Lately, I’ve been incredibly inspired by all the conversations swirling around artificial intelligence and its impact, its possibilities, and, yes, it's a little chaotic. With San José State University launching a new Human-Centered AI Certificate program in Fall 2025, the excitement around responsible, ethical AI is growing fast and it’s not just for computer scientists anymore, it can actually be for us thinkers, creatives, storytellers, and even researchers. I have always been fascinated with the way that AI technology intersects with human emotion.
My obsession with AI didn’t start with the latest chatbot or algorithm update, no it actually started at the movies. I was a teenager that I stood in line on opening night for T2 and absolutely loved it. There are many kinds of different AI depictions in the movies. There's the cold and calculated robot overlords. The sympathetic androids. The world-ending self-aware networks that make us wonder, hmmm could this actually come true? For decades, sci-fi has been trying to tell us something about AI and about ourselves. While some of it is wildly off the mark and made up, some of it hits shockingly close to home and even more so now that we really do interact with AI in every day life.
What Sci-Fi Got Right About AI
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Emotions, attachment, and human loneliness — In Her, a man falls in love with an operating system. Sounds far-fetched, right? Until you realize how many people already talk to their phones more than to other humans. (Hi Siri, Hi Alexa)
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Algorithmic bias and power imbalance — Ex Machina and Black Mirror have warned us about what happens when AI is developed without ethics or oversight. Spoiler alert: it’s not pretty.
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Dependence on automation — Have you ever seen the movie Wall-E? Yeah. Real talk: we’re just a few food delivery apps away from that reality.
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AI as a reflection of human fear and control — Sci-fi nails how AI often mirrors the worst parts of humans like when machines go bad in the movies, it’s usually because humans taught them how to be bad. Poor machines.
What Sci-Fi Got Wrong (But We Still Love It)
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Instant sentience — Sorry, but AI doesn't just wake up one day, achieve enlightenment, and start planning world domination before breakfast. (LOL here's looking at you, Terminator.)
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Unrealistic robotics — Clunky humanoid robots with glowing eyes are fun for dramatic effect, but real AI today is more likely to consist of a predictive search bar and not a metal skeleton with bad intentions.
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Good vs. Evil tropes — Ever wonder why AI in sci-fi is usually either the savior or the villain? In real life, we know that it’s messier, blurrier, and honestly not that easy to figure out.
Personal Story - Love N' Robots
Confession time: I was so obsessed with robots that I created a curated list of YA books called Love N' Robots. That might’ve been the moment I realized how drawn I am to the emotional side of tech, not the specs and circuitry, but the way we feel about machines. Do we fear them? Love them? Treat them like tools or like friends? This emotional complexity is something I still carry into every conversation I have about AI today.
If you're watching WarGames and wondering if a teenager could really hack into the Pentagon, the truth remains: Pop culture got us ready for AI before we even realized it.
Now that AI is here, quietly woven into our every day routines and lives, we have to ask: What kind of future does this hold for us?
If you share my love for movies with AI let me know. If you can't stand them, well let me know that too. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Stay tuned for more AI musings,
the Compassionate Librarian
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