SXSW Q&A with Cast and Crew of 'Ex Machina' Page #3

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Do you know why they happen?

No.

The system was supposed

to be bulletproof,

but obviously the guys that

installed it f***ed something up.

Can't you just get them

to come back?

No. There's too much

classified stuff here.

So after the job was done,

I just had them all killed.

Anyway.

Here's to your

second day, buddy.

Cheers.

Cheers.

So how did it go?

What do you have to report?

You saw how the day went,

didn't you?

I mean, I assume you're, uh,

watching on the CCTV.

Sure. But I want to

hear your take on it.

Yeah, there was one interesting

thing that happened with Ava today.

Yeah?

Yeah.

She made a joke.

Right. When she threw your

line back at you.

About being interested

to see what she'd choose.

Yeah, I noticed that, too.

Yeah, and it got me

thinking, it's, uh...

In a way,

it's the best indication of AI

that I've seen in her so far.

It's discretely complicated.

It's like, um...

It's kind of non-autistic.

What do you mean?

She could only do that

with an awareness

of her own mind,

and also an awareness of mine.

Oh, she's aware of you all right.

And what about the power cut?

Sorry?

The power cut.

It's the only part

that I couldn't see.

Cameras fail,

I lose audio, the works.

So what happened?

Nothing.

Nothing? She didn't

remark on it at all?

No.

Not really.

Oh.

Hey.

Hey.

You want to see something cool?

This is where Ava was created.

Go ahead.

Take a look.

Sorry.

If you knew the trouble I had

getting an AI to read and

duplicate facial expressions.

You know how I cracked it?

I don't know

how you did any of this.

Every cell phone, just about,

has a microphone,

camera and a means to transmit data.

So I turned on every

microphone and camera

across the entire f***ing planet

and I redirected the data

through Blue Book. Boom!

Limitless resource of vocal

and facial interaction.

You hacked

the world's cell phones?

Yeah. And all the manufacturers

knew I was doing it, too.

But they couldn't accuse me

without admitting they

were doing it themselves.

Here,

we have her mind.

Structured gel.

I had to get away

from circuitry.

I needed something that could

arrange and rearrange

on a molecular level,

but keep its form when required.

Holding for memories.

Shifting for thoughts.

This is your hardware?

Wetware.

And the, uh, software?

Well, I'm sure you can guess.

Blue Book.

Here's the weird thing

about search engines.

It was like

striking oil in a world that hadn't

invented internal combustion.

Too much raw material.

Nobody knew what to do with it.

You see, my competitors,

they were fixated

on sucking it up

and monetizing via shopping

and social media.

They thought that

search engines were

a map of what

people were thinking.

But actually they were a map

of how people were thinking.

Impulse.

Response.

Fluid.

Imperfect.

Patterned.

Chaotic.

I drew the picture

of something specific.

As you asked.

You said it would be interesting

to see what I would draw.

Is it interesting?

Yes. It is.

You've never been

outside this building?

No.

You've never walked outside?

I've never been outside

the room I am in now.

Where would you go

if you did go outside?

I'm not sure.

There are so many options.

Maybe a busy pedestrian and

traffic intersection in a city.

A traffic intersection?

Is that a bad idea?

No. Uh...

It wasn't what I was expecting.

A traffic intersection

would provide a concentrated

but shifting view of human life.

People watching.

Yes.

Mmm.

We could go together.

It's a date.

There's something else

I wanted to show you.

Okay.

You might think it's stupid.

I don't think I will.

Whatever it is.

Then close your eyes.

Okay.

Now open your eyes.

How do I look?

You look

good.

This is what I'd wear

on our date.

Right. First a traffic

intersection.

Then maybe a show.

I'd like us to go on a date.

Yeah. Yeah.

It would be fun.

Are you attracted to me?

What?

Are you attracted to me?

You give me indications

that you are.

I do?

Yes.

How?

Micro expressions.

Micro expressions.

The way your eyes

fix on my eyes and lips.

The way you hold my gaze

or don't.

Do you think about me

when we aren't together?

Sometimes at night,

I'm wondering if you're

watching me on the cameras.

And I hope you are.

Now your micro expressions

are telegraphing discomfort.

I am not sure

you'd call them micro.

I don't want to make

you feel uncomfortable.

I got a question.

- Okay.

- Why did you give her sexuality?

An AI doesn't need a gender.

She could have been a gray box.

Hmm. Actually,

I don't think that's true.

Can you give an example

of consciousness,

at any level, human or animal,

that exists without

a sexual dimension?

They have sexuality as an

evolutionary reproductive need.

What imperative

does a gray box have

to interact

with another gray box?

Can consciousness exist

without interaction?

Anyway, sexuality is fun, man.

If you're gonna exist,

why not enjoy it?

What? You want to

remove the chance

of her falling in love

and f***ing?

And in answer to

your real question,

you bet she can f***.

What?

In between her legs,

there's an opening,

with a concentration of sensors.

You engage them

in the right way,

creates a pleasure response.

So if you wanted to screw her,

mechanically speaking,

you could.

And she'd enjoy it.

That wasn't my real question.

Oh, okay. Sorry.

My real question was,

did you give her sexuality

as a diversion tactic?

I don't follow.

Like a stage magician

with a hot assistant.

So a hot robot who clouds

your ability to judge her AI?

Exactly. So...

Did you program her

to flirt with me?

If I did,

would that be cheating?

Wouldn't it?

Caleb, what's your type?

Of girl?

No, of salad dressing.

Yeah, of girl.

What's your type of girl?

You know what? Don't even answer that.

Let's say it's black chicks.

Okay, that's your thing.

For the sake of argument,

that's your thing, okay?

Why is that your thing?

Because you did a detailed

analysis of all racial types

and you cross-referenced that

analysis with a points-based system?

No!

You're just attracted

to black chicks.

A consequence of

accumulated external stimuli

that you probably didn't even

register as they registered with you.

Did you program her

to like me, or not?

I programmed her

to be heterosexual.

Just like you were programmed

to be heterosexual.

Nobody programmed me

to be straight.

You decided to be straight?

Please.

Of course you were programmed.

By nature or nurture, or both.

And to be honest, Caleb,

you're starting to annoy me now,

because this is

your insecurity talking.

This is not your intellect.

Come with me.

You know this guy, right?

Jackson Pollock.

Jackson Pollock. That's right.

The drip painter.

Okay. He let

his mind go blank,

and his hand go where it wanted.

Not deliberate, not random.

Some place in between.

They called it automatic art.

Let's make this

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