As AI increasingly steps into roles requiring creativity and logic, narrative cinema provides a crucial space for examining what remains uniquely human. This highly interactive 25-minute Forum explores films about AI not just as entertainment, but as a productive pedagogical tool for ethical and philosophical reflection aligned with the “Human by Design” conference theme.

In this forum, we will use short, provocative clips from films like “Ex Machina” and “Her” as catalysts for immediate audience engagement. Through live polling, collaborative digital whiteboarding, and open-mic discussion, participants will deconstruct how cinema frames concepts of empathy, consciousness, and connection in humans and artificial beings alike.

The goal of this session is to collaboratively develop a description of “human distinctives”—traits that become clearer when contrasted against their artificial counterparts—and discuss how educators can use these narrative anchors to foster purposeful dialogue about identity in an AI-augmented world. This is a collective inquiry; come prepared to watch, react, and share.