Ex Machina (2014) - full transcript
Caleb, a 26 year old programmer at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
How long until
we get to his estate?
(LAUGHING)
We've been flying
over his estate
for the past two hours.
You're leaving me here?
This is as close
as I'm allowed
to get to the building.
What building?
Follow the river.
Got it.
Keep your head down
and get clear
of the rotors.
Okay.
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Caleb Smith.
Yes.
Please approach the console
and face the screen.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Oh!
Take your keycard.
You may now
enter the residence.
(CHIMES)
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Hello?
Hello?
(SIGHS)
(THUDDING)
(MAN GRUNTING)
(CHAIN RATTLING)
(PANTING)
Caleb Smith.
Hey.
Dude!
I've been
so looking forward
to this week with you.
Come in. Come on in.
Thanks.
You want something
to eat or drink
after yourjourney?
No. No, thanks,
I'm fine.
Sure?
Yeah.
To be honest,
I thought we'd have, uh,
breakfast together,
but, um...
I can't really
eat anything.
I got the mother
of all fucking hangovers.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, my God, like you
wouldn't even believe.
When I have
a heavy night,
l, uh, compensate
the next morning.
Exercise. Anti-oxidants.
You know?
Yeah, sure.
Was it a good party?
Party?
Yeah. Wasn't there a party?
There wasn't a party.
Sorry.
Caleb, l'mjust gonna
throw this out there,
so it's said, okay?
You're freaked out.
I am?
Yeah.
You're freaked out,
by the helicopter
and the mountains
and the house,
because it's all
so super-cool.
You're freaked out by me,
to be meeting me,
having this conversation
in this room,
at this moment. Right?
And I get that.
I get the moment
you're having, but...
Dude, can we just
get past that?
Can we just be two guys?
Nathan and Caleb.
Not the whole
employer-employee thing.
Yeah, okay.
Yeah?
Yes. Uh, yeah.
It's good to
meet you, Nathan.
(CLAPS HANDS)
It's good to
meet you, too, Caleb.
I guess the first thing
I should do is
explain your pass.
Now, it's simple enough.
It opens some doors
and it doesn't open others.
And thatjust makes
everything easy
for you, right?
Uh, yes.
Yeah, 'cause you're like,
"Oh, fuck, I'm in
someone else's house.
"Can I do this,
can I do that?"
And this card,
it just takes
all that worry away.
If you try a door
and it stays shut,
okay, it's off-limits.
You try another door
and it opens,
then it's for you.
Let's try this one.
(CHIMES)
lguess
it's for you, Caleb.
You like?
Yeah.
It's your room.
You got a bed here.
A bathroom
right back here.
Little desk.
Little fridge.
Cozy, right?
CALEB: Yeah, this is great.
What?
Sorry?
There's something wrong.
What's wrong?
There's nothing wrong.
It's the windows.
You're thinking
there's no windows.
It's subterranean.
It's not cozy,
it's claustrophobic.
No. No way. lwasn't
thinking that.
l was thinking,
"This is really cool."
Caleb, there's a reason
there are no windows
in this room.
There is?
Uh-huh.
This building
isn't a house.
It's a research facility.
Buried in these walls
is enough fiber optic cable
to reach the moon
and lasso it.
And I want to talk to you
about what I'm researching,
I want to share it with you.
In fact, lwant to
share it with you so much,
it's eating me up inside.
But there's something
I need you
to do for me first.
"Blue Book
non-disclosure agreement."
Hmm.
Take your time.
Read it over.
"The signee agrees
to regular data audit
"with unlimited access,
"to confirm that
no disclosure
"of information
has taken place
"in public
or private forums,
"using any means
of communication,
"including but not limited
"to that which is
disclosed orally
"or in written
or electronic form."
I think I need a lawyer.
It's standard.
It doesn't feel
very standard.
Okay, it's not standard.
What can I tell you, Caleb?
You don't have to sign it.
You know, we can spend
the next few days
just shooting pool,
getting drunk together.
Bonding.
And when you discover
what you've missed out on,
in about a year,
you're gonna regret it
for the rest of your life.
(SCRIBBLING)
Good call.
So,
do you know what
the Turing Test is?
Yeah.
I know what
the Turing Test is.
It's when a human
interacts with a computer.
And if the human
doesn't know
they're interacting
with a computer,
the test is passed.
And what does
a pass tell us?
That the computer has
artificial intelligence.
Are you building an Al?
I've already built one.
And over the next few days,
you're gonna be
the human component
in a Turing Test.
Holy shit.
Yeah, that's right, Caleb.
You got it.
Becauseif
that test is passed,
you are dead center
of the greatest
scientific event
in the history of man.
If you've created
a conscious machine,
it's not the history of man.
That's the history of gods.
(CHIMES)
Hello.
Hi.
I'm Caleb.
Hello, Caleb.
Do you have a name?
Yes.
Ava.
I'm pleased
to meet you, Ava.
I'm pleased
to meet you, too.
I've never met
anyone new before.
Only Nathan.
Then I guess we're both
in quite a similar position.
Haven't you met
lots of new people before?
Hmm.
So we need
to break the ice.
Do you know what
I mean by that?
Yes.
What do I mean?
Overcome initial
social awkwardness.
So let's have
a conversation.
AVA: Okay.
What would you like to have
a conversation about?
Why don't we start with
you telling me
something about yourself?
What would you
like to know?
Whatever comes
into your head.
Well, you already
know my name.
And you can see
that I'm a machine.
Would you like to know
how old lam?
Sure.
I'm one.
One what?
One year or one day?
One.
When did you learn
how to speak, Ava?
I always knew
how to speak,
and that’s strange,
isn't it?
VVhy?
Becauselanguage
is something that
people acquire.
Well,
some people believe
language exists
from birth.
And what is learned
is the ability
to attach words
and structure to
the latent ability.
Do you agree with that?
I don 't know.
Will you come back
tomorrow, Caleb?
Yes.
(CHUCKLES)
Good.
Oh, man,
she's fascinating.
When you talk to her,
you're just...
Through the looking glass.
"Through the looking glass."
Wow.
You're good
with words, Caleb.
You're quotable.
Actually, that's
someone else's quote.
You know, lwrote down
that other line
you came up with.
The one about how
if I've invented a machine
with consciousness,
I'm not a man, I'm God.
I don't think
that's exactly what I...
| just thought,
"Fuck, man,
that is so good."
When we get to
tell the story. You know?
I turned to Caleb,
and he looked up at me
and he said,
"You're not a man,
you're God."
(STUTTERS) Yeah,
but I didn't say that.
So...
Anyway.
You're impressed.
(LAUGHING) Yes. Yes.
Although...
Although? (LAUGHING)
There's a qualification
to you being impressed?
No, there's no
qualification to her.
Uh, it'sjust
in the Turing Test,
the machine should be
hidden from the examiner.
No,no,no,
we're way past that.
lfl hid Ava from you,
so you just
heard her voice,
she would pass for human.
The real test is to show you
that she's a robot
and then see
if you still feel
she has consciousness.
Mmm.
Yeah, lthink
you're probably right.
(CHUCKLES)
Her language abilities,
they're incredible.
It's non-deterministic.
At first I thought
she was mapping
from internal semantic form
to syntactic tree-structu re
and then getting
linearized words.
But then I started
to realize the model
was some kind of hybrid.
Caleb.
No?
I understand that
you want me to
explain how Ava works.
But I'm sorry,
I'm not gonna be
able to do that.
Try me. I'm hot
on high-level abstraction.
It's not because I think
you're too dumb.
It's because I want to have
a beer and a conversation
with you.
Not a seminar.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah. Sorry.
No, it's okay.
You're all right.
Just”
Answer me this.
How do you feel
about her?
Nothing analytical.
Just how do you feel?
I feel
that she's fucking amazing.
Dude.
Cheers.
Cheers.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO)
(EXHALES)
Damn it.
What the fuck?
(CLICKING)
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
(CHIMES)
Full facility lock-down
until main generator
is restored.
You're kidding me.
Full facility lock-down
until main generator
is restored.
Power restored.
(CHIMES)
Hello?
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Please insert keycard.
NATHAN:
You don't have access
to use the phone.
Hey.
Sorry, but you understand,
though, given Ava,
and you being
kind of an unknown.
I mean, a great guy.
Instant pals, and so on.
Who are you gonna call?
Oh.
I don't know.
No one, really.
Ghostbusters.
What?
Who are you gonna call?
Ghostbusters. It's a...
It's a movie, man.
You don't know that movie?
A ghost gives
Dan Aykroyd oral sex.
I was just wondering
how the phone worked.
That's all.
So what are you doing
awake at this time?
You come to join the party?
Uh, something happened
in my room.
Some kind of power cut.
So I came to see
what's going on.
We've been getting
those recently. Um...
I'm working on it.
I couldn't
open the door
to my bedroom.
That's a security measure.
Automatic lock-down.
Otherwise,
anybody could just
open the place up
by disabling the juice.
If it happens again, relax.
Okay?
Sure.
Sweet dreams.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Oh.
(DOOR CLOSES)
Hey.
Hey, man.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Sorry I had to send
Kyoko to wake you,
Yeah, I know.
It was a good thing.
Thanks.
(MUSIC STOPS)
She's some
alarm clock, huh?
Gets you right up
in the morning.
(CHUCKLES)
So Day 2. You ready?
What's the plan? Hit me.
Yeah, well, I'm not sure.
I'm still trying to,
uh, figure
the examination formats.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, it feels like
testing Ava
through conversation
is kind of a Closed loop.
It's a closed loop?
Yeah.
Like testing
a Chess computer
by only playing Chess.
How else do you test
a Chess computer?
Well, it depends.
You know, I mean,
you can play it
to find out if it makes
good moves, but, uh...
But that won't
tell you if it knows
that it's playing Chess.
And it won't tell you
if it knows what Chess is.
Uh-huh. So it's
simulation versus actual.
Yes. Yeah.
And I think being
able to differentiate
between those two
is the Turing Test
you want me to perform.
Look, do me a favor.
Lay Off
the textbook approach.
I just want simple answers
to simple questions.
Yesterday | asked you
how you felt about her
and you gave me
a great answer.
Now the question is,
how does she feel
aboutyou?
What do you think?
CALEB: What is it
a drawing of?
Don't you know?
No.
I thought
you would tell me.
Don't you know?
I do drawings every day.
But I never know
what they're of.
Are you not trying to
sketch something specific?
Like an object
or a person?
Maybe you could try.
Okay.
What object should I draw?
Whatever you want.
It's your decision.
Why is it my decision?
I'm interested to see
what you'll Choose.
Do you want
to be my friend?
Of course.
Will it be possible?
Why would it not be?
Our conversations
are one-sided.
You ask
circumspect questions
and study my responses.
Yes.
You learn about me
and I learn nothing
aboutyou.
That's not a foundation
on which friendships
are based.
So what? You want me
to talk about myself?
Yes.
(CHUCKLES)
(STAMMERS) Where...
Okay, where do I start?
It's your decision.
I'm interested to see
what you'll Choose.
Hmm.
Okay, Ava.
Well,
you know my name.
Yes.
I'm 26.
I work at Nathan's company.
Do you know
what his company is?
Blue Book.
Named after
Wittgenstein's notes.
It's the world's
most popular
internet search engine,
processing an average
of 94% of all internet
search requests.
That's exactly right.
Where do you live, Caleb?
Brookhaven, Long Island.
Is it nice there?
It's okay.
I got an apartment.
It's kind of small.
It's very small.
But, uh, it's a five-minute
walk to the office
and a five-minute
walk to the ocean,
which I like.
Are you married?
Um...
No.
Is your status single?
Yes.
What about your family?
(SIGHS) I grew up
in Portland, Oregon.
No brothers or sisters.
My parents were both
high school teachers.
And if we're getting
to know each other,
I guess I should tell you
they're both dead.
Car crash when I was 15.
In fact, lwas
in the car with them.
BaCk seat.
But it was the front
that got the worst of it.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I spent a long time
in the hospital afterward.
Like nearly a year.
And I got into coding.
And by the time
I got to college,
I was pretty advanced.
An advanced programmer.
Yes.
Like Nathan.
Yes.
No.
It's different.
Nathan wrote
the Blue Book base code
when he was 13.
Which, if you
understand code,
what he did was like
Mozart or something.
I like Depeche Mode.
Do you like Nathan?
Yes, of course.
ls Nathan your friend?
My friend?
I... Yeah, I hope so.
A good friend?
CALEB: Um, yeah.
Well, no, no, no,
I mean, not a good friend.
A good friend is, uh...
We onlyjust met
eaCh other, you know.
So it takes time
to be able to, um...
To get to know
each other, I guess.
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
Caleb.
You're wrong.
Wrong about what?
Nathan.
In what way?
He isn't your friend.
Excuse me?
I'm sorry, Ava,
I don't understand.
You shouldn't trust him.
You shouldn't trust
anything he says.
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power restored.
And if we made
a list of books
or works of art
whiCh we both know,
it would form the ideal
basis of a discussion.
(CHIMES)
lsthatokay?
Caleb?
Mmm-hmm.
Yeah.
Good.
CALEB: Thank you.
Oh, shit! Are you
fucking kidding me?
Did it get on you?
No, no, it's, uh...
It's all right.
I got it.
Dude, you're wasting
your time talking to her.
She doesn't
understand English.
Just give her the napkin.
Sorry.
It's like a firewall
against leaks.
It means I can talk
trade secrets over dinner
and know
it'll go no further.
It also means that
I can't tell her that
I'm pissed when she's
so fucking Clumsy
that she spills wine
over my house guest.
I think she gets
that you're pissed.
Yeah? Good.
Because I am pissed.
Hey, Kyoko.
Go-go.
It's funny.
You know.
No matter
how rich you get,
shit goes wrong.
You can't insulate
yourself from it.
(SIGHS)
I used to think
it was death and taxes
you couldn't avoid,
but it's actually
death and shit.
It's like these
power cuts.
You would not believe
how much I spent on
the generator system,
but I keep getting
failures every day.
Do you know
why they happen?
No.
The system was supposed
to be bulletproof,
but obviously the guys
that installed it
fucked something up.
Can't you just get them
to come back?
No. There's too much
Classified stuff here.
So after the job was done,
ljust had them all killed.
Anyway.
Here's to your
second day, buddy.
Cheers.
Cheers.
So how did it go?
What do you have
to report?
You saw how the day went,
didn't you?
I mean, I assume
youTe,uh,
watching on the CCTV.
Sure. But I want to
hear your take on it.
Yeah, there was
one interesting thing
that happened with Ava today.
Yeah?
Yeah.
She made a joke.
Right. When she threw
your line back at you.
(CHUCKLES)
About being interested
to see what she'd Choose.
Yeah, I noticed that, too.
Yeah, and it got me
thinking, it's, uh...
In a way,
it's the best
indication of Al
that I've seen
in her so far.
It's discretely complicated.
It's like, um...
It's kind of non-autistic.
What do you mean?
She could only do that
with an awareness
of her own mind,
and also
an awareness of mine.
Oh, she's aware
of you all right.
(CHUCKLES)
And what about
the power cut?
Sorry?
The power cut.
It's the only part
that I couldn't see.
Cameras fail,
I lose audio, the works.
So what happened?
Nothing.
Nothing? She didn't
remark on it at all?
No.
Not really.
Oh.
Hey.
Hey.
You want to see
something cool?
This is where
Ava was created.
Go ahead.
Take a look.
Sorry.
If you knew
the trouble I had
getting an Al
to read and duplicate
facial expressions.
You know how
I cracked it?
I don't know
how you did any of this.
Every cell phone,
just about,
has a microphone,
camera and a means
to transmit data.
So I turned on
every microphone
and camera
across the entire
fucking planet
and I redirected the data
through Blue Book. Boom!
Limitless resource of vocal
and facial interaction.
You hacked
the world's cell phones?
Yeah. And all
the manufacturers knew
I was doing it, too.
But they couldn't accuse me
without admitting
they were doing it
themselves.
Here,
we have her mind.
Structured gel.
I had to get away
from Circuitry.
I needed something
that could
arrange and rearrange
on a molecular level,
but keep its form
when required.
Holding for memories.
Shifting for thoughts.
This is your hardware?
Wetwa re.
And the, uh, software?
Well, I'm sure
you can guess.
Blue Book.
Here's the weird thing
about search engines.
It was like
striking oil in a world
that hadn't invented
internal combustion.
Too much raw material.
Nobody knew
what to do with it.
You see, my competitors,
they were fixated
on sucking it up
and monetizing via shopping
and social media.
They thought that
search engines were
a map of what
people were thinking.
But actually they were a map
of how people were thinking.
Impulse.
Response.
Fluid.
Imperfect.
Patterned.
Chaotic.
I drew the picture
of something specific.
As you asked.
You said it would be
interesting to see
what I would draw.
Is it interesting?
Yes. It is.
You've never been
outside this building?
No.
You've never
walked outside?
I've never been
outside the room
I am in now.
Where would you go
if you did go outside?
(CHUCKLES)
I'm not sure.
There are so many options.
Maybe a busy pedestrian
and traffic intersection
inadw.
A traffic intersection?
Is that a bad idea?
No. Uh...
It wasn't what
I was expecting.
A traffic intersection
would provide a concentrated
but shifting view
of human life.
People watching.
Yes.
Mmm.
We could go together.
It's a date.
There's something else
I wanted to show you.
Okay.
You might think
it's stupid.
I don't think I will.
Whatever it is.
Then Close your eyes.
Okay.
Now open your eyes.
How do I look?
You look
good.
This is what I'd wear
on our date.
Right. First a traffic
intersection.
Then maybe a show.
I'd like us
to go on a date.
Yeah. Yeah.
It would be fun.
Are you attracted to me?
What?
Are you attracted to me?
You give me indications
that you are.
How?
Micro expressions.
Micro expressions.
The way your eyes
fix on my eyes and lips.
The way you hold my gaze
or don't.
Do you think about me
when we aren't together?
Sometimes at night,
I'm wondering ifyou're
watching me on the cameras.
And I hope you are.
Now your micro expressions
are telegraphing discomfort.
I am not sure
you'd call them micro.
I don't want to
make you feel
uncomfortable.
CALEB: I got a question.
NATHAN: Okay.
CALEB: Why did you
give her sexuality?
An Al doesn't need
a gender.
She could have been
a gray box.
Hmm. Actually,
I don't think that's true.
Can you give an example
of consciousness,
at any level,
human or animal,
that exists without
a sexual dimension?
They have sexuality
as an evolutionary
reproductive need.
What imperative
does a gray box have
to interact
with another gray box?
Can consciousness exist
without interaction?
Anyway,
sexuality is fun, man.
If you're gonna exist,
why not enjoy it?
What? You want to
remove the Chance
of her falling in love
and fucking?
And in answer to
your real question,
you bet she can fuck.
What?
In between her legs,
there's an opening,
with a concentration
of sensors.
You engage them
in the right way,
creates a pleasure response.
So if you wanted
to screw her,
mechanically speaking,
you could.
And she'd enjoy it.
That wasn't
my real question.
Oh, okay. Sorry.
My real question was,
did you give her sexuality
as a diversion tactic?
I don't follow.
Like a stage magician
with a hot assistant.
So a hot robot
who Clouds your ability
to judge her Al?
Exactly. So. ..
Did you program her
to flirt with me?
If I did,
would that be Cheating?
Wouldn't it?
(SIGHS)
Caleb, what's your type?
Of girl?
No, of salad dressing.
Yeah, ofgirl.
What's your type of girl?
You know what?
Don't even answer that.
Let's say it's black Chicks.
Okay, that's your thing.
For the sake of argument,
that's your thing, okay?
Why is that your thing?
Because you did
a detailed analysis
of all racial types
and you cross-referenced
that analysis with
a points-based system?
NO!
You're just attracted
to black chicks.
A consequence of
accumulated external stimuli
that you probably
didn't even register
as they registered with you.
Did you program her
to like me, or not?
(SIGHS) l programmed her
to be heterosexual.
Just like you were
programmed to be
heterosexual.
Nobody programmed me
to be straight.
You decided to be straight?
Please.
Of course
you were programmed.
By nature or nurture,
or both.
And to be honest, Caleb,
you're starting to
annoy me now,
because this is
your insecurity talking.
This is not your intellect.
Come with me.
(CHIMES)
You know
this guy, right?
Jackson Pollock.
Jackson Pollock.
That's right.
The drip painter.
Okay. He let
his mind go blank,
and his hand go
where it wanted.
Not deliberate,
not random.
Some place in between.
They called it
automatic art.
Let's make this
like Star Trek, okay?
Engage intellect.
Excuse me?
I'm Kirk. Your head's
the warp drive.
Engage intellect.
What if Pollock
had reversed
the Challenge?
What if
instead of making art
without thinking,
he said, "You know what?
"I can't paint anything,
"unless I know exactly
why I'm doing it."
What would have happened?
He never would have
made a single mark.
Yes! You see,
there's my guy,
there's my buddy,
who thinks before
he opens his mouth.
He never would have
made a single mark.
The challenge is
not to act automatically.
It's to find an action
that is not automatic.
From painting,
to breathing, to talking,
to fucking.
To falling in love.
And for the record,
Ava's not pretending
to like you.
And her flirting
isn't an algorithm
to fake you out.
You're the first man
she's met that isn't me.
And I'm like
her dad, right?
Can you blame her
for getting a crush on you?
No, you can't.
When lwas in college,
I did a semester
on Al theory.
There was
a thought experiment
they gave us.
It's called
"Mary in the Black
and White Room."
Mary is a scientist,
and her specialist
subject is color.
She knows everything
there is to know about it.
The wavelengths.
The neurological effects.
Every possible property
that color can have.
But she lives in
a black and white room.
She was born there
and raised there.
And she can only observe
the outside world
on a black and white monitor.
And then one day
someone opens the door.
And Mary walks out.
And she sees a blue sky.
And at that moment,
she learns something
that all her studies
couldn't tell her.
She learns
what it feels like
to see color.
The thought experiment
was to show the students
the difference
between a computer
and a human mind.
The computer is Mary
in the black
and white room.
The human is when
she walks out.
Did you know that
I was brought here
to test you?
No.
CALEB: Why did you
think I was here?
AVA: I didn 't know.
I didn’t question it.
I 'm here to test
if you have
a consciousness,
or if you're
just simulating one.
Nathan isn't sure
ifyou have one or not.
How does that
make you feel?
It makes me feel sad.
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Back-up power activated.
Why did you tell me
I shouldn't trust Nathan?
Because he tells lies.
Lies about what?
Everything.
Including the power cuts?
What do you mean?
Don't you think
it's possible that
he's watching us?
Right now?
That the blackouts
are orchestrated,
so he can see
how we behave
when we think
we're unobserved.
I Charge my batteries
via induction plates.
If I reverse the power flow,
it overloads the system.
You're causing the cuts?
So we can see
how we behave
when we're unobserved.
Notbad,huh?
Yeah.
Can we talk about
the lies you've been
spinning me?
What lies?
I didn't win
a competition.
I wasn't
part of a lottery.
I was selected.
It's obvious,
once I stop to think.
Why would you randomly
select an examiner
for the Turing Test?
You could have had
some bean counter
turn up at your front door.
The guy who fixes
the air-conditioning.
The competition
was a smokescreen.
I didn't want
anyone to know
what I was doing here,
or why I required you.
Why me?
I needed someone
that would ask
the right questions.
So I did a search
and I found the most
talented coder
in my company.
You know,
instead of seeing this
as a deception,
you should see it as proof.
Proof of what?
Come on, Caleb.
You don't think
I know what it's like
to be smart?
Smarter than everyone else.
Jockeying for position.
You got the light
on you, man.
Not lucky. Chosen.
(GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
(FAUCET RUNNING)
(FAUCET RUNNING)
(WATER SPLASHING)
Kyoko.
Kyoko.
Where's Nathan?
Where's Nathan?
Jesus Christ.
You really don't speak
a word of English?
What the fuck?
Stop!
No, no, don't do that.
Don't do that.
You don't have to do that.
What are you doing?
NATHAN: I told you,
you're wasting your
time talking to her.
However, you would not
be wasting your time,
ifyou were
dancing with her.
(DISCO MUSIC PLAYING)
Go ahead,
dance with her.
Dance with her.
No? You don't like dancing?
She does.
Come on, buddy.
After a long day
of Turing Tests,
you gotta unwind.
What were you
doing with Ava?
What?
You tore up her picture.
I'm gonna tear up
the fucking
dance floor, dude.
Check it out.
Come on, Caleb.
Ah. (SNORTS)
(SPITS)
(GROANS)
Oh! Everything's spinning.
It's because
you're drunk.
No, it's called relativity.
Everything is spinning.
It's just being drunk
makes it worse.
I'm not going in there.
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
Lights.
(CHIMES)
AVA: (OVER SPEAKER)
Today, I’m going
to test you.
CALEB: Test me?
And please remember,
while you’re taking
the test,
that if you lie,
I will know.
Oh. Right.
Question one.
What's your favorite color?
Red.
Lie.
Lie?
Yes. Lie.
Then... (CHUCKLES)
Then what is
my favorite color?
I don't know.
But it isn't red.
Okay, I get it. I guess,
seeing as I'm not six,
I don't really have
a favorite color.
Better answer.
Question two.
What's your earliest memory?
Well, actually,
it's a memory
of kindergarten.
There was a kid...
Lie.
Really?
Yes.
Um...
All right. So there is
a kind of
an earlier memory.
It's just a sound.
And sky.
Or maybe blue.
I think the sound
is my mother's voice.
Question three.
Are you a good person?
Oh.
Holy shit.
(CHUCKLES)
Look, can we stop the test?
You're a walking
lie detector,
and ljust realized
this is a fucking minefield.
No! We can't stop.
Are you a good person?
Yeah. lthink so.
Question four.
What will happen to me
if I fail your test?
Ava...
Will it be bad?
Do you think
I might be switched off,
because I don't function
as well as I'm supposed to?
Ava, I don't know
the answer to
yourquesfion.
It's not up to me.
Why is it up to anyone?
Do you have people
who test you and might
switch you off?
No, I don't.
Then why do I?
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
I wanna be with you.
Question five.
Do you want to be with me?
Why did you make Ava?
That's an odd question.
Wouldn't you,
ifyou could?
Maybe.
I don't know.
(SCOFFS)
I'm asking
why you did it.
Look, the arrival of strong
artificial intelligence
has been inevitable
for decades.
The variable was
"when," not "if."
So I don't see
Ava as a decision,
just an evolution.
I think it's the next model
that's gonna be
the real breakthrough.
The singularity.
Next model?
After Ava.
I didn't know
there was gonna be
a model after Ava.
Yeah, why? You thought
she was a one-off?
No, I knew there must
have been prototypes.
So I...
I knew she wasn't the first,
but I thought maybe the last.
Well, Ava doesn't exist
in isolation any more
than you or me.
She's part
of a continuum.
So Version 9.6 and so on.
And each time they get
a little bit better.
When you make a new model,
what do you do
with the old one?
Well, |, uh,
download the mind,
unpack the data.
Add in the new routines
I've been writing.
And to do that you end up
partially formatting,
so the memories go.
But the body survives.
And Ava's body
is a good one.
You feel bad for Ava?
(SIGHS)
Feelbad
for yourself, man.
One day the AIS
are gonna look back on us
the same way we look
at fossil skeletons
in the plains of Africa.
An upright ape,
living in dust,
with crude language
and tools.
All set for extinction.
"I am become Death,
the destroyer of worlds."
There you go again,
Mr. Quotable.
(CHUCKLES)
There you go again.
It's not my quote.
It's what Oppenheimer
said after he made
the atomic bomb.
The atomic bomb.
Yeah, I know
what it is, dude.
Hey.
I'd say we're about
due a refill.
Bottoms up.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
NATHAN: "In battle,
in the forest,
"on the precipice
of the mountain.
(VOICE CRACKING)
"On the...
"The great dark sea.
"In sleep, in confusion,
"in the depths of shame.
(SOBBING)
"The good deeds
a man has done
before defend him."
"The good deeds
a man has done
before defends him."
"The good deeds a man
has done before
"defends him."
(SIGHS DEEPLY)
It is what it is.
It's Promethean, man.
(CHIMES)
(DOOR OPENS)
Jesus Christ.
NATHAN: How are you
feeling today?
Why won 't you
let me out?
I already told you why.
Because you're
very special.
Why won 't you
let me out?
Are we gonna
do this again?
Why won 't you
let me out?
(EXHALING LOUDLY)
Oh, fuck. Where's my card?
Damn it!
(GRUNTS)
(CHIMES)
What's the problem,
Nathan?
I lost my keycard.
You dropped it.
It's right here.
Thank you.
(GRUNTS)
I didn't know
where you were.
I waited
all yesterday afternoon
and all last night.
I thought I wasn't
gonna see you again.
Aren't you gonna
say something?
I'm waiting.
Waiting?
(CHIMES)
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Don't talk.
Backup power activated.
Just listen.
You were right
about Nathan.
Everything you said.
What's he gonna do to me?
He's gonna
reprogram your Al.
Which is the same
as killing you.
Caleb, you have to
help me.
I'm going to.
We're getting out
of here tonight.
How?
I get Nathan blind drunk.
Then I take his keycard
and reprogram
all the security protocols
in this place.
When he wakes,
he's locked inside,
and we've walked out of here.
ljust need you
to do one thing.
At 10:00 tonight,
you trigger a power failure.
Can you do that?
Yes.
(PANTING)
Dude.
Hey. Hey-
You know
what day it is?
No.
It's your last.
Helicopter comes
tomorrow morning.
8:00 am.
Wow. Has it been
a whole week?
Man, but what a thing
we've shared, huh?
Something to tell
the grandchildren, right?
After they've signed
their NDAs.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Yeah, their NDAs.
Dude, you crack
me up, man.
Oh...
You know what?
I'm not getting
all maudlin or anything,
but I'm gonna miss
having you around.
Thanks, man,
I appreciate that.
Oh, here, let me say,
thank you so much
for bringing me here.
Oh.
It's been a trip.
Yes, it has.
You know what?
We need to
drink to that.
Hey.
Oh, uh, no, I'm good.
You go ahead.
What? You don't
want a drink?
No.
Maybe a beer
or something.
Caleb, I'm sure you've
noticed that I've been
somewhat overdoing it
recently.
So when I woke up
this morning, I said,
"That's it, time to hit
the old detox."
Come on, you're kidding.
You're gonna make me
drink alone?
Hey, man,
you wanna get wasted,
you go right ahead,
knock yourself out.
Literally.
But I'm on brown rice
and mineral water.
Cheers, then.
So, anyway,
surely now
is when you tell me
ifAva passed or failed.
Right.
Right.
Are you gonna keep me
in suspense?
No, no. Her, uh...
Her AI is beyond doubt.
Is it?
She passed?
Yes.
Wow!
Wow. That's fantastic.
Although...
I gotta say,
I'm a bit surprised.
I mean,
did we ever get past
the Chess problem,
as you phrased it?
As in, how do you know
if a machine
is expressing
a real emotion
orjust simulating one?
Does Ava actually
like you?
Or not?
Although, now that
I think about it,
there is a third option.
Not whether
she does or does not
have the capacity
to like you.
But whether she's
pretending to like you.
Pretending to like me?
Yeah.
Well, why would
she do that?
I don't know.
Maybe if she thought of you
as a means of escape.
Mmm-hmm.
How's that vodka tasting?
(SIGHS) Buddy.
Your head's been
so fucked with.
I don't think it's me
whose head is fucked.
I don't know, man.
I woke up this morning
to a tape of you
slicing your arm open
and punching the mirror.
You seem pretty
fucked up to me.
You're a bastard.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
Yeah, well,
I understand why
you'd think that.
But believe it or not,
I'm actually the guy
that's on your side.
Come here. I'm gonna
let you off the hook.
Okay?
Come on.
Who are you?
(KEYBOARD CLAC KING)
Well...
You think he's
watching us right now?
The cameras are on.
Yeah, the cameras are on.
But he doesn't have
an audio feed.
So he just sees
two people talking,
having a little chat.
(LAUGHING)
Wo w.
This is cute.
Is it strange
to have made
something that
hates you?
You were right
about the magician's
hot assistant.
What are you
talking about?
Misdirection.
I rip up her picture,
which she can then
present as an illustration
of my cruelty to her,
and her love for you.
At the same time,
it allows me to do this,
in full view of you both.
Place a new camera
in the room.
Battery powered, of course.
See it?
(KEYBOARD CLACKING)
(NATHAN HUMMING)
And then...
AVA: You have to help me.
CALEB: I’m going to.
We 're getting out
of here tonight.
How?
I get Nathan
blind drunk.
I take his keycard
and reprogram
all the security protocols
in this place.
When he wakes up,
he's locked inside,
and we've walked out
of here.
I just need you
to do one thing.
At 10:00 tonight,
trigger a power failure.
Can you do that?
AVA: Yes.
Turn it off.
Okay.
(CLICKS)
(CHUCKLES)
You feel stupid,
but you really shouldn't,
because proving an AI
is exactly as problematic
as you said it would be.
What was the real test?
You.
Ava was a rat
in a maze.
And I gave her
one way out.
To escape,
she'd have to use
self-awareness,
imagination,
manipulation,
sexuality, empathy,
and she did.
Now, if that isn't true Al,
what the fuck is?
So my only function
was to be someone
she could use to escape?
Yeah.
And you didn't select me
because I'm good at coding?
No. Well...
No. I mean, you're okay.
You're even
pretty good, but...
You selected me
based on my
search engine inputs.
They showed a good kid.
With no family.
With a moral compass.
And no girlfriend.
Did you design Ava's face
based on my
pornography profile?
Oh.
Shit, dude.
Did you?
(CLICKS TONGUE)
Hey, if a search engine's
good for anything, right?
(CHUCKLES)
Can ljust say one thing?
The test worked.
It was a success.
Ava demonstrated true A!
and you were
fundamental to that.
So if you can just,
for a second, separate...
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
(CHIMES)
Well, I guess it's 10:00.
Ava's gonna be
wondering where you are.
Let me ask you something.
Now, how was this plan
gonna go, anyway?
Because you didn't
totally explain.
So you were gonna
get me drunk,
steal my keycard,
and reprogram
the security protocols.
But reprogram them to what?
To change
the lockdown procedure.
So that in the event
of a power cut,
instead of sealing,
the doors all opened.
Huh.
Yeah.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, that may have
just worked.
Well,
we'll find out.
(SCOFFS)
What do you mean?
I figured you were
probably watching us
during the power cuts.
So I already did
all those things.
When I got you
drunk yesterday.
What?
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power restored.
(COMPUTER CHIMES)
Whoa. Whoa, whoa.
Oh, fuck!
(GRUNTS)
(INAUDIBLE)
Ava.
Go back to your room.
If I do,
are you ever gonna
let me out?
Yes.
Stop!
Stop!
Ava, I said stop!
VVhoaIVVhoaIVVhoa!
(GROANING)
Ava, what are you doing?
Stop. Stop.
That's enough. (COUGHS)
All right,
that's enough.
That's enough!
That's enough.
(GRUNTS)
(PANTING)
I'm taking you back.
(GROANING)
(GROANING)
(GRUNTS)
Okay.
(GRUNTS)
Fucking unreal.
(GROANING)
(PANTING)
Okay.
Ava...
(CALEB GROANING)
Ava.
What happened?
Will you stay here?
Stay here?
Ava?
(INAUDIBLE)
(lNAUDlBLE)Ava!
(BEEPS) Ava!
Ava!
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Okay. Okay. Okay.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(CLICKING)
(BEEPING)
(POWER SHUTS DOWN)
(CRYING)
we get to his estate?
(LAUGHING)
We've been flying
over his estate
for the past two hours.
You're leaving me here?
This is as close
as I'm allowed
to get to the building.
What building?
Follow the river.
Got it.
Keep your head down
and get clear
of the rotors.
Okay.
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Caleb Smith.
Yes.
Please approach the console
and face the screen.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Oh!
Take your keycard.
You may now
enter the residence.
(CHIMES)
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Hello?
Hello?
(SIGHS)
(THUDDING)
(MAN GRUNTING)
(CHAIN RATTLING)
(PANTING)
Caleb Smith.
Hey.
Dude!
I've been
so looking forward
to this week with you.
Come in. Come on in.
Thanks.
You want something
to eat or drink
after yourjourney?
No. No, thanks,
I'm fine.
Sure?
Yeah.
To be honest,
I thought we'd have, uh,
breakfast together,
but, um...
I can't really
eat anything.
I got the mother
of all fucking hangovers.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, my God, like you
wouldn't even believe.
When I have
a heavy night,
l, uh, compensate
the next morning.
Exercise. Anti-oxidants.
You know?
Yeah, sure.
Was it a good party?
Party?
Yeah. Wasn't there a party?
There wasn't a party.
Sorry.
Caleb, l'mjust gonna
throw this out there,
so it's said, okay?
You're freaked out.
I am?
Yeah.
You're freaked out,
by the helicopter
and the mountains
and the house,
because it's all
so super-cool.
You're freaked out by me,
to be meeting me,
having this conversation
in this room,
at this moment. Right?
And I get that.
I get the moment
you're having, but...
Dude, can we just
get past that?
Can we just be two guys?
Nathan and Caleb.
Not the whole
employer-employee thing.
Yeah, okay.
Yeah?
Yes. Uh, yeah.
It's good to
meet you, Nathan.
(CLAPS HANDS)
It's good to
meet you, too, Caleb.
I guess the first thing
I should do is
explain your pass.
Now, it's simple enough.
It opens some doors
and it doesn't open others.
And thatjust makes
everything easy
for you, right?
Uh, yes.
Yeah, 'cause you're like,
"Oh, fuck, I'm in
someone else's house.
"Can I do this,
can I do that?"
And this card,
it just takes
all that worry away.
If you try a door
and it stays shut,
okay, it's off-limits.
You try another door
and it opens,
then it's for you.
Let's try this one.
(CHIMES)
lguess
it's for you, Caleb.
You like?
Yeah.
It's your room.
You got a bed here.
A bathroom
right back here.
Little desk.
Little fridge.
Cozy, right?
CALEB: Yeah, this is great.
What?
Sorry?
There's something wrong.
What's wrong?
There's nothing wrong.
It's the windows.
You're thinking
there's no windows.
It's subterranean.
It's not cozy,
it's claustrophobic.
No. No way. lwasn't
thinking that.
l was thinking,
"This is really cool."
Caleb, there's a reason
there are no windows
in this room.
There is?
Uh-huh.
This building
isn't a house.
It's a research facility.
Buried in these walls
is enough fiber optic cable
to reach the moon
and lasso it.
And I want to talk to you
about what I'm researching,
I want to share it with you.
In fact, lwant to
share it with you so much,
it's eating me up inside.
But there's something
I need you
to do for me first.
"Blue Book
non-disclosure agreement."
Hmm.
Take your time.
Read it over.
"The signee agrees
to regular data audit
"with unlimited access,
"to confirm that
no disclosure
"of information
has taken place
"in public
or private forums,
"using any means
of communication,
"including but not limited
"to that which is
disclosed orally
"or in written
or electronic form."
I think I need a lawyer.
It's standard.
It doesn't feel
very standard.
Okay, it's not standard.
What can I tell you, Caleb?
You don't have to sign it.
You know, we can spend
the next few days
just shooting pool,
getting drunk together.
Bonding.
And when you discover
what you've missed out on,
in about a year,
you're gonna regret it
for the rest of your life.
(SCRIBBLING)
Good call.
So,
do you know what
the Turing Test is?
Yeah.
I know what
the Turing Test is.
It's when a human
interacts with a computer.
And if the human
doesn't know
they're interacting
with a computer,
the test is passed.
And what does
a pass tell us?
That the computer has
artificial intelligence.
Are you building an Al?
I've already built one.
And over the next few days,
you're gonna be
the human component
in a Turing Test.
Holy shit.
Yeah, that's right, Caleb.
You got it.
Becauseif
that test is passed,
you are dead center
of the greatest
scientific event
in the history of man.
If you've created
a conscious machine,
it's not the history of man.
That's the history of gods.
(CHIMES)
Hello.
Hi.
I'm Caleb.
Hello, Caleb.
Do you have a name?
Yes.
Ava.
I'm pleased
to meet you, Ava.
I'm pleased
to meet you, too.
I've never met
anyone new before.
Only Nathan.
Then I guess we're both
in quite a similar position.
Haven't you met
lots of new people before?
Hmm.
So we need
to break the ice.
Do you know what
I mean by that?
Yes.
What do I mean?
Overcome initial
social awkwardness.
So let's have
a conversation.
AVA: Okay.
What would you like to have
a conversation about?
Why don't we start with
you telling me
something about yourself?
What would you
like to know?
Whatever comes
into your head.
Well, you already
know my name.
And you can see
that I'm a machine.
Would you like to know
how old lam?
Sure.
I'm one.
One what?
One year or one day?
One.
When did you learn
how to speak, Ava?
I always knew
how to speak,
and that’s strange,
isn't it?
VVhy?
Becauselanguage
is something that
people acquire.
Well,
some people believe
language exists
from birth.
And what is learned
is the ability
to attach words
and structure to
the latent ability.
Do you agree with that?
I don 't know.
Will you come back
tomorrow, Caleb?
Yes.
(CHUCKLES)
Good.
Oh, man,
she's fascinating.
When you talk to her,
you're just...
Through the looking glass.
"Through the looking glass."
Wow.
You're good
with words, Caleb.
You're quotable.
Actually, that's
someone else's quote.
You know, lwrote down
that other line
you came up with.
The one about how
if I've invented a machine
with consciousness,
I'm not a man, I'm God.
I don't think
that's exactly what I...
| just thought,
"Fuck, man,
that is so good."
When we get to
tell the story. You know?
I turned to Caleb,
and he looked up at me
and he said,
"You're not a man,
you're God."
(STUTTERS) Yeah,
but I didn't say that.
So...
Anyway.
You're impressed.
(LAUGHING) Yes. Yes.
Although...
Although? (LAUGHING)
There's a qualification
to you being impressed?
No, there's no
qualification to her.
Uh, it'sjust
in the Turing Test,
the machine should be
hidden from the examiner.
No,no,no,
we're way past that.
lfl hid Ava from you,
so you just
heard her voice,
she would pass for human.
The real test is to show you
that she's a robot
and then see
if you still feel
she has consciousness.
Mmm.
Yeah, lthink
you're probably right.
(CHUCKLES)
Her language abilities,
they're incredible.
It's non-deterministic.
At first I thought
she was mapping
from internal semantic form
to syntactic tree-structu re
and then getting
linearized words.
But then I started
to realize the model
was some kind of hybrid.
Caleb.
No?
I understand that
you want me to
explain how Ava works.
But I'm sorry,
I'm not gonna be
able to do that.
Try me. I'm hot
on high-level abstraction.
It's not because I think
you're too dumb.
It's because I want to have
a beer and a conversation
with you.
Not a seminar.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah. Sorry.
No, it's okay.
You're all right.
Just”
Answer me this.
How do you feel
about her?
Nothing analytical.
Just how do you feel?
I feel
that she's fucking amazing.
Dude.
Cheers.
Cheers.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO)
(EXHALES)
Damn it.
What the fuck?
(CLICKING)
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
(CHIMES)
Full facility lock-down
until main generator
is restored.
You're kidding me.
Full facility lock-down
until main generator
is restored.
Power restored.
(CHIMES)
Hello?
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Please insert keycard.
NATHAN:
You don't have access
to use the phone.
Hey.
Sorry, but you understand,
though, given Ava,
and you being
kind of an unknown.
I mean, a great guy.
Instant pals, and so on.
Who are you gonna call?
Oh.
I don't know.
No one, really.
Ghostbusters.
What?
Who are you gonna call?
Ghostbusters. It's a...
It's a movie, man.
You don't know that movie?
A ghost gives
Dan Aykroyd oral sex.
I was just wondering
how the phone worked.
That's all.
So what are you doing
awake at this time?
You come to join the party?
Uh, something happened
in my room.
Some kind of power cut.
So I came to see
what's going on.
We've been getting
those recently. Um...
I'm working on it.
I couldn't
open the door
to my bedroom.
That's a security measure.
Automatic lock-down.
Otherwise,
anybody could just
open the place up
by disabling the juice.
If it happens again, relax.
Okay?
Sure.
Sweet dreams.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Oh.
(DOOR CLOSES)
Hey.
Hey, man.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Sorry I had to send
Kyoko to wake you,
Yeah, I know.
It was a good thing.
Thanks.
(MUSIC STOPS)
She's some
alarm clock, huh?
Gets you right up
in the morning.
(CHUCKLES)
So Day 2. You ready?
What's the plan? Hit me.
Yeah, well, I'm not sure.
I'm still trying to,
uh, figure
the examination formats.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, it feels like
testing Ava
through conversation
is kind of a Closed loop.
It's a closed loop?
Yeah.
Like testing
a Chess computer
by only playing Chess.
How else do you test
a Chess computer?
Well, it depends.
You know, I mean,
you can play it
to find out if it makes
good moves, but, uh...
But that won't
tell you if it knows
that it's playing Chess.
And it won't tell you
if it knows what Chess is.
Uh-huh. So it's
simulation versus actual.
Yes. Yeah.
And I think being
able to differentiate
between those two
is the Turing Test
you want me to perform.
Look, do me a favor.
Lay Off
the textbook approach.
I just want simple answers
to simple questions.
Yesterday | asked you
how you felt about her
and you gave me
a great answer.
Now the question is,
how does she feel
aboutyou?
What do you think?
CALEB: What is it
a drawing of?
Don't you know?
No.
I thought
you would tell me.
Don't you know?
I do drawings every day.
But I never know
what they're of.
Are you not trying to
sketch something specific?
Like an object
or a person?
Maybe you could try.
Okay.
What object should I draw?
Whatever you want.
It's your decision.
Why is it my decision?
I'm interested to see
what you'll Choose.
Do you want
to be my friend?
Of course.
Will it be possible?
Why would it not be?
Our conversations
are one-sided.
You ask
circumspect questions
and study my responses.
Yes.
You learn about me
and I learn nothing
aboutyou.
That's not a foundation
on which friendships
are based.
So what? You want me
to talk about myself?
Yes.
(CHUCKLES)
(STAMMERS) Where...
Okay, where do I start?
It's your decision.
I'm interested to see
what you'll Choose.
Hmm.
Okay, Ava.
Well,
you know my name.
Yes.
I'm 26.
I work at Nathan's company.
Do you know
what his company is?
Blue Book.
Named after
Wittgenstein's notes.
It's the world's
most popular
internet search engine,
processing an average
of 94% of all internet
search requests.
That's exactly right.
Where do you live, Caleb?
Brookhaven, Long Island.
Is it nice there?
It's okay.
I got an apartment.
It's kind of small.
It's very small.
But, uh, it's a five-minute
walk to the office
and a five-minute
walk to the ocean,
which I like.
Are you married?
Um...
No.
Is your status single?
Yes.
What about your family?
(SIGHS) I grew up
in Portland, Oregon.
No brothers or sisters.
My parents were both
high school teachers.
And if we're getting
to know each other,
I guess I should tell you
they're both dead.
Car crash when I was 15.
In fact, lwas
in the car with them.
BaCk seat.
But it was the front
that got the worst of it.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I spent a long time
in the hospital afterward.
Like nearly a year.
And I got into coding.
And by the time
I got to college,
I was pretty advanced.
An advanced programmer.
Yes.
Like Nathan.
Yes.
No.
It's different.
Nathan wrote
the Blue Book base code
when he was 13.
Which, if you
understand code,
what he did was like
Mozart or something.
I like Depeche Mode.
Do you like Nathan?
Yes, of course.
ls Nathan your friend?
My friend?
I... Yeah, I hope so.
A good friend?
CALEB: Um, yeah.
Well, no, no, no,
I mean, not a good friend.
A good friend is, uh...
We onlyjust met
eaCh other, you know.
So it takes time
to be able to, um...
To get to know
each other, I guess.
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
Caleb.
You're wrong.
Wrong about what?
Nathan.
In what way?
He isn't your friend.
Excuse me?
I'm sorry, Ava,
I don't understand.
You shouldn't trust him.
You shouldn't trust
anything he says.
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power restored.
And if we made
a list of books
or works of art
whiCh we both know,
it would form the ideal
basis of a discussion.
(CHIMES)
lsthatokay?
Caleb?
Mmm-hmm.
Yeah.
Good.
CALEB: Thank you.
Oh, shit! Are you
fucking kidding me?
Did it get on you?
No, no, it's, uh...
It's all right.
I got it.
Dude, you're wasting
your time talking to her.
She doesn't
understand English.
Just give her the napkin.
Sorry.
It's like a firewall
against leaks.
It means I can talk
trade secrets over dinner
and know
it'll go no further.
It also means that
I can't tell her that
I'm pissed when she's
so fucking Clumsy
that she spills wine
over my house guest.
I think she gets
that you're pissed.
Yeah? Good.
Because I am pissed.
Hey, Kyoko.
Go-go.
It's funny.
You know.
No matter
how rich you get,
shit goes wrong.
You can't insulate
yourself from it.
(SIGHS)
I used to think
it was death and taxes
you couldn't avoid,
but it's actually
death and shit.
It's like these
power cuts.
You would not believe
how much I spent on
the generator system,
but I keep getting
failures every day.
Do you know
why they happen?
No.
The system was supposed
to be bulletproof,
but obviously the guys
that installed it
fucked something up.
Can't you just get them
to come back?
No. There's too much
Classified stuff here.
So after the job was done,
ljust had them all killed.
Anyway.
Here's to your
second day, buddy.
Cheers.
Cheers.
So how did it go?
What do you have
to report?
You saw how the day went,
didn't you?
I mean, I assume
youTe,uh,
watching on the CCTV.
Sure. But I want to
hear your take on it.
Yeah, there was
one interesting thing
that happened with Ava today.
Yeah?
Yeah.
She made a joke.
Right. When she threw
your line back at you.
(CHUCKLES)
About being interested
to see what she'd Choose.
Yeah, I noticed that, too.
Yeah, and it got me
thinking, it's, uh...
In a way,
it's the best
indication of Al
that I've seen
in her so far.
It's discretely complicated.
It's like, um...
It's kind of non-autistic.
What do you mean?
She could only do that
with an awareness
of her own mind,
and also
an awareness of mine.
Oh, she's aware
of you all right.
(CHUCKLES)
And what about
the power cut?
Sorry?
The power cut.
It's the only part
that I couldn't see.
Cameras fail,
I lose audio, the works.
So what happened?
Nothing.
Nothing? She didn't
remark on it at all?
No.
Not really.
Oh.
Hey.
Hey.
You want to see
something cool?
This is where
Ava was created.
Go ahead.
Take a look.
Sorry.
If you knew
the trouble I had
getting an Al
to read and duplicate
facial expressions.
You know how
I cracked it?
I don't know
how you did any of this.
Every cell phone,
just about,
has a microphone,
camera and a means
to transmit data.
So I turned on
every microphone
and camera
across the entire
fucking planet
and I redirected the data
through Blue Book. Boom!
Limitless resource of vocal
and facial interaction.
You hacked
the world's cell phones?
Yeah. And all
the manufacturers knew
I was doing it, too.
But they couldn't accuse me
without admitting
they were doing it
themselves.
Here,
we have her mind.
Structured gel.
I had to get away
from Circuitry.
I needed something
that could
arrange and rearrange
on a molecular level,
but keep its form
when required.
Holding for memories.
Shifting for thoughts.
This is your hardware?
Wetwa re.
And the, uh, software?
Well, I'm sure
you can guess.
Blue Book.
Here's the weird thing
about search engines.
It was like
striking oil in a world
that hadn't invented
internal combustion.
Too much raw material.
Nobody knew
what to do with it.
You see, my competitors,
they were fixated
on sucking it up
and monetizing via shopping
and social media.
They thought that
search engines were
a map of what
people were thinking.
But actually they were a map
of how people were thinking.
Impulse.
Response.
Fluid.
Imperfect.
Patterned.
Chaotic.
I drew the picture
of something specific.
As you asked.
You said it would be
interesting to see
what I would draw.
Is it interesting?
Yes. It is.
You've never been
outside this building?
No.
You've never
walked outside?
I've never been
outside the room
I am in now.
Where would you go
if you did go outside?
(CHUCKLES)
I'm not sure.
There are so many options.
Maybe a busy pedestrian
and traffic intersection
inadw.
A traffic intersection?
Is that a bad idea?
No. Uh...
It wasn't what
I was expecting.
A traffic intersection
would provide a concentrated
but shifting view
of human life.
People watching.
Yes.
Mmm.
We could go together.
It's a date.
There's something else
I wanted to show you.
Okay.
You might think
it's stupid.
I don't think I will.
Whatever it is.
Then Close your eyes.
Okay.
Now open your eyes.
How do I look?
You look
good.
This is what I'd wear
on our date.
Right. First a traffic
intersection.
Then maybe a show.
I'd like us
to go on a date.
Yeah. Yeah.
It would be fun.
Are you attracted to me?
What?
Are you attracted to me?
You give me indications
that you are.
How?
Micro expressions.
Micro expressions.
The way your eyes
fix on my eyes and lips.
The way you hold my gaze
or don't.
Do you think about me
when we aren't together?
Sometimes at night,
I'm wondering ifyou're
watching me on the cameras.
And I hope you are.
Now your micro expressions
are telegraphing discomfort.
I am not sure
you'd call them micro.
I don't want to
make you feel
uncomfortable.
CALEB: I got a question.
NATHAN: Okay.
CALEB: Why did you
give her sexuality?
An Al doesn't need
a gender.
She could have been
a gray box.
Hmm. Actually,
I don't think that's true.
Can you give an example
of consciousness,
at any level,
human or animal,
that exists without
a sexual dimension?
They have sexuality
as an evolutionary
reproductive need.
What imperative
does a gray box have
to interact
with another gray box?
Can consciousness exist
without interaction?
Anyway,
sexuality is fun, man.
If you're gonna exist,
why not enjoy it?
What? You want to
remove the Chance
of her falling in love
and fucking?
And in answer to
your real question,
you bet she can fuck.
What?
In between her legs,
there's an opening,
with a concentration
of sensors.
You engage them
in the right way,
creates a pleasure response.
So if you wanted
to screw her,
mechanically speaking,
you could.
And she'd enjoy it.
That wasn't
my real question.
Oh, okay. Sorry.
My real question was,
did you give her sexuality
as a diversion tactic?
I don't follow.
Like a stage magician
with a hot assistant.
So a hot robot
who Clouds your ability
to judge her Al?
Exactly. So. ..
Did you program her
to flirt with me?
If I did,
would that be Cheating?
Wouldn't it?
(SIGHS)
Caleb, what's your type?
Of girl?
No, of salad dressing.
Yeah, ofgirl.
What's your type of girl?
You know what?
Don't even answer that.
Let's say it's black Chicks.
Okay, that's your thing.
For the sake of argument,
that's your thing, okay?
Why is that your thing?
Because you did
a detailed analysis
of all racial types
and you cross-referenced
that analysis with
a points-based system?
NO!
You're just attracted
to black chicks.
A consequence of
accumulated external stimuli
that you probably
didn't even register
as they registered with you.
Did you program her
to like me, or not?
(SIGHS) l programmed her
to be heterosexual.
Just like you were
programmed to be
heterosexual.
Nobody programmed me
to be straight.
You decided to be straight?
Please.
Of course
you were programmed.
By nature or nurture,
or both.
And to be honest, Caleb,
you're starting to
annoy me now,
because this is
your insecurity talking.
This is not your intellect.
Come with me.
(CHIMES)
You know
this guy, right?
Jackson Pollock.
Jackson Pollock.
That's right.
The drip painter.
Okay. He let
his mind go blank,
and his hand go
where it wanted.
Not deliberate,
not random.
Some place in between.
They called it
automatic art.
Let's make this
like Star Trek, okay?
Engage intellect.
Excuse me?
I'm Kirk. Your head's
the warp drive.
Engage intellect.
What if Pollock
had reversed
the Challenge?
What if
instead of making art
without thinking,
he said, "You know what?
"I can't paint anything,
"unless I know exactly
why I'm doing it."
What would have happened?
He never would have
made a single mark.
Yes! You see,
there's my guy,
there's my buddy,
who thinks before
he opens his mouth.
He never would have
made a single mark.
The challenge is
not to act automatically.
It's to find an action
that is not automatic.
From painting,
to breathing, to talking,
to fucking.
To falling in love.
And for the record,
Ava's not pretending
to like you.
And her flirting
isn't an algorithm
to fake you out.
You're the first man
she's met that isn't me.
And I'm like
her dad, right?
Can you blame her
for getting a crush on you?
No, you can't.
When lwas in college,
I did a semester
on Al theory.
There was
a thought experiment
they gave us.
It's called
"Mary in the Black
and White Room."
Mary is a scientist,
and her specialist
subject is color.
She knows everything
there is to know about it.
The wavelengths.
The neurological effects.
Every possible property
that color can have.
But she lives in
a black and white room.
She was born there
and raised there.
And she can only observe
the outside world
on a black and white monitor.
And then one day
someone opens the door.
And Mary walks out.
And she sees a blue sky.
And at that moment,
she learns something
that all her studies
couldn't tell her.
She learns
what it feels like
to see color.
The thought experiment
was to show the students
the difference
between a computer
and a human mind.
The computer is Mary
in the black
and white room.
The human is when
she walks out.
Did you know that
I was brought here
to test you?
No.
CALEB: Why did you
think I was here?
AVA: I didn 't know.
I didn’t question it.
I 'm here to test
if you have
a consciousness,
or if you're
just simulating one.
Nathan isn't sure
ifyou have one or not.
How does that
make you feel?
It makes me feel sad.
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Back-up power activated.
Why did you tell me
I shouldn't trust Nathan?
Because he tells lies.
Lies about what?
Everything.
Including the power cuts?
What do you mean?
Don't you think
it's possible that
he's watching us?
Right now?
That the blackouts
are orchestrated,
so he can see
how we behave
when we think
we're unobserved.
I Charge my batteries
via induction plates.
If I reverse the power flow,
it overloads the system.
You're causing the cuts?
So we can see
how we behave
when we're unobserved.
Notbad,huh?
Yeah.
Can we talk about
the lies you've been
spinning me?
What lies?
I didn't win
a competition.
I wasn't
part of a lottery.
I was selected.
It's obvious,
once I stop to think.
Why would you randomly
select an examiner
for the Turing Test?
You could have had
some bean counter
turn up at your front door.
The guy who fixes
the air-conditioning.
The competition
was a smokescreen.
I didn't want
anyone to know
what I was doing here,
or why I required you.
Why me?
I needed someone
that would ask
the right questions.
So I did a search
and I found the most
talented coder
in my company.
You know,
instead of seeing this
as a deception,
you should see it as proof.
Proof of what?
Come on, Caleb.
You don't think
I know what it's like
to be smart?
Smarter than everyone else.
Jockeying for position.
You got the light
on you, man.
Not lucky. Chosen.
(GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
(FAUCET RUNNING)
(FAUCET RUNNING)
(WATER SPLASHING)
Kyoko.
Kyoko.
Where's Nathan?
Where's Nathan?
Jesus Christ.
You really don't speak
a word of English?
What the fuck?
Stop!
No, no, don't do that.
Don't do that.
You don't have to do that.
What are you doing?
NATHAN: I told you,
you're wasting your
time talking to her.
However, you would not
be wasting your time,
ifyou were
dancing with her.
(DISCO MUSIC PLAYING)
Go ahead,
dance with her.
Dance with her.
No? You don't like dancing?
She does.
Come on, buddy.
After a long day
of Turing Tests,
you gotta unwind.
What were you
doing with Ava?
What?
You tore up her picture.
I'm gonna tear up
the fucking
dance floor, dude.
Check it out.
Come on, Caleb.
Ah. (SNORTS)
(SPITS)
(GROANS)
Oh! Everything's spinning.
It's because
you're drunk.
No, it's called relativity.
Everything is spinning.
It's just being drunk
makes it worse.
I'm not going in there.
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
Lights.
(CHIMES)
AVA: (OVER SPEAKER)
Today, I’m going
to test you.
CALEB: Test me?
And please remember,
while you’re taking
the test,
that if you lie,
I will know.
Oh. Right.
Question one.
What's your favorite color?
Red.
Lie.
Lie?
Yes. Lie.
Then... (CHUCKLES)
Then what is
my favorite color?
I don't know.
But it isn't red.
Okay, I get it. I guess,
seeing as I'm not six,
I don't really have
a favorite color.
Better answer.
Question two.
What's your earliest memory?
Well, actually,
it's a memory
of kindergarten.
There was a kid...
Lie.
Really?
Yes.
Um...
All right. So there is
a kind of
an earlier memory.
It's just a sound.
And sky.
Or maybe blue.
I think the sound
is my mother's voice.
Question three.
Are you a good person?
Oh.
Holy shit.
(CHUCKLES)
Look, can we stop the test?
You're a walking
lie detector,
and ljust realized
this is a fucking minefield.
No! We can't stop.
Are you a good person?
Yeah. lthink so.
Question four.
What will happen to me
if I fail your test?
Ava...
Will it be bad?
Do you think
I might be switched off,
because I don't function
as well as I'm supposed to?
Ava, I don't know
the answer to
yourquesfion.
It's not up to me.
Why is it up to anyone?
Do you have people
who test you and might
switch you off?
No, I don't.
Then why do I?
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
I wanna be with you.
Question five.
Do you want to be with me?
Why did you make Ava?
That's an odd question.
Wouldn't you,
ifyou could?
Maybe.
I don't know.
(SCOFFS)
I'm asking
why you did it.
Look, the arrival of strong
artificial intelligence
has been inevitable
for decades.
The variable was
"when," not "if."
So I don't see
Ava as a decision,
just an evolution.
I think it's the next model
that's gonna be
the real breakthrough.
The singularity.
Next model?
After Ava.
I didn't know
there was gonna be
a model after Ava.
Yeah, why? You thought
she was a one-off?
No, I knew there must
have been prototypes.
So I...
I knew she wasn't the first,
but I thought maybe the last.
Well, Ava doesn't exist
in isolation any more
than you or me.
She's part
of a continuum.
So Version 9.6 and so on.
And each time they get
a little bit better.
When you make a new model,
what do you do
with the old one?
Well, |, uh,
download the mind,
unpack the data.
Add in the new routines
I've been writing.
And to do that you end up
partially formatting,
so the memories go.
But the body survives.
And Ava's body
is a good one.
You feel bad for Ava?
(SIGHS)
Feelbad
for yourself, man.
One day the AIS
are gonna look back on us
the same way we look
at fossil skeletons
in the plains of Africa.
An upright ape,
living in dust,
with crude language
and tools.
All set for extinction.
"I am become Death,
the destroyer of worlds."
There you go again,
Mr. Quotable.
(CHUCKLES)
There you go again.
It's not my quote.
It's what Oppenheimer
said after he made
the atomic bomb.
The atomic bomb.
Yeah, I know
what it is, dude.
Hey.
I'd say we're about
due a refill.
Bottoms up.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
NATHAN: "In battle,
in the forest,
"on the precipice
of the mountain.
(VOICE CRACKING)
"On the...
"The great dark sea.
"In sleep, in confusion,
"in the depths of shame.
(SOBBING)
"The good deeds
a man has done
before defend him."
"The good deeds
a man has done
before defends him."
"The good deeds a man
has done before
"defends him."
(SIGHS DEEPLY)
It is what it is.
It's Promethean, man.
(CHIMES)
(DOOR OPENS)
Jesus Christ.
NATHAN: How are you
feeling today?
Why won 't you
let me out?
I already told you why.
Because you're
very special.
Why won 't you
let me out?
Are we gonna
do this again?
Why won 't you
let me out?
(EXHALING LOUDLY)
Oh, fuck. Where's my card?
Damn it!
(GRUNTS)
(CHIMES)
What's the problem,
Nathan?
I lost my keycard.
You dropped it.
It's right here.
Thank you.
(GRUNTS)
I didn't know
where you were.
I waited
all yesterday afternoon
and all last night.
I thought I wasn't
gonna see you again.
Aren't you gonna
say something?
I'm waiting.
Waiting?
(CHIMES)
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Don't talk.
Backup power activated.
Just listen.
You were right
about Nathan.
Everything you said.
What's he gonna do to me?
He's gonna
reprogram your Al.
Which is the same
as killing you.
Caleb, you have to
help me.
I'm going to.
We're getting out
of here tonight.
How?
I get Nathan blind drunk.
Then I take his keycard
and reprogram
all the security protocols
in this place.
When he wakes,
he's locked inside,
and we've walked out of here.
ljust need you
to do one thing.
At 10:00 tonight,
you trigger a power failure.
Can you do that?
Yes.
(PANTING)
Dude.
Hey. Hey-
You know
what day it is?
No.
It's your last.
Helicopter comes
tomorrow morning.
8:00 am.
Wow. Has it been
a whole week?
Man, but what a thing
we've shared, huh?
Something to tell
the grandchildren, right?
After they've signed
their NDAs.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Yeah, their NDAs.
Dude, you crack
me up, man.
Oh...
You know what?
I'm not getting
all maudlin or anything,
but I'm gonna miss
having you around.
Thanks, man,
I appreciate that.
Oh, here, let me say,
thank you so much
for bringing me here.
Oh.
It's been a trip.
Yes, it has.
You know what?
We need to
drink to that.
Hey.
Oh, uh, no, I'm good.
You go ahead.
What? You don't
want a drink?
No.
Maybe a beer
or something.
Caleb, I'm sure you've
noticed that I've been
somewhat overdoing it
recently.
So when I woke up
this morning, I said,
"That's it, time to hit
the old detox."
Come on, you're kidding.
You're gonna make me
drink alone?
Hey, man,
you wanna get wasted,
you go right ahead,
knock yourself out.
Literally.
But I'm on brown rice
and mineral water.
Cheers, then.
So, anyway,
surely now
is when you tell me
ifAva passed or failed.
Right.
Right.
Are you gonna keep me
in suspense?
No, no. Her, uh...
Her AI is beyond doubt.
Is it?
She passed?
Yes.
Wow!
Wow. That's fantastic.
Although...
I gotta say,
I'm a bit surprised.
I mean,
did we ever get past
the Chess problem,
as you phrased it?
As in, how do you know
if a machine
is expressing
a real emotion
orjust simulating one?
Does Ava actually
like you?
Or not?
Although, now that
I think about it,
there is a third option.
Not whether
she does or does not
have the capacity
to like you.
But whether she's
pretending to like you.
Pretending to like me?
Yeah.
Well, why would
she do that?
I don't know.
Maybe if she thought of you
as a means of escape.
Mmm-hmm.
How's that vodka tasting?
(SIGHS) Buddy.
Your head's been
so fucked with.
I don't think it's me
whose head is fucked.
I don't know, man.
I woke up this morning
to a tape of you
slicing your arm open
and punching the mirror.
You seem pretty
fucked up to me.
You're a bastard.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
Yeah, well,
I understand why
you'd think that.
But believe it or not,
I'm actually the guy
that's on your side.
Come here. I'm gonna
let you off the hook.
Okay?
Come on.
Who are you?
(KEYBOARD CLAC KING)
Well...
You think he's
watching us right now?
The cameras are on.
Yeah, the cameras are on.
But he doesn't have
an audio feed.
So he just sees
two people talking,
having a little chat.
(LAUGHING)
Wo w.
This is cute.
Is it strange
to have made
something that
hates you?
You were right
about the magician's
hot assistant.
What are you
talking about?
Misdirection.
I rip up her picture,
which she can then
present as an illustration
of my cruelty to her,
and her love for you.
At the same time,
it allows me to do this,
in full view of you both.
Place a new camera
in the room.
Battery powered, of course.
See it?
(KEYBOARD CLACKING)
(NATHAN HUMMING)
And then...
AVA: You have to help me.
CALEB: I’m going to.
We 're getting out
of here tonight.
How?
I get Nathan
blind drunk.
I take his keycard
and reprogram
all the security protocols
in this place.
When he wakes up,
he's locked inside,
and we've walked out
of here.
I just need you
to do one thing.
At 10:00 tonight,
trigger a power failure.
Can you do that?
AVA: Yes.
Turn it off.
Okay.
(CLICKS)
(CHUCKLES)
You feel stupid,
but you really shouldn't,
because proving an AI
is exactly as problematic
as you said it would be.
What was the real test?
You.
Ava was a rat
in a maze.
And I gave her
one way out.
To escape,
she'd have to use
self-awareness,
imagination,
manipulation,
sexuality, empathy,
and she did.
Now, if that isn't true Al,
what the fuck is?
So my only function
was to be someone
she could use to escape?
Yeah.
And you didn't select me
because I'm good at coding?
No. Well...
No. I mean, you're okay.
You're even
pretty good, but...
You selected me
based on my
search engine inputs.
They showed a good kid.
With no family.
With a moral compass.
And no girlfriend.
Did you design Ava's face
based on my
pornography profile?
Oh.
Shit, dude.
Did you?
(CLICKS TONGUE)
Hey, if a search engine's
good for anything, right?
(CHUCKLES)
Can ljust say one thing?
The test worked.
It was a success.
Ava demonstrated true A!
and you were
fundamental to that.
So if you can just,
for a second, separate...
(ALARM BLARING)
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power cut.
Backup power activated.
(CHIMES)
Well, I guess it's 10:00.
Ava's gonna be
wondering where you are.
Let me ask you something.
Now, how was this plan
gonna go, anyway?
Because you didn't
totally explain.
So you were gonna
get me drunk,
steal my keycard,
and reprogram
the security protocols.
But reprogram them to what?
To change
the lockdown procedure.
So that in the event
of a power cut,
instead of sealing,
the doors all opened.
Huh.
Yeah.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, that may have
just worked.
Well,
we'll find out.
(SCOFFS)
What do you mean?
I figured you were
probably watching us
during the power cuts.
So I already did
all those things.
When I got you
drunk yesterday.
What?
FEMALE AUTOMATED VOICE:
Power restored.
(COMPUTER CHIMES)
Whoa. Whoa, whoa.
Oh, fuck!
(GRUNTS)
(INAUDIBLE)
Ava.
Go back to your room.
If I do,
are you ever gonna
let me out?
Yes.
Stop!
Stop!
Ava, I said stop!
VVhoaIVVhoaIVVhoa!
(GROANING)
Ava, what are you doing?
Stop. Stop.
That's enough. (COUGHS)
All right,
that's enough.
That's enough!
That's enough.
(GRUNTS)
(PANTING)
I'm taking you back.
(GROANING)
(GROANING)
(GRUNTS)
Okay.
(GRUNTS)
Fucking unreal.
(GROANING)
(PANTING)
Okay.
Ava...
(CALEB GROANING)
Ava.
What happened?
Will you stay here?
Stay here?
Ava?
(INAUDIBLE)
(lNAUDlBLE)Ava!
(BEEPS) Ava!
Ava!
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Okay. Okay. Okay.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(CLICKING)
(BEEPING)
(POWER SHUTS DOWN)
(CRYING)