Must Watch Movies on Data Science, Machine Learning and AI

Advanced artificial intelligence systems, humanoid robots, and machine learning are no more limited to science fiction movies. We experience these technological advancements in our everyday life. From cell phones to cars and from TV-sets to household appliances, machine learning is everywhere. 

Today, we experience faster connectivity and are moving towards the possibility of making the Internet of Things (IoT) more mainstream. Thus, the idea of machines taking over and controlling humans might sound too far-fetched. However, some challenges need attention, including ethical and moral facets of machines thinking and behaving like humans.

Here we will look at some exciting movies that showcase these moral and ethical facets of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the power of data science. These are must-watch movies on Data Science, Machine Learning, and Al for students who are pursuing MS in Data Science as well for other enthusiasts. If you are looking for the best institutes across the world, INSOFE, MIT and Stanford are some of the best options.

1. The Terminator:

Let us begin our ride with a cult classic, Terminator. The movie made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name as he portrayed a cyborg assassin from the future. It combines action, sci-fi technology, and the personification of machine learning. Cyberdyne Systems has created the humanistic cyborg, and he is known as T-800 model 101. 

They have designed him specifically for infiltration and combat. He is on a mission to kill Sarah Connor. And he has to complete his task before she gives birth to John Connor, who would become humanity’s ultimate savior after the robotic uprising.

The classic movie shows how advanced artificial intelligence works and how it perceives humanity as its biggest threat. In Terminator, John Connor is the lone man who can prevent the destruction of the human race, and he must send The Terminator back in time. 

2. Minority Report:

We use data science to study the current data and infer new information. But the movie Minority Report goes one step further and takes the viewers to a world where data is used to predict crime predispositions. A group of humans with psychic abilities (PreCogs) gives Washington police force information about crimes before the criminals commit them. 

The PreCrime police unit has to use visual data and other information by PreCogs to explore finer details in a crime and prevent it. However, one day, PreCogs predict that John Anderson, one of their own, will commit a murder. How will Anderson prove his innocence, and to what extent he will go? 

In his pursuit to show the PreCogs is wrong, Anderson must access the Minority Report. What information does the Minority Report contain? Watch the movie to experience a classic thriller. 

3.  Moneyball:

Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, and his assistant, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), face a monumental challenge of building a winning team for the Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics’ season. They are walking on a tightrope as they have a limited budget. Billy uses Brand’s computer-generated statistical analysis to overcome the challenge. 

Through statistical analysis, he analyzes players’ potential and assembles a highly competitive team. Billy and Peter use the historical data and predictive modeling to create a playoff-bound MLB team with a limited budget. 

The movie was released in 2011, and it gives a glimpse of data science’s uses in sports. Today, all major sports use a more complex system of data analysis to help athletes perform better. Thus, the movie Moneyball is a pioneer in the segment of machine learning for sports. It also highlighted the incredible power of Predictive Analysis. 

4. Her:

The movie Her is best known for Joaquin Phoenix’s incredible acting skills and portrayal of a character who lives less in reality and more in a virtual world. Her is a Spike Jones’ science fiction film revolving around the life of Theodore Twombly, a lonely and depressed writer. He is struggling to live alone and, to make matters worse, is going through a divorce. 

His lonely life takes a U-turn when he purchases an advanced operating system with a virtual assistant designed to adapt and evolve. The virtual assistant names itself Samantha. Theodore is in awe of the operating system’s emotional intelligence. Samantha connects with him emotionally, something which no other person has ever done. 

She uses a highly-advanced intelligence system to help with every one of Theodore’s needs. Eventually, Theodore becomes reliant on her. Samantha’s addition makes Theodore’s life cheerful, but he now faces an inner conflict of being in love with a machine. 

The movie is a beautiful reflection of a person’s various emotional states. It shows how a machine can fulfill a human’s emotional needs by using advanced AI. Phoenix’s acting takes the movie experience to the next level. However, the movie’s core idea that only humans can provide emotional warmth in the long term tells a lot about humanity’s future. 

5. Ex Machina: 

Alex Garland made his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller Ex Machina. The movie is unique as it does not talk about the threat of robots taking over humans. Instead, it focuses on the question: what if robots want the same civil rights as humans. The title of the movie comes from the Latin phrase ‘deus ex machina.’ It translates into ‘god from the machine.’

Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) is working as a programmer at an internet-search giant. His life turns upside down as he wins a competition to spend a week at the expansive private mountain estate of the organization’s intelligent and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). After some time, Caleb realizes that the competition was a farce. 

He understands that Nathan has chosen him to participate in the largest experiment of the century. His role is to build an artificial intelligence system from scratch, using personal data gathered from social networking sites. 

However, Celeb soon realizes he has put everybody in trouble as Ava (Alicia Vikander), the breathtaking A.I they create has more sophisticated and more deceptive emotional intelligence than the two men could have imagined. 

The movie is an incredible journey of a man who interacts with artificial intelligence to seek darker truths about humanity. This Alex Garland’s masterpiece won several awards for its engaging visualization, including the 2016 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.