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.
We will keep this list updated as new works arrive. Tell us what we missed; reader suggestions have shaped many of our past lists.
Why it matters now
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.
- Best for discussion with friends
- The classic everyone cites
- Best for a long weekend
- Best for younger audiences
If you liked this
If you only have one evening, start with the first pick. If you have a weekend, work through the list in order; each one builds on the ideas of the last.
The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.
Edsger W. Dijkstra
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.
Our picks
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.
For younger readers and viewers, several of these picks make a good starting point for conversations about technology, privacy and fairness at home or in the classroom.
