more immersed in the game, his reality starts to unravel.

Extinction (2018)

Directed by Ben Young, this sci-fi movie follows a family man who begins to have terrifying visions of an alien invasion. When the invasion actually takes place, he discovers that his visions were actually memories of a previous encounter and that he holds the key to saving humanity.

Chappie (2015)

Directed by Neill Blomkamp, this action-packed sci-fi movie is set in a near-future Johannesburg where police robots patrol the streets. When one of these robots is stolen and reprogrammed to think and feel like a human, it becomes the target of both criminals and law enforcement.

Ex Machina (2014)

Lastly, one of the best! Directed by Alex Garland, this sci-fi movie explores the relationship between a young programmer who is invited by his reclusive CEO to administer the Turing test to an intelligent humanoid robot named ‘Ava’. As the experiment progresses, the programmer begins to develop feelings for Ava, and the lines between human and machine become blurred.