Humanity has always been interested in the concept of artificial intelligence (AI), which is why the film industry has been tackling it since the first AI movie, Metropolis, in 1927. For decades, filmmakers have hypothesized and even warned about what a world with near-sentient, intelligent machines would look like. Now that real-life technology, such as GPT-4o, is genuinely starting to resemble the AI seen in movies like Her (2013), interest in these movies is only increasing.
For those interested in AI from a filmmaker’s perspective, this guide will rank the 10 best movies about AI and tell you where to find them on HBO Max, Disney+, and more.
10. M3GAN (2022)
M3GAN is a horror movie that centers on the life-like AI doll, M3GAN (Amy Donald and Jenna Davis), who grows self-aware and takes her loyalty to her owner to the extreme. It’s an unconventional AI movie in that it leans more into horror and dark comedy than sci-fi. The result is that M3GAN is a wildly fun movie that takes an irreverent approach to anxieties about AI.
M3GAN blends killer doll horror and sentient AI horror for a wild, creepy, and highly entertaining ride. If you’re looking for an AI movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and offers some Child’s Play (1988) horror vibes, M3GAN is an excellent movie for you. However, its entertaining horror premise means it isn’t as profound or sophisticated as other entries on this list.
9. WALL-E (2008)
WALL-E is a Pixar computer-animated film that centers on the titular robot (Ben Burtt), who tries to clean up a deserted Earth alone, until a new robot arrives and catches his interest. The film touches on AI, which has advanced to the point where it cares for all of humanity’s desires, leaving humans wasting away and consuming digital media all day.
While WALL-E is a family-friendly Pixar movie filled with humor and a heartwarming robot love story, it actually hits the nail on the head regarding humanity’s trend toward reliance on technology and AI. Some viewers have even called the film predictive of the future. WALL-E is the perfect movie for viewers looking for technology and AI themes framed in a family-friendly story similar to The Wild Robot (2024) and Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021).
8. Moon (2009)
Moon centers on Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), a man mining helium-3 on the moon, who begins experiencing strange phenomena. The film features an AI model, GERTY (Kevin Spacey), who assists Sam on the moon. While the AI fulfills company protocol, it actually demonstrates moments of compassion in trying to help Sam understand his situation, though its intentions are kept mostly ambiguous.
Moon’s depiction of GERTY subverts the typical evil AI tropes by creating a more complex AI system that appeared capable of almost human emotion and reasoning. The unexpected AI angle, combined with the complicated cloning elements, makes it a thought-provoking and fascinating work of hard sci-fi. Moon is reminiscent of Mickey 17 (2025) and Solaris (1972) through its unique sci-fi premise and exploration of what it means to be human.
7. Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
Colossus: The Forbin Project tells the story of Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden), who develops a massive AI computer system to protect the U.S., only for it to create a suspicious, secretive relationship with a Russian computer system. It offers an entertaining, humorous, and satirical thriller about an AI system bent on world domination. While it does lean into malevolent AI tropes, it stands out through its comic relief and intelligent dialogue.
Colossus: The Forbin Project was one of the earlier films to explore AI and the paranoia surrounding advanced technology. Given the time period, it’s a bit slower and talkier than more modern works, like WarGames (1983). However, the unpredictable twists, turns, and chilling, memorable quotes make it a hidden AI gem.
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey follows a group of astronauts on the Discovery One, who are en route to Jupiter when the AI computer system controlling their ship, HAL, begins behaving increasingly erratically. Kubrick’s film is considered one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time for its unique filming techniques and the fact that it was ahead of its time in realism, philosophical themes, and exploration of AI.
2001: A Space Odyssey boasts strong cinematography and an ambiguous premise, making it very rich for interpretation. Even the tale of HAL is quite ambiguous, as viewers are left to determine the nature of its actions and motivations themselves. While 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most artful AI movies, its ambiguity may be off-putting to some viewers, which prevents it from ranking higher on this list.
5. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Blade Runner 2049 is the highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). The film centers on a new blade runner, Officer K (Ryan Gosling), who discovers a startling secret about replicants, setting him on a journey to find the missing blade runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). The sequel contains many of the same AI concepts as the original.
It explores the essential question of what differentiates humans and AI, as well as the anxieties society harbors about the threat AI poses to their careers and livelihoods. Blade Runner 2049 is like Blade Runner but tailored to modern audiences with more vibrant visuals and an emotionally resonant story about self-identity. While its worldbuilding and modern visuals make it easier to consume than 2001: A Space Odyssey and Colossus: The Forbin Project, it still lacks some of the sharpness and originality of the original Blade Runner.
4. Ex Machina (2014)
In Ex Machina, programmer Caleb Smith (Domhall Gleeson) wins the opportunity to be the human component in a Turing test to determine the robot Ava’s (Alicia Vikander) capabilities, but finds himself in over his head due to Ava’s astonishing level of intellect. The film centers its AI premise, emphasizing psychological thrills and complex themes more heavily than special effects and cinematography.
The result is quite a cerebral movie that probes whether AI truly can become indistinguishable from humans, as well as the consequences and ethics of such a phenomenon. It’s tense, thoughtful, and filled with big ideas and even bigger thrills. If you’re looking for something a little less flashy than Blade Runner 2049, but that has just as many thought-provoking ideas, Ex Machina is an excellent watch.
3. Her (2013)
Her tells the story of a lonely man, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), who develops a relationship with an AI machine called Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). It’s a sci-fi romance that eerily parallels modern society, where some individuals have indeed formed extremely close relationships with AI systems. While the sweet, manipulative tones of Samantha are sometimes chill-inducing, Her focuses less on thrills and is more a somber exploration of the nature of modern relationships.
At times darkly comedic and at other times heartbreaking, the film was quite ahead of its time in predicting how AI figures into the dating world and rising loneliness. Her is a profound and often moving exploration of whether technology can fill a void in one’s life in the same manner as a real partner can. Like Ex Machina, it rides high on big ideas, but its melancholy atmosphere makes it stick with you much longer after you’ve finished it.
2. Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner centers on blade runner Deckard (Ford), whose mission to eliminate rogue replicants takes a complicated turn when he falls in love with one. The film is a stunning work of worldbuilding and genre-bending that capitalizes poignantly on society’s AI anxieties. With its cyberpunk aesthetics and blend of sci-fi and film noir, Blade Runner was unlike any other film at the time, featuring groundbreaking visuals and complex technological and philosophical themes that were well ahead of their time.
What really makes Blade Runner stand out from other entries on this list is that it doesn’t feature AI as the clear antagonist. None of the characters are black and white, with the motivations and morals of both the replicants and humans featuring ambiguity and complexity. In blurring the lines between humans and AI, Blade Runner features one of the most profound explorations of AI, encasing it in a dazzling story and setting.
1. The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix follows hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves), who catches the attention of a group of rebels and gets pulled into a dark and dangerous mission to discover the truth about the Matrix. The Matrix is a complex, action-packed, and mind-bending sci-fi movie that blurs the lines of reality and simulation while probing the dangers of AI. It delves into the mind-blowing premise that reality is actually a computer program run by intelligent AI.
The Matrix explores fairly profound ideas of AI, imagining it as so intelligent and powerful that it can control and manipulate humanity. What’s especially impressive is just how relevant The Matrix has remained, as, every year, AI advancements make its premise seem less far-fetched. The Matrix parallels Blade Runner 2049 and Her in its relevance and appeal to modern audiences, while also matching the groundbreaking nature of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner with its profound, mind-boggling premise, making it the best AI movie to date.
