Ever worry Alexa is going to turn on us all one day? That’s the gist of Afraid, a new science fiction horror film produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions.
In Afraid, John Cho and Katherine Waterston play a married couple with a young son (Isaac Bae) and a teenage daughter (Lukita Maxwell) who get an AI-powered digital family assistant called AIA installed into their home. AIA functions a lot like Amazon’s Alexa, but it uses AI to complete more complicated tasks like paying bills and motivating the kids to do their chores. Quickly, however, AIA’s powers and control over the family begin to grow, taking retribution against anyone who threatens the kids and bringing her mysterious “friends” to the house.
The film’s official logline reads, “In Afraid, Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns the family’s behaviors and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in her family’s way.” Watch the eerie trailer below.
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Written and directed by Chris Weitz, Afraid is set to arrive in theaters on August 30th. Riki Lindhome, David Dastmalchian, Havana Rose Liu, Greg Hill, and Keith Carradine will also star.
Afraid bears a resemblance to fellow Blumhouse tech-horror hit M3GAN, which followed an AI doll becoming self-aware and attempting to kill anyone who gets in the way of her young companion. It also bears a strong resemblance to the cult classic Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House, which featured an AI-powered house assuming a maternal role and, eventually, domineering the family. And for a third comparison, well, I’m sure there’s a Black Mirror script out there covering the “AI-powered home turns killer” situation.