- Professor
- Date
- Thursday 16 Apr 2020, 21:00 - 23:45
- Type
- General
- Location
KINO Rotterdam (Gouvernestraat 129-133, 3014 PM Rotterdam)
In 2020 ESPhil and KINO present a new film series: EUR KINOsofie. Several ESPhil professors have chosen one of their favourite films, for which they will present a philosophical introduction. The second film in this series is: Ex Machina (2014).
This is one of our favourite sci-fi films of the past decade, and also the choice of professor of philosophical anthropology Jos de Mul. In this beautifully shot thriller of debuting director Alex Garland (author of 28 Days Later/The Beach, who would later direct Annihilation), the relations between human beings and AI/robots are explored, with far-fetching consequences. Today, the public debate on the possibilities and dangers of AI is even bolder than back in 2014. De Mul also engaged in this debate, with many publications, for example on the alternation of our self-image as a result of the emerging AI. In his introduction, he addresses the question that Ex Machina poses.
Ex Machina (2014)
Caleb, a 26-year old programmer who works for one of the largest internet companies of the world, has won a challenge, and is therefore invited to the country retreat of Nathan, the reserved CEO of the company. However, when Caleb arrives on the deserted location, he discovers that he has to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment, in which he encounters real artificial intelligence for the first time, accommodated in the robotic body of an attractive woman.
