Ever since watching 2012’s Robot & Frank, The Great Algorithm at Hulu has been sending more artificial intelligence and robot flicks my way. Each of these movies grapple with the ethical and moral issues surrounding artificial intelligence, chiefly the idea of how human can it really become? Can robots develop souls, emotions, etc.?
In the case of Robot & Frank, Frank largely anthropomorphized the robot, the same way many pet owners attribute human characteristics, thought processes, and motivations to their dogs and cats. Just as a dog doesn’t think in the way we do, the titular Robot did not requite the emotional bond Frank had developed with the adorable tin can.
The featured film of this week’s review, Life Like (2019), explores those ideas further. Instead of a cute, rounded robot, the androids of Life Like are, indeed, life-like: designed to resemble perfect humans, and designed to make their owners happy—whatever that might require.
The Portly Politico 