Output 9

When Technology and Humanity Cross

Ex-Machina Reflection Paper

I. Ex-Machina Synopsis

When Blue Book Programmer Caleb Smith wins a contest to stay in a isolated yet
extravagant home of their CEO, Nathan Bateman, he is introduced to Ava, a
humanoid robot with artificial intelligence. Nathan reveals that the objective of his
contest was to invite a person to test Ava’s intelligence through the use of the Turing
Test, wherein whether or not Ava has the capacity to think and feel even if she is
artificially made.

Through their long-term interaction which included late night conversations,

Nathan starts to develop feelings for Ava while Ava expresses her desire to see and
experience the outside world. Throughout the film, it shown that Nathan is an
excessive and dangerous drinker wherein Ava confides to Caleb that Nathan could
not be trusted. More speculations rose as Caleb saw disturbing video clips of Nathan
interacting with previous robots that he has made. Because of this, he set out to
help Ava escape in order to save her from Caleb. They devised a plan to get Nathan
drunk in order to reprogram the house’s security system to open the doors instead
of locking them. However, the plan fails when Nathan refuses to have a drink with
Caleb and reveals to Caleb that he was able to overhear his conversation with Ava
regarding their escape plan through a camera powered by generator. Nathan
horrifyingly reveals that the real objective of his test was to see if Ava can be
misidentified as a human subject, by outsmarting and misleading Caleb with her
words and actions wherein he reveals Ava has showed true intelligence and has
passed the test.

Soon after this, Ava cuts the power and attempts to escape however in the
process, Caleb is knocked out by Nathan and attempts to stop Ava escape. Luckily,
 Ava was able to fight back and stab Nathan but damages her system so she repairs
herself using earlier models that Nathan created. She then disguises her physical
appearance with wig and clothes.
On her way out of the home, she passes by Caleb who was locked inside but she
refuses to help him and avoids his endless screaming which confirmed that she was
plotted to use Caleb all along for her escape. She then escapes the home wherein
she was picked up by the helicopter which was supposed to pick up Caleb. She then
arrives in an unnamed city and disappears in the crowd.

II. Key Issues

a. Emotional Nature of Man
One of the major differences between man and robot is the ability to
conceive emotions. Robots are programmed and are coded in order to react a
certain way based on a specific stimulus. However, the capacity to feel emotions
based on their own will is beyond the capacity of robots or artificial intelligence.
As seen in the film, Caleb eventually succumbed to the needs of Ava, despite
warnings of Nathan that she is using him to escape to the outside world. Caleb,
who was fascinated with the woman-like features of Ava and their night time
conversations about the world, eventually grows feelings for Ava and helps her
escape. However, he forgets the robotic nature of Ava which eventually led to
his demise at the end of the film.
b. Women in Despair: Underestimating a Woman’s Intelligence
It is evident throughout the film that Ava’s character is seen to be weak,
incapable and dependent. This depiction of Ava can be seen throughout our
society which is patriarchal in nature, unfortunately. Ava is an example of
societal construct that women are always in need of saving, or in other words,
incapable or unequal to man’s potential. However, by the end of the movie, it is
shown that she is actually the most intelligent of the other main characters,
Caleb and Nathan, one being her “creator” and another a “spectator”, as she
was able to device a plan to get out of the oppressive situation she was in and
break free from the oppression she was suffering regardless of her non-human
nature. In this scene, we get a glimpse of the unnerving reality of oppression
which is unfortunately still present in some male-centric populations in the
world, particularly the desire to break free from oppressors.