User Reviews

... from the world of A.I. as just about every possible scenario is forecast for its future use and application over every possible time scale - all through opinions, without too much evidence, from so called "geeks" and "nerds" who must have recently read Philosophy for Dummies.

Also doubles as a Terminator franchise promotion, because time travel is also likely to happen! Blade Runner would have been a far better reference for a lot of the discussions.

There is a variety of interesting (if at times somewhat shallow) subjects covered in this film, with some of the greatest minds in the field offering their insights. Unfortunately, it is severely undercut by ridiculous narration more on par with a paranormal documentary on the Discovery channel. The Baby X part was particularly interesting, would love to see a doc on that.

I really liked this film. The people interviewed were nearly all insiders not just external commentators. And some really important people who know what they are talking about. That gives is real weight for me. And they were allowed to speak properly, not cut into little sound bites. Didn't agree with some of what was said but hey - that's the point of a discussion! Really good film. Well made and personally I loved the 2001 theme with the narrator. Clever!

It was an amazing idea to slice and dice the thoughts of smart people into an insane salad, dress it with some insights from random quacks as deep as a tea spoon, then serve it as a "documentary".

How did Cameron deserve a right to have an opinion about the A.I.? By making a movie with a robot in it?

He also made a movie with a ship in it - well, now, let's ask his opinion on naval architecture and the problems of modern hydrodynamic engineering.

Instead of letting the smart people express their smart thoughts precisely and at length, the movie rips their words out of context and rearranges them to fit some weird alarmist narrative.

The four stars are specifically for Roman Yampolskiy, Sam Harris, Max Tegmark and Jurgen Schmidhuber.

Just finished watching. The movie was amazing. It is like they took my work, my friends, my dreams and interests and made an awesome documentary out of it. Very well made and scientifically accurate. A lot of star power! I loved the way the movie showed debate between the two disagreeing factions on the issues of AI risk. I am sure this documentary will change many lives and open many minds to the issues of AI Safety and security. Probably the most important documentary of the decade.

Discusses the potential of AI with clear, thought provoking questions. The variety of opinions expressed by featured leading academics gives you a wide picture of the future in this field, making you do exactly as the title entails. Talk about AI.

I thought this documentary was extremely good. As an amateur futurist and a professional grandfather - I think it should be compulsory for young adults and teenagers to watch. Thinking of my grand-children there are so many future career possibilities that one could identify, from the obvious computer programmer to the less obvious AI rights lawyer. I think parents of today should be educating their children in the ways of the future. The future now happens exponentially, so we need to get a handle on it much sooner, rather than just let it happen to us. This documentary is excellent fuel for thought and discussion. I really enjoyed the fact that Keir Dullea, the actor who was confronted with HAL in 2001 A Space Odyssey (which I did not appreciate at the time) was the narrator - I saw what you did there! Any flaws it may have had were superseded by the importance of the topic and the content. Watch it, think and act! Well done to all involved!

Thought provoking and extremely watchable documentary showcasing a balance of viewpoints from leading experts - the trouble is, they were all so convincing and backed up their arguments so well, I am not sure whose side I come down on. The most telling comment for me however, was the observation from one that 'the human race does not have a plan'. So now the AI genie has been released, are we hurtling across a minefield without a map towards doom, or salvation? And - another point of professional disagreement - will it take 40, 60, 100 or 200 years to find out? I have been talking about AI a lot since I viewed this.

This is a fascinating look at an important subject. As a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey I thought using Kubrick's film to frame this conversation was both relevant and entertaining. He warned us what might happen 60 years ago and this documentary explains why everything he said is still relevant. We do need to talk about it.

A refreshing new take on a subject dominated by either pretentious techno gurus or tin-foil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists. This documentary cuts through the morass of hype surrounding AI showing us both the people involved and the critics. The contrasting views presented offer a thought-provoking account of the divide between progress and morality that characterises this issue. Overall, a stimulating documentary, would definitely recommend to anyone with a brain.

I think the film is great! I've recommended to my friends and colleagues in IT to watch it as soon as they get a chance. I think currently in society the risks of AI (more specifically Artifical General Intelligence and Artificial Super Intelligence) are not understood by most people, even most IT and AI researchers, as the main focus (and main budgets) goes to ANI (narrow AI) that already makes is way into our society and has a lot of (potential) benefits in various fields including medicine (e.g. diagnosis of cancer, fighting pandemics), logistics, climate control, sustainability, etc.

It's brilliant that in this film Keir Dullea looks back on "2001" and his interactions with HAL. For most people outside the field of AI, HAL is still the most recognizable superintelligent AI computer. The documentary gives a very nice overview of the different stakeholders and views in the current AGI pro/con discussions (benefits of AI, robotics, warfare, existential risks for humanity, is it controllable or not?). Especially Bryan Johnson's quote ("What is our plan as a species? ... We don't have a plan and we don't realize it's necessary to have a plan.") keeps coming back to my mind. I think that's exactly the issue. Almost anyone in the field of AI (even more cautious people like Stuart Russell or Max Tegmark) assumes that AGI will soon be there (within the next 10 to 50 years). And many researches agree that there are very serious risks (including the existential risk) that come with this. However, when they talk about mitigation of these risks, the discussions become more unclear, e.g. Stuart Russell's suggestion of "Provable Benevolent AI", or Ben Goertzel's ideas on "decentralized AI". To me this doesn't make sense; we should first have a plan that proves the fundamental risks are mitigated before we move on. Or else put the AGI research on hold (if this is still possible...) like we did with genetic manipulation and cloning.

An unwitting victim of circumstance, 'We Need to Talk About AI' was released on April 20th this year with shockingly little fanfare. But, like its central topic, we really shouldn't let this insightful and thought-provoking feature documentary on artificial intelligence (AI) us by.

The latest creation from Leanne Pooley, the renowned Canadian director-producer behind the likes of 'The Promise' and 'Beyond the Edge,' 'We Need to Talk About AI' is an important addition to an ever-growing library of content on one of the greatest potential threats to mankind.

Pooley brings together an impressive roster of contributors, including director James Cameron; MIT's Max Tegmark, co-founder of the Future of Life Institute and author of Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence; and entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, founder and CEO of neurotechnology firm Kernel and contributor to Architects of Intelligence: The Truth About AI from the People Building it.

Along with a host of other big names, Cameron, Tegmark and Johnson look at where we're at with AI right now before thrashing out the issue of whether the existential risk posed by artificial general intelligence (AGI) - which might not exist yet, but will be able to do everything better than humans when it does - outweighs its potential benefits.

As the talking heads contemplate a droid-populated future, one we've so far only seen on the whimsical pages of sci-fi but also one far closer than we might imagine, their varied opinions clash.

That said, like any documentary filmmaker worth their salt, Pooley never allows the discourse to edge too far in either direction. Instead, the award-winner keeps all empirical and theoretical considerations as balanced as possible, joining the burgeoning ranks of AI realists seeking to explore one of the most pressing issues of our time - and before humanity turns the gun on itself.

In doing so, 'We Need to Talk About AI' asks some vital questions. What about the ethics? Would sentient robots have legal rights? What could happen if super-intelligent machines outsmart humans? What are the motivations of the tech giants trying to create such machines? Would they remain in control of their creations? How will machine-human interaction change as AI advances?

Actor Keir Dullea narrates. You might recognise him as Dr. Dave Bowman in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi epic, '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Pooley cleverly uses the film as a frame of reference throughout the documentary, showing how a cold-blooded - or should we say, no-blooded? - sentient automation like HAL 9000 could be, especially when its goals become inconsistent with our own.

Dullea's raspy narration is unquestionably on the hammier side of Hollywood, which - alongside all the allusions to '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'The Terminator' franchise - will no doubt attract some criticism. But I have a sneaking suspicion this was a deliberate move, aimed at bridging the two contrasting worlds in which these topics are usually addressed: those of science fact and fiction.

I've long argued looking at the imagined, sometimes over-theatrical - and often prophetic - futures of sci-fi tales is a perfect way to help plan for a future we can't predict with any real accuracy. And more's the point, there's greater excitement in coming at the problem wearing a non-rose-tinted pair of cyberpunk goggles.

When we debate existential topics like AI, we need someone to speak on behalf of humanity. In this instance, Dullea is the perfect choice because, in the film, that's exactly what his character does. An inspired pick, in my opinion!

On the technical side, Pooley successfully shoots for a tried-and-tested approach, mixing the above-noted talking head interviews with nifty graphics; the tickled ivories and synthy beats of a half menacing, half upbeat score; compelling moments from sci-fi movies; and loads of archival news footage.

The inclusion of such a broad range of material always works in a documentary to achieve that all-important variety. But here, it also helps in developing a real sense of urgency - and it manages to do just that without going totally doomster on us.

But, thankfully, although tempered by a shrewd degree of optimism, 'We Need to Talk About AI' does go a fraction doomster on us. The truth is we need those outside the tight-knit AI clique - storytellers and generalists like Pooley - to raise awareness about the potential dangers of AI. These folks have a wider appeal than tech billionaires (who few appear to trust or believe in) tend to enjoy, and we need them to use that wider appeal to slap the public awake so they can smell the WD-40 before it's too late.

At the moment, as discussed in the documentary, it feels a lot like we know about the imminent arrival of aliens on Earth as we choose to laze around with our feet up saying, "Ah, yeah, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

You can argue until you're blue in the face fears around AI are nonsensical, but let's not get to the point where we try to cross the bridge to realise it has already been destroyed by machines that don't care for us to go anywhere without their say-so.

To come at it from a different angle, nobody bothered planning for a global pandemic of this scale, despite repeated warnings from experts, and look where that got us: up Covid Creek without a paddle. The difference between coronavirus and AI is the threat from the former was immediate, and it seems humanity needs that immediacy before they can be galvanised into action.

Whether you believe machines will make or break the future of mankind, this documentary is certainly worth your time. It's ideal for those who know little about AGI, offering a comprehensive look at the major pros and cons. But there's still plenty of value here even if you've been following the topic closely in the media in recent years.

Humans could essentially be in the process of bringing back the dinosaurs, so what's an hour-and-a-half in the grand scheme of things if it means people can educate themselves out of the possibility of annihilation or subjugation? All we need to do is talk about it!

You can watch We Need to Talk About AI on Google Play, Amazon, Youtube or iTunes.

Disclosure: I'm in the documentary. I thought it was very well done and gave a balanced presentation of views about the future of AI and its impact on society. I was worried that too many "talking heads" might make for a boring documentary, but the filmmakers did an excellent job of weaving together the views of scientists with footage from movies and visually interesting AI projects. Quite thought provoking without being preachy. Well worth watching!

Very interesting dialogue, information and reflection from the experts in this field. It is thought provoking, as well as eye opening. While showing the good we know a.i. can accomplish it points out some of the negatives we may not have considered fully. It reminds us that not talking about what is coming in the future opens us up to potential chaos and disaster. Really enjoyed it.

Quality research work. Fantastic contentand very engaging.

Very informative on a a subject few people think about. Movie has information presented clearly by experts in the field, but suitable for the layman. Time well spent.

This is a thought provoking documentary that explores both the benefits and potential dangers of artificial intelligence. I really appreciated the wealth of experts representing different opinions and projected futures and they raised questions that I hadn't be even begun to consider. We are moving in this direction globally and understanding the implications and ethical questions before we got too far down a path is critical. Watch this film with your family and friends and let the discussion happen!

As per title, this documentary contains a very in depth look at what our future might hold!. It is very entertaining, along with important information on a subject that will hold viewers attention in the not too distant future!. Everyone needs to see this!