AI researcher Sasha Luccioni has said that Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller Ex Machina depicts multiple technological inaccuracies, despite holding a 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2015 movie directed by Garland sees young programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) win a contest to stay a week with Nathan Bateman (Oscar Issac), the CEO of the search engine company he works for. Soon, however, he learns he’s been chosen to help determine the capabilities of Nathan’s AI robot Ava (Alicia Vikander). The film garnered high critical praise, later winning Best Visual Effects and getting nominated for Best Screenplay at the Oscars.
Speaking with Insider on their series How Real Is It?, Luccioni discussed the technological inaccuracies of Ex Machina, despite its critical praise. Starting at 9:00, the AI expert explains how Nathan hacking everyone’s cellphone data would be almost impossible, even at his level in his company. Luccioni also explains how Ava’s ability to detect lies and emotions would be difficult to do, as she couldn’t read his mind. Check out the video and what Luccioni had to say below:
Getting everyone’s cellphone data would be a really hard hack to do. So I would hope that our data is more, well, is better protected than that, let’s say. But of course, I mean, you do hear of cases of microphones being switched on when someone’s phone is on.
So there are AIs that are purported to detect if people are lying and to detect their emotions. The only one I would trust to a certain extent, would be things like lie-detector tests, which already exist, but that really are based on heartbeats and how stressed people are getting really in the physiological sense, like how stressed our body is becoming. But anything that’s based on just video, for example, of someone talking into a camera, I really wouldn’t trust that. For example, if it was trained on Caleb’s data, it could tell that Caleb is lying, but it couldn’t tell, and couldn’t read his mind essentially. In that case, you need, like, direct access to someone’s brain. I would rate this a 4 [out of 10], because the whole consciousness aspect, and the aspect of detecting a lie just based on…a single-word answer, is really hard to believe.
What A Lack Of Technological Realism Means For Ex Machina
The Movie Is Still Memorable Despite The Liberties It Takes
Luccioni’s low rating for the AI-based movie’s realistic qualities somewhat detracts from the movie’s premise, since, despite recent developments in the field, nothing like Garland’s movie could feasibly happen. While movies like Ex Machina, such as M3GAN, preach the dangers of relying on technology and AI becoming too self-aware, it calls into question how realistic such premises are. Even though AI developments could result in more human-like technology as time progresses, hacking the world’s cellphone network and having a robot predict emotions may be too unbelievable for reality.
However, the biggest focus of Garland’s movie is its theme of technology going too far, evident by Ex Machina ending with Ava blending in with human society. The film focuses on the idea that AI will become part of society in major ways, something that can’t be stopped due to the continuous development it will go through in different sectors of the tech industry. Even though the premise itself takes liberties with how such technology can be developed, the themes are bolstered by this extreme take on how an AI robot could develop.
In addition to its Oscar win and nomination, Ex Machina was nominated for five awards at the British Academy Film Awards, while Vikander was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes.
Our Take On Ex Machina’s Technological Inaccuracies
It Widens The Gap Between Reality & Fiction
Although it’s disappointing that Ex Machina isn’t as grounded in reality as its presentation makes it out to be, it doesn’t detract from the terror of the movie’s premise. Even though AI can’t do what Ava does, the movie’s balance between misguided progress, what it means to be human, and the price of technological advancement make it a complex, memorable part of Garland’s career. It’s also slightly relieving to know AI likely won’t progress so far in some time, and not in the way the movie depicts.
Source: Insider/YouTube
