Romancing the Robot: The Artificially Intelligent Female Companion in Science Fiction Film Open Access

Abstract

This thesis examines the representation of female artificial intelligence in film through an in-depth analysis of prominent feminine android characters. Drawing on theories of corporeality, gender performance, and the controlling male gaze, this paper reveals the strange yet pervasive tendency of science-fiction films to sexualize and objectify the fictional android woman. In films such as Ex Machina, Zoe, Blade Runner 2049, and Her, we see female AI characters whose entire “lives” are dictated by either the men who created them, the men who own them, or both. The relationships between the dominant human men and their artificial women in these four films work to perpetuate the traditional heterosexual stereotype of female domestication and control. Through my analyses, I seek to call attention to the ways in which the combination of gender and technology in cinematic visions of the future produces new modes of female subjugation. 

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1

Themes…………………………………………………………………………………….3 History……………………………………………………………………………………..6 Literature Review………………………………………………………………………...10

Chapter One: Ava………………………………………………………………………………...14

Surveillance………………………………………………………………………………16 Gender Performance……………………………………………………………………..18 Relationship With Creator……………………………………………………………….19 Kyoko…………………………………………………………………………………….21 Evolution & Liberation…………………………………………………………………..23 Ava as the Mythological Woman………………………………………………………...26

Chapter Two: Zoe………………………………………………………………………………..28

Body Image & Insecurities………………………………………………………………28 Robo-Brothel……………………………………………………………………………..29 Artificiality & Surveillance………………………………………………………………31 Design Choices…………………………………………………………………………..32 Emotional Labor…………………………………………………………………………34 Mass Production & Disposability………………………………………………………..36

Chapter Three: Joi………………………………………………………………………………..39

Embodiment…………………………………………………………………………………….40 Domestication/ Lack of Autonomy………………………………………………………40 Surveillance & Insecurity………………………………………………………………..42 Desire For a Physical Form………………………………………………………………44 Evolution…………………………………………………………………………………46 Mass Production………………………………………………………………………….48

Chapter Four: Samantha…………………………………………………………………...…….50

Posthumanism……………………………………………………………………………50 Artificial Birth……………………………………………………………………………51 Turing Test……………………………………………………………………………….52 Insecurities & Labor……………………………………………………………………..53 Maturity & Evolution…………………………………………………………………….55 Desire…………………………………………………………………………………….58

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….64

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..67

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Film and Media Studies
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Cinematography Fine Arts Cinema
Keyword	Film and Media
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Daniel Reynolds, Emory University
Committee Members	Dr. Michele Schreiber, Emory University Dr. Benjamin Kruger-Robbins, Emory University Dr. Timothy Dowd, Emory University

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