Stories about artificial intelligence are older than computers. They have always been less about machines than about us: our fears of being replaced, our hopes of being understood, our questions about what makes a person.
Critics have long argued about whether science fiction shapes technology or simply reflects it. The honest answer is probably both, and these works are a good place to see that in action.
What it gets right
Creators are also using AI as a tool, not just a subject. That raises its own questions about credit, payment and what we value in a work of art.
- Best for a long weekend
- Best for younger audiences
- The classic everyone cites
- Best for discussion with friends
Where to start
What has changed is that audiences now have their own experience of talking to a machine. A scene that felt like pure fantasy ten years ago can now feel uncomfortably familiar.
