In this episode, we explore how artificial intelligence has been portrayed in popular culture, from the replicants of Blade Runner to the feminized AI of Ex Machina. We examine the fundamental philosophical questions these stories raise: What constitutes life? What separates consciousness from programming? At what point would we need to recognize an artificial entity as deserving rights and autonomy?
The conversation takes us through foundational texts like Isaac Asimov's "The Feeling of Power" and Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," films like Zardoz and Logan's Run, and modern explorations of AI ethics. We discuss how these fictional portrayals often reveal more about human nature than about technology itself—particularly in how gender dynamics and toxic masculinity in the tech world manifest in our imagined AI futures.