10 Fictional AI Worlds Ranked From Utopian to Dystopian

pcmag.com:

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming the stuff of science fact, not just science fiction. But people are justifiably worried about what will happen when these digital brains become smarter than our squishy meat ones.

Thankfully, movies, video games and TV shows have given us sneak-peek possibilities as to what might occur when the machines take over. We’ve taken ten of the most notable examples and ranked them from utopian to dystopian, starting with the most benign ones and ending with those that truly terrify us.

Pros to being born under the geodesic domes of Logan’s Run: You get all your material needs taken care of and live an existence of pure hedonism and pleasure. Cons: It all ends when you turn 30 and have to ride the Carousel, which kills you. Sure, you can make a run for Sanctuary, beyond the ruling computer’s reach, but then you’re out in the ruined world with nobody for company but an old guy and his cats. If you’re here for a good time, not a long time, the AI utopia in this film would suit you well.

Stream Logan's Run on Apple TV+ or Prime Video.

Isaac Asimov is the writer most responsible for fictional-machine consciousness, having explored the idea in dozens of novels and stories. 1958’s All The Troubles Of The World was adapted into a film two decades later. A massive computer, Multivac, holds all of Earth’s information and guides governments, industries, and even individual lives. When tasked with predicting which individuals will commit crimes in the future, it goes off the rails and launches a convoluted plan that will result in its own destruction. AI having the self-awareness to realize it’s becoming evil is probably the best-case scenario here.

Not currently available

The HBO series