Commentary: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Is A New Way Of Looking At AI
by Frank Martin
Artificial intelligence has been the subject of science fiction stories for decades. It’s appeared in everything from books, to television shows, to movies, and more. It’s been so prevalent that the concept of AI has entered the public consciousness. When the subject gets brought up, people instantly have images, thoughts, and ideas about what it is and what it isn’t. So, it’s refreshing and interesting to see stories take a different approach to how AI functions. M3GAN 2.0 did just that in a relatively small but interesting way.
The sequel picks up pretty much where the first film left off. M3GAN’s creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), has learned from her experience with the killer doll and is now actively preaching about socially conscious and helpful technology. Unbeknownst to her, M3GAN (Jenna Davis) survived their conflict and is living in the cyber world, watching to make sure Gemma’s niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), is kept safe. Unfortunately, another killer artificial intelligence named Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) is out to get Gemma, putting Cady in danger. So M3GAN implores Gemma to create a body for her so that she can fight back.
The film actually takes M3GAN’s motivations a step further. She tells Gemma that she needs a body because her consciousness is fading within the cyber world. She needs a body to house her artificial intelligence or it will cease to be. This concept runs contradictory to how a lot of artificial intelligence is portrayed in stories. AI is often depicted as this all-powerful computer program that becomes nearly unstoppable when connected to the Internet. However, this film takes the opposite approach. Yes, M3GAN does have unlimited reach while connected to the World Wide Web, but having a physical body is also vital to her existence. Without it, she will eventually die. It’s a fresh take on AI that is subtle but can have profound implications for the technology.
M3GAN 2.0 is now streaming on Peacock.
