2.) Do you agree that humans might lose control over AI?

3.) According to Harris, what role should humans play in shaping the goals and limits of artificial intelligence? Do you think this is realistic? Why or why not?

11.03.: Abgabe KEL (2-3 Personen)

20.05.26: Outline/ Analysis

AI Definiton and example of prompting

1st impressions: film poster

Definition 'Ex Machina'

Video: Turing Test

o Describe cinematic techniques and the composition of the movie:

- Visual storytelling: Lighting (Examine the use of natural / artificial lighting in the film.)

- Visual storytelling: How and to what effect are triptychs, symmetries and reflections/mirrors used?

- Sound design: How is music used?

o Outline the director’s approach to writing and directing “Ex Machina“

o Examine the risks and dangers of creating conscious machines using examples from the characters’ behaviour.

o Discuss the ethical responsibility of humans in developing AI, focusing on Nathan’s role as creator.

o Compare the film’s representation of AI with real-life technologies today.
o Evaluate whether AI is more a benefit or a threat to humanity.

- Describe how AI is currently used in the world of work (e.g. industry, services, education, medicine).

- Analyse how AI affects different types of jobs.

- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of AI in the workplace.

- Evaluate whether AI is more likely to take jobs away or change the way we work.

- Conclude with your personal opinion.

- Analyse how ethical issues are presented in Ex Machina.
Refer to specific scenes, characters or situations.

- Examine the behaviour of one character from an ethical point of view. Decide whether their actions can be morally justified.

- Evaluate whether the ethical dangers of AI outweigh its benefits. Support your judgement with arguments from the film and real life.

o Analyze how technological progress is portrayed as both a promise and a threat in the film.

o Compare Ex Machina with other dystopian texts or films you know.
o Evaluate to what extent the world presented in Ex Machina can be considered utopian or dystopian.

o Discuss whether the dystopian aspects of Ex Machina arise from technology itself or from human misuse of technology.

o Relate the film’s dystopian vision to current societal fears about scientific and technological development.

o Explore the protagonist’s motivations and relationships.

o Refer to the power dynamics and power struggles between the characters.

o Consider the character’s name and its meaning.

o Analyze and explain the following topics concerning AI:

- Different types of AI

- How does AI actually work? How to use it and how to create it? How can it be made safe?

- What is possible today and what is still science fiction (in the movie?)

o Explore the protagonist’s motivations and relationships.

o Refer to the power dynamics and power struggles between the characters.

o Consider the character’s name and its meaning.

o Analyze and explain the following topics concerning the question of consciousness:

- What is the Turing test?

- What is the difference between human beings and machines?

- What is consciousness?

o Analyze the character’s development for different stages of the story.

o Explore the protagonist’s motivations and relationships.

o Refer to the power dynamics and power struggles between the characters.

o Consider the character’s name and its meaning.

o Analyze how science and the tech industry are depicted in the film.

o Describe the role of tech giants and the influence of AI on the labour market today.

o Analyze what role voyeurism plays in the film.

o Analyze the representation of gender in the movie (Ava/Kyoko – Caleb – Nathan)

o Analyze the depiction of femininity and masculinity in the film

o Evaluate whether Ava's use of femininity is a strategy for self-liberation or a result of male expectations.

o Describe the role of surveillance in the everyday life of the characters and how it shapes their routines and interactions.

o Analyze how surveillance and monitoring are presented in the film, including moments of control and apparent privacy between Ava and Caleb.

o Discuss whether true privacy exists in the film or if it is only an illusion.

o Examine similarities to social media, smartphones and data tracking.

o Examine how the absence of privacy affects freedom, autonomy and self-determination in the film.

o Assess the impact of constant monitoring on the possibility of trust and genuine human relationships.