Rob Reviews "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist"

A.I. has been science fiction for most of my life, but the last decade and a half have moved the concept leaps and bounds that many never saw coming.  As a man of a certain age, I have mixed feelings between wanting to embrace what seems to be the inevitable and staying cautiously optimistic.  Producer/director Daniel Roher take a great look at this topic from a number of angles with his latest documentary, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.

The film is introduced as he meets and marries his wife, and while he begins the process of taking a look at Artificial Intelligence and the role it plays in our lives, he finds out that he is soon to be a father.  With this knowledge, he pulls in experts on both sides of the issue alongside some surprises as he sees his world through different lenses: multi-generational lenses.

I could understand the hesitance of certain people to have ANY desire to see this film because of “tired head” with this topic, but let me try to tell you that this ain’t that kind of party.  Roher seems to run the gambit of opinions and emotions as he tries to not only wrap his head around the future of A.I. but also how it will affect the world he is bringing a child into.  His interviews are pointed and focused with his subjects, and they fuel a conversation that I think is truly long overdue.  There is no slant one way or another and does not filter any opinions brought forth on either side of the camera, which I appreciated.

For those that also think this subject matter may be above their head, I would say that should not be a concern either.  Roher and co-director Charlie Tyrell do their best to keep their narrative as simple as possible to explain the concepts they deal with here so as not to lose their audience.  I found it to flow nicely and never felt the need to have anything re-iterated to sink in.

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is one of those documentaries that may need to become a series, updating its data and following up with its subjects every few years because of the speed that the technology is moving. (Just this week, another big event in the space happened that cost companies BILLIONS of dollars, so that alone is justification.)  I truly enjoyed watching this film and even learned a thing or two, so check it out!