From HAL 9000 to M3GAN: what film’s evil robots tell us about contemporary tech fears

M3GAN, the AI companion gone rogue, encapsulates many of our anxieties about technology.
M3GAN 2.0. Image: Universal Pictures

By Adam Daniel, Western Sydney University

From the silent menace of Maschinenmensch in 1927’s Metropolis, to the relentless pursuit of the Terminator, to the campy violence of M3GAN, evil robots continue to resonate.

During the Cold War era, fears of nuclear annihilation and concerns over reaching a point where we could no longer switch off the machines led to the unforgettable T-800 and shape-shifting T-1000 in the first two Terminator films (1984 and 1991).

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