If you loved
Ex Machina
Alex Garland · Film · 2015
You were captivated by Ex Machina because you enjoy questioning the boundary between human consciousness and its cold, synthetic reflections.
Books on the same thread
Speed Of Dark
Elizabeth Moon · Book · 2010
Much like the protagonist in Ex Machina, Lou faces a world that struggles to comprehend his unique consciousness, forcing you to reconsider what it truly means to be human.
The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder
Marissa Meyer · Book · 2012
If the mechanical identity crisis of Ex Machina held your interest, you will appreciate how Cinder navigates the blurred lines between her engineered biology and her genuine emotional humanity.
Feed
M. T. Anderson · Book · 2012
Ex Machina explores the consequences of technological integration, and this story expands on that unease by showing how constant digital connection can erode the very individuality you fought for.
Galatea 2.2
Richard Powers · Book · 2004
This novel mirrors the intellectual tension of Ex Machina by placing a human character in direct, high-stakes dialogue with a machine attempting to define the parameters of its own existence.
Series on the same thread
The Peripheral
Scott B. Smith · Series · 2022
Like the experiment in Ex Machina, this narrative draws you into a corporate conspiracy where the line between virtual simulation and reality becomes a dangerous, life-altering trap for the participant.
Upload
Greg Daniels · Series · 2020
While lighter in tone than Ex Machina, this series explores the same existential dread regarding the digital afterlife and what happens when consciousness is stripped of its original biological vessel.
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
You will recognize the claustrophobic corporate control found in Ex Machina as this story forces its subjects to confront the duality of their divided identities and hidden, programmed motivations.
I Am Not a Robot
Series · 2017
This story flips the dynamic of Ex Machina by focusing on the romantic complications of human interaction with a simulated intelligence, highlighting the fragility of trust in artificial relationships.
Podcasts on the same thread
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman · Podcast · 2026
If you wanted to dive deeper into the philosophical dilemmas posed by Ex Machina, these long-form discussions provide the real-world intellectual framework for the ethics of artificial consciousness.
Worklife with Molly Graham
TED · Podcast · 2026
The corporate environment in Ex Machina sets a dark stage for human manipulation, and this podcast explores the psychological realities of those high-pressure work cultures that breed such isolation.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Ex Machina about a coder visiting a remote retreat?
Yes, Ex Machina follows Caleb, a coder who wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain retreat of Nathan, his company's reclusive CEO. The film centers on his experience at this remote location where he participates in a unique artificial intelligence experiment.
What is the central experiment featured in Ex Machina?
The central experiment in Ex Machina involves Caleb interacting with the world's first true artificial intelligence. This AI is housed in a physical body, and Caleb is tasked with evaluating the machine during his week-long stay at the CEO's secluded mountain retreat.
Who directed the 2015 film Ex Machina?
The 2015 film Ex Machina was written and directed by Alex Garland. It explores the relationship between a coder named Caleb and a high-stakes artificial intelligence project developed by the reclusive CEO of the world's largest internet company.
Does Ex Machina feature an artificial intelligence character?
Yes, a core component of the plot in Ex Machina is the interaction between the protagonist, Caleb, and the world's first true artificial intelligence. This AI is contained within a physical form and serves as the subject of the experiment conducted at the remote mountain retreat.