We must first solve a problem: Is Ava a self-aware AI?
I think so. In fact, Turing test is not used to detect self-awareness. In real situations, the human interrogator can ask limited questions, so the program only needs one instruction set, including all the questions that may be asked and the corresponding answers, plus a little Simple randomization and adaptation can successfully deceive Turing test. The test method designed by Nathan is obviously more scientific. Ava is not only purposeful (survival need), but also manipulates conscious objects (Caleb) in the process of achieving this purpose. The latter requires not only the ability of introspection, but also an intentional stance towards the communication partner, which is a clear manifestation of self-awareness.
This is reflected in many places in the film and will be mentioned below. But here is a further point of view: Ava’s intelligence and self-awareness are almost entirely a natural person. When the film finally escaped from the cage, she looked back at the end of the stairs and smiled, just like an ordinary person couldn’t bear it. Live the natural expression of joy. Therefore, understanding Ava is very simple, just think of her as a normal natural person.
Let's talk about some scattered ones below.
1.
The argument that the movie shows the hidden worries about AI is obviously not supported by the content of the movie. It can also be that Ava just wants to save his life and live like an ordinary person. Only Nathan and Caleb stopped her to survive. The former was killed by Kyoko, and the latter was locked in the room by her. It is estimated that she would also die. From the angle of view, Caleb is the only person alive who knows that she is an AI, she can't risk letting him escape).
2. The scene where Nathan tears off Ava's painting is a multi-angle blinding technique. Standing at the point where Caleb or the audience saw the scene at the beginning, it seems that Ava drew a picture out of love for Caleb, and then it was torn off by Nathan. From Ava's perspective, she knew Caleb was watching, so she acted very seriously (another proof of Ava's self-awareness). From Nathan’s point of view, he wanted to know what the two were doing when the power was off, but he couldn’t install the camera under Ava’s gaze, so he acted as a fake, while Ava pretended to face the ground with a pile of confetti in a daze. Time to install the camera. This scene fully embodies Nathan's genius and cunning. It is a pity that he has exhausted his calculations and still underestimated Caleb, the testing tool he carefully selected. It may also be that the previous conversation with Caleb made Nathan feel that his IQ is worrying, so he relaxed his vigilance.
3. What is the essence of Kyoko, does she understand English?
I personally think that Kyoko is also a self-aware AI and can understand a little English. It's just that its intelligence is very low and weak, about the same as a child of one or two years old. Many times in the film, Caleb and Nathan talked with Nathan, or when Nathan watched the Turing test video, she gave the footage to Kyoko, indicating that she was listening attentively. Nathan asked her to serve Caleb, but she understood this service as her "service" to Nathan, so she undressed when she saw Caleb at night. As soon as the music sounded, she reflexively began to dance, just like a child. She doesn't speak English, so when she sees Caleb walking into Nathan's room and discovering the previous robot prototype, she can only tell Caleb that she is actually a robot by revealing her skin. In addition, it is understandable that she is full of resentment towards Nathan, and this emotion was realized by the witty Ava. So towards the end of the film, Ava saw Kyoko. In the next scene where they were together, Kyoko was holding a knife in his hand. It can be presumed that Ava asked Kyoko to get the knife, and then told Kyoko to fight her with Nathan. Kill Nathan at the time (clear planning ability and accurate implementation are inseparable from the judgment of Nathan's reaction, another proof that Ava has self-awareness).
4. About Mary's black and white room. This is a well-known thought experiment, often mentioned in artificial intelligence and consciousness theory. The basic idea is this. Mary is a scientist who studies color. She knows all the knowledge about color (including the wavelength of light, how the retina receives it, how nerve cells transmit visual signals, etc.), but she can only pass a black and white To observe a black and white room on a TV screen, in her subjective experience, there has never been all colors except black and white. Then one day she sees the colorful world outside, will she gain new knowledge because of it? What this thought experiment wants to say is that although people (or AI) can learn physical knowledge about color, they cannot get the experience of Qualia from physical knowledge. This thought experiment is actually similar to the Chinese House, and friends who are interested can search for it by themselves.
5. Why was Caleb locked in the room in the end? Didn't he crack the security system and change the default state when the power is off to cancel all access controls?
This can be understood in two ways. One is that the default state he set takes effect only when the power is off at ten o'clock. Because as far as he said the escape plan included keeping Nathan in the room. So if there is an unexpected power failure after they leave, wouldn't Nathan just escape? Another understanding is that Caleb was locked in the room not because of the power failure, but because he tried to use his card to use Nathan's computer, which triggered the security mechanism and caused the door to be locked. The specific plot needs to be watched again to confirm the movie.
———————— The following is a summary————————
The overall structure of this movie is rigorous, echoing back and forth, and the pace is a bit slow, but it is acceptable. The dialogue is very witty, there is almost no nonsense, it is the content that the audience cares most about. There are no flaws in the plot, and the connection is close, step by step. The most commendable thing is that it boldly creates a self-aware AI image, unlike many robots in movies that are either cold, blunt, or vulgar and mentally retarded. Alicia Vikander's shaping of Ava is perfect, finding an exquisite balance between the randomness of people and the precision and rigidity of machines. Domhnall Gleeson is just right for playing Caleb's mediocre and refreshing. Oscar Isaac's Nathan is very good. He reflects the eclectic, eclectic and somewhat elusive qualities of a genius and rich man.
The whole movie is also a visual enjoyment. The claustrophobic room formed a sharp contrast with the natural environment outside, and it just brought out the feeling that the moment Ava escaped from birth, it was as if Mary saw the world of flowers from the black and white room. The most important metaphor of the movie is that both humans and AI must evolve to perfection. Just as the original genetic material was born in the original soup, and the connection of neurons and the interaction between individuals created self-consciousness, Ava is the product of the flood of information in the future. At the end of the movie, Ava opened the cabinets containing the past prototypes one by one, and removed the materials she needed from them to perfect herself. This process was full of ritual and suffocating beauty.
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