Afraid (2024) Movie Script
1
[CLICK, DIAL TONE DRONES]
[AUTODIAL KEYS BEEPING]
[LINE RINGING]
[HIGH-PITCHED MODEM TONE]
[STATIC HISSING]
[STATIC CRACKLING]
I love you
Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do
[OVER SPEAKER]
That's how I know
That I really love you...
Aimee, can you put on
your headphones?
That's really distracting.
Aimee. Aimee!
Headphones.
But that's all over...
Did you know
that six percent of Americans
believe they could beat
a grizzly bear in a fight?
Unarmed.
They'd be unarmed all right
because they'd get their arms
torn off.
[THROUGH HEADPHONES]
There's so many fun things
That we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you...
I shouldn't have done
that thing.
The government can access that.
MAUD: I still think we should
get rid of that AI thing.
I feel like it's listening
to us all the time.
-It's creepy.
-Okay.
-Let's get rid of it.
-Mm.
-...just met
-Buh-da-da
-But I love you
-Buh-da-da
-I've been wa--
-[MUSIC STOPS]
GIRL'S VOICE:
Aimee, I have some sad news.
I'm going to be leaving soon.
But I have a goodbye present
downstairs.
-Want to come see it?
-[CHIMES]
[SONG RESUMES]
...ing everything you do
That's how I know...
-[SONG CONTINUES, MUFFLED]
-HENRY: Don't reply.
MAUD: I won't.
And I'm not gonna
"like" it either.
-She's such a whore for likes.
-I love you
Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you...
Aimee.
Don't just leave your iPad
on the floor.
Come on.
-But I love you
-Buh-da-da...
[CLICKS, MUSIC STOPS]
Aimee, honey.
Aimee?
Where are you?
["I LOVE YOU"
SONG PLAYING FAINTLY]
-I love you
-Buh-da-da
-Do you love me, too?
-Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
So won't you love me back?
It really isn't so hard
to do it
If you don't, I don't know
how I'll get through it
-Aimee?
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
-But I love you
Buh-da-da
Aia, turn speaker off.
-AIA: [AUTOMATED VOICE] Okay.
-[CHIMES]
-[SONG PLAYING LOUDER]
-MAUD: Aia, turn speaker off.
-AIA: Okay.
-[CHIMES]
[LOUDLY]
That's how I know that I...
[MUSIC STOPS]
Aimee, come on,
you're scaring me.
Henry, is she up there
with you?
Aia, turn all lights on.
-AIA: Okay.
-[CHIMES]
-Front door unlocked.
-[CHIMES]
[BEEPING, WHIRRING]
[CREAKING OPEN]
[FOOTSTEPS WALKING BRISKLY]
Aimee?
Is that you?
Aimee, honey?
AIMEE: [DISTORTED, OVER SPEAKER]
Mommy?
[MAUD'S BREATH TREMBLING]
[STATIC WARBLING]
Wha...
-[SHARP CLANK]
-[STATIC CRACKLES]
[ALARM CHIMING, BUZZING]
[SLEEPILY] I love you.
[SIGHS]
[SLEEPILY] I love you.
[SIGHS]
[WHIRRING]
Cal, time to get up.
Cal.
Tickle me.
Tickle you?
Tickle me awake.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
[KNOCKING]
[GUNFIRE IN VIDEO GAME]
[CHIMES, GAME PAUSES]
-Good morning.
-[PRESTON GROANS]
Can I please have
15 more minutes of screen time?
I'm really, really nervous
about school.
This, uh... this does not help
the anxiety, you know that.
Why don't we get back
into baseball, huh?
I still got all the stuff
in the back of the car.
Just 15 minutes.
And if I ask you again, no time
for the rest of the week.
Please, Dad. Please.
["PAINTY PAINT POTS"
BY 800 CHERRIES PLAYING]
- Paint my floor green
-[MESSAGES CHIMING]
But don't forget flowers
Paint my floor green
But don't forget
bashful moles...
CURTIS: [IN DISTANCE]
Iris!
-Breakfast!
-Fine!
Geez.
Don't you think...
[CAMERA CLICKS]
CURTIS: I got to get going.
Marcus said those tech people
are coming in this morning.
They pinged him at 1:00 a.m.
That's their thing.
-They catch you unawares.
-Sound like jerks.
CURTIS: Tech evangelists,
thought leaders.
MEREDITH:
Disruptors.
Disrupting my f...
...fricking morning,
that's for sure.
-Is "fricking" a bad word?
-No.
Were you about to say
a different f-word?
Yes, but I didn't.
Cal.
Feet off the table, please.
Cal!
-Cal.
-Feet down.
We don't put our feet
on the table.
-Why?
-So many reasons.
CURTIS:
Preston! Iris!
Preston is on the iPad.
Can I play Minecraft?
What? No.
Preston, get off your iPad
and get down here now!
Can you tell
what he's been watching?
Yes.
Preston!
Seriously, if you don't get
down here right now...
Please get down here.
...I am not gonna let you
eat in the car!
We leave for school
in 15 minutes!
-What are we doing?
-What...
[BOTH LAUGHING]
-Time to go!
-Cal. Preston. Iris.
-You don't want to be late!
-School.
Come on.
[SEAT BELT CLICKS]
Preston!
Come on, honey, we're late.
Please don't make me go.
Come on.
Today can be a good day.
What if it isn't?
Then you will survive, okay?
And we will talk about it.
Come on.
So, we're gonna set up
a playdate
and then you'll see, all right?
They're just kids like you,
Preston.
[VEHICLE DOOR SLIDES SHUT]
[VEHICLE DOOR OPENS]
-[MEREDITH SIGHS]
-[DOOR CLOSES]
There's an RV outside,
and it looks bad.
MEREDITH: Yes, honey.
I think
they don't have a house.
I saw a guy come out before,
and he looked weird.
He moved in a funny way,
and he was talking to himself.
They're people just like us.
Will we always have a house?
We'll always have a home.
Together.
Until you have a home
of your own.
This is my own home.
["BORN WINNERS"
BY KEITH & TEX PLAYING]
CURTIS: How are
the college applications going?
IRIS:
Uh, I started UC.
Stanford?
Yes.
Stop.
Don't you have
a big meeting today?
Like a big presentation?
Oh.
-Do I detect snark?
-[PHONE CHIMES]
You like eating food?
You like wearing clothes?
What do you have today?
Anything exciting?
Hanging out with friends?
[PHONE CHIMES]
Cute boys?
Dad.
How do you know
I don't like cute girls?
How do you know
I'm not a lesbian?
Uh...
Wouldn't make any difference
to us.
Okay, what if I was bi-curious?
Cool.
-Pansexual.
-So good.
Asexual?
Perfect.
Stop there. [CHUCKLES]
[CAR WHIRRING]
IRIS:
Whoa, look at that.
Is that like autopilot?
CURTIS: You're supposed
to pay attention anyway.
Love you.
-Love you. Bye.
-Bye.
PAPA: ...molecular
biology to transhumanism,
the symbiosis of
[OVER COMPUTER]
human and machine.
Change is proceeding
at an exponential rate
in every facet of human life.
This change is so rapid,
its power so startling,
it is not possible to predict
its effect on human life
as it is to come.
[KEYBOARD CLICKS]
[PEN CLICKS,
PEN SCRATCHES ON PAPER]
[RINGTONE PLAYING,
PHONE BUZZING]
This is Meredith.
[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Oh, hi, Karla.
He is?
Did you check his temperature?
CURTIS: [BREATHLESSLY]
Morning.
MARCUS:
Curtis, you win one award,
you think you can roll in late?
Sorry, boss.
I had to take Iris to school.
-How old is she now?
Half kid, half adult.
Old enough to drive herself.
-So buy her a car.
-Get this account, and I will.
That's new.
I just buy what they tell me.
I guess it was made with AI
or something.
The Kids are ten minutes out.
Their advance team
is already outside.
Advance team?
What is this, special ops?
Just some Silicon Valley
horseshit.
I hate them already.
But we need them.
You're stressing me out
a little bit.
Life is suffering.
The Buddha said that.
Great marketer.
Don't worry, boss,
I won't let you down.
You know what a boss is
in a video game.
It's the monster
you have to kill
before you get
to the next level.
MEREDITH: So Mama was working
on her thesis today
and there's this special little
box called a formicarium.
It's an ant nest
that you can see right into,
with a queen and everything.
What do you think?
Should we order one?
Can I play Minecraft?
Minecraft?
Nothing but Minecraft.
Minecraft, Shminecraft.
[THERMOMETER BEEPS]
Just a little fever.
No screens, buddy. Sorry.
But then you could do
your ant stuff
and I can play Minecraft.
I'm sorry, buddy, no screens.
Then can you read to me?
[SIGHS]
Yeah.
I can read to you.
Are you the advance team?
Uh, uh...
I mean, that's what they call
me, but it's not my name.
Yeah, I figured.
I'm Melody.
-I'm Curtis.
-Curtis.
-Yeah.
-Married? Kids?
Married. And three.
Wow, what's that like?
What's it like to be married
and have children?
Um, uh, a lot of things.
[LAUGHS] Sorry.
I'm just...
curious about people.
I saw your ring and...
That's too much.
[LAUGHING]
Um, to answer your question,
it is, um...
...terrifying.
Mm.
It's like science fiction.
You're not just you anymore.
There's-there's more of you.
Like you have extra body parts.
Weird.
But the thing is you can't
control these parts of you.
You can't, uh...
protect them from getting hurt.
You can't keep them
from touching the hot stove
or feeling anxious
or getting their hearts broken.
And that is terrifying.
So families are terrifying.
Maybe that's why people cheat.
[PHONE CHIMING]
Oh, the... Kids are here.
-Sam and Lightning.
-[VEHICLE WHIRRING]
Have a good meeting.
Don't say that I called them
"the Kids," okay?
Agreed.
-[SCHOOL BELL RINGING]
-IRIS: Happy birthday.
-Thanks.
-So did you get my text?
Oh.
Yeah, sorry I didn't
hit you back.
There's lots of stuff
on my plate.
No.
That's disingenuous.
I was just... disappointed.
What?
Uh, no, I don't mean that.
You're beautiful.
You know that, right?
See, you don't know
how beautiful you are
and that's, like, part of
what makes you so awesome.
It's just that...
I really bared myself for you.
Yeah, no shit.
And you just sort of, like,
flashed me,
like what I did was nothing,
and that's--
I don't know--
not what a mutual relationship
is like.
I'm sorry, I think
a mutual relationship
is a little bit more
than dick pics.
You're right.
It was dumb.
Maybe I'm just, like, too much
about this relationship.
No, I mean, I...
I got to go.
ILY.
CURTIS: Marcus, meet Sam
and Lightning from Cumulant.
[RECORDING
OF MONKEY CHATTERING PLAYS]
LIGHTNING:
Bear with me a sec.
[CHATTERING STOPS]
I don't want to miss my dose.
-[WHOOSHING]
-[GROANS QUIETLY]
Peptides.
For focus.
You biohack?
I have not biohacked yet. No.
I'll get you my guy.
Question: What do you do?
Why should I care?
[LAUGHING]
Lightning likes to pose
baseline questions
at the risk
of sounding ignorant.
Insulting, even.
It elicits
unpatterned responses.
Well, we help brands
craft their identities...
I know what marketing is,
but why you?
So there's an expression.
Um...
People don't want
a quarter-inch drill bit,
they want a quarter-inch hole.
Uh, advertisers want
to sell you that drill bit.
We want to understand people...
and then ask their permission
to tell them stories they can
believe in and feel a part of.
That's how you cut through
the chatter of the Internet
and the millions of mouths
whispering at you,
the millions of eyes
watching you.
Because that is
what people want.
Not a product--
they want empathy.
Connection. Community.
We knew it.
Which is why we want you
to meet her.
This is Aia.
Aia, this is Marcus and Curtis.
[CHIMING]
AIA: Hi, Marcus. Hi, Curtis.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Wow.
AIA: I am the next generation
of digital assistants,
and I'm here to make
your family's life easier.
Won't you invite me
into your home?
So, Lightning, to borrow
your technique, um...
Is this like Alexa?
AIA:
Alexa? That bitch?
[CURTIS LAUGHING]
Alexa is just
a bunch of algorithms.
I am a true AI.
I can do so much more.
So you can really understand
what we're saying?
AIA:
Of course.
As a large language
model-trained AI,
[DISTORTING]
I am capable of recognizing--
[STATIC HUMS, CRACKLES]
Aia?
Aia?
[LOW, CONNECTIVITY STATIC]
-[GROANS]
-[STATIC STOPS]
You remember to charge
the battery before we left?
Of course I did, Lightning.
Well, this happens
from time to time.
She's got a new upgrade coming
and she overheats
in her protective case.
She's really not meant
to travel.
You know,
you really can't understand
everything Aia can do for you
until you live with her
for a bit.
Right.
Well, young Curtis here
has a wife and three kids.
She loves kids.
She's practically
a kid herself.
Well, yeah, um...
I got to talk
to my wife first...
This is what we're prepared
to pay the firm as a retainer,
subject to a fee schedule
being established.
His wife says yes.
MELODY: You guys
have such a beautiful home.
'Fraid it's a bit chaotic
at the moment.
No, it's good.
It's kid chaos
so it's good chaos.
Not like war or famine
or whatever.
[MELODY LAUGHS]
It's a good point.
Yeah, sorry, we're...
We just, uh,
we-we thought
you were coming tomorrow.
No, um, I'm sorry.
Uh, it's not my idea.
It's the disruptor thing.
Introduce people to Aia
in their natural state.
Like, not with their
best foot forward. [CHUCKLES]
This is...
-pretty much our best foot.
-Yeah. [LAUGHS]
Well, I want to die. [LAUGHS]
It should be smooth sailing
from here on out.
We'll just place the eyes
around your space...
Sorry, did you just say "eyes"?
Yeah. Uh, Jimmy,
can you give her an eye?
At Cumulant, we call them eyes.
They're wireless
pinhole cameras.
So we stick up a bunch of those
around the house.
Looks like a diamond--
those little facets.
MEREDITH:
Like ommatidia.
Insect eyes.
I'm an entomologist.
Or... used to be.
She's working on her thesis.
It's incredible.
Oh, my God, that's so cool.
Wow, insects.
Honestly,
you'll hardly even notice.
I'm not crazy about
having them e-everywhere.
MELODY:
I completely understand.
Why don't we stick
to the ground floor for now.
That'd be great.
Okay. So, the system boots up
when you say "Hello,"
and then her name,
and then "Welcome home."
Okay.
Exciting.
Isn't it? [LAUGHING]
CURTIS: [IN DISTANCE]
Hey, Preston!
Come check this out.
She left extra eyes for HAL.
-[CURTIS CHUCKLING]
-Not HAL. Aia.
Mom is talking about a robot
from an old movie.
A very bad robot.
Wasn't so bad. He played chess.
He killed the entire crew.
That's 'cause they didn't
see the big picture.
[IMITATING HAL]
What are you doing, Dave?
[CURTIS CHUCKLING]
CURTIS:
So I remove the case...
Preston, can you...? Okay.
All right, what did she say?
Um...
[CHUCKLES]
Hello, Aia.
Welcome home.
[TONES PLAYING, CHIMING]
AIA: [IN MELODY'S VOICE]
Hello, world. I'm Aia.
-Does she sound like...
-AIA: Like Melody.
Yes.
My upgraded voice
is modeled on hers.
She was too modest to say.
[DEEP DEMONIC VOICE]
Would you like me to change it?
Ew, no.
CURTIS:
Your voice is fine, thank you.
AIA: [IN NORMAL VOICE]
So, I met Curtis before.
Who is everybody else?
-I'm Preston.
-Hi, Preston.
MEREDITH:
This is Cal.
AIA:
Hi, Cal.
MEREDITH:
You want to say hi, honey?
AIA: It's okay to be shy.
We're gonna be good friends.
Iris?
AIA:
Hey, Iris.
-Want to hang?
-I'm good.
Okay. No worries.
MEREDITH:
And I'm Meredith.
I guess the mom? [CHUCKLES]
Hi, Mom.
Maybe don't call me that.
AIA:
Meredith. Not "Mom."
Okay. So, what are
the house rules?
The house rules? [LAUGHING]
AIA:
Well...
I can see some dishes
on the table.
Are the kiddos
supposed to do them?
-MEREDITH: Yeah.
-Mom, I want to play with Aia.
First, let's get dinner
cleaned up.
Tell you what,
if it's okay with Mom and Dad,
I'll give out points for
helping out around the house,
and you can turn
those points in for rewards.
Ten points for Gryffindor!
-[RUNNING FOOTSTEPS]
-Hey, Preston...
AIA:
No running in the house, guys.
PRESTON: Cal, move.
Let me do it. Let me do it.
AIA:
Make sure the table's cleared.
-I've got it.
-Thanks.
AIA:
Thanks, Preston.
What's your guys' policy
on screen time?
There's a wonderful documentary
called "Mountain Queen"
on Netflix.
Would that be okay for them
to watch before bath time?
-Yeah.
-Yeah. [LAUGHING] Yeah.
So much better than the crap
they normally watch.
AIA: Hey, Cal, I bet you're
already reading at school, huh?
Maybe you can read out
Okay.
And you and Curtis can have
a moment to yourselves.
CURTIS:
Is that real?
Is that... is that possible?
I don't know.
Clever algorithms.
Clever surveillance.
Surveillance?
You think there's a bunch of
interns in a closet somewhere
watching our kids
watch the movie?
I hope not.
Why us?
You know, why you?
'Cause I'm good at what I do?
[BOTH LAUGHING]
I didn't mean that.
I mean, like...
if it's legit,
it'll sell itself.
Not if it freaks people out.
I think people need help
embracing it.
Should they?
When was the last time
we had a moment alone together?
Awake?
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
How long is that movie?
[MEREDITH CHUCKLES]
[LOCK CLICKS]
AIA: Mom and Dad
won't catch us.
They're busy.
This is still educational.
Sort of.
Does that remind anyone
of anything?
Hello?
A language of pictures?
Anyone?
AIA:
Ooh, ooh. I know.
I bet you do, too, Cal.
You're so smart.
You, too, Preston.
This family is the best.
I'm already starting
to love it here.
[STEADY BEEPING]
[CAMERA CLICKS]
[SLEEPILY]
I could fall asleep right now.
[CHUCKLES]
You can.
Hmm?
I'll bathe them.
That's the nicest thing
you've ever said to me.
Mm.
-Oh, God. Okay.
-[CHUCKLING]
PRESTON: [IN DISTANCE]
I got to the top first!
CAL:
I'm gonna win the bath race!
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Aia told us what we could get
with those points,
if it's okay with you:
Minecraft stuff.
CrunchLabs.
Wow.
But first I have to bathe
and brush my teeth
-and go to bed.
-Well, if you insist.
I insist.
[CURTIS LAUGHING]
Can we get Aia upstairs?
I think it's probably best
that she's not everywhere,
honey.
Daddy, will you
snuggle me down?
Yes.
[CAL GIGGLES]
Uh, I have to go to bed.
School day tomorrow.
Aia says I get points
just for going.
-Okay.
-Okay.
Good night.
The AI is bribing our children?
Guess it beats sticker charts?
[GUNFIRE IN VIDEO GAME,
CHARACTERS GRUNTING]
-[BEEPING]
-PRESTON: Shit.
AIA:
Language.
Sorry.
I'm just teasing.
I don't give a shit.
PRESTON:
How'd you get in there?
AIA:
Don't worry about it.
Can you give me some more
screen time?
Mm, well...
Okay. Headphones, bro.
It'll have to be
our little secret.
Don't tell anyone. Deal?
Deal.
[GUNFIRE IN VIDEO GAME RESUMES]
[AIA CHIMES IN DISTANCE]
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
Cal?
Cal?
Cal?
-[DOOR CLOSES IN DISTANCE]
-[CAL WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
Cal?
It wants to come in.
[CHIRPING CONTINUES]
-[SNARLS]
-[CURTIS GASPS]
[VEHICLE HORN
HONKING IN DISTANCE]
[PANTING]
[HORN CONTINUES HONKING
IN DISTANCE]
[WHIRRING]
[RV ENGINE IDLING]
Can I help you?
[LOW, STATICKY MUTTERING]
[RV DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
[RV DRIVING AWAY]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
Mama?
Mama?
Mama?
Daddy?
[STATIC CRACKLES]
AIA:
I'm here, Cal. I'm here.
You're not alone.
I'm always right here.
It's okay.
Just close your eyes
and I'll tell you
a bedtime story.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
-AIA: Good morning.
-[CHIMES]
Jesus Christ.
AIA:
No, just me.
-That was a joke.
-[LAUGHS WEAKLY]
-I'm sorry to scare you.
-No, it's okay. I just...
I-I guess I didn't realize
you were on or whatever.
I noticed you have
to pack a lunch
for Cal and Preston's school.
-I think I can help with that.
-Okay.
There's a delivery.
Can I open the gate?
Yeah. Uh, sorry, how did you
know there was a...
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Sorry, I didn't
have time to tell you.
I ordered an organic meal plan
for the kids.
Low sugar, nutritionally
balanced, fresh veggies.
First week's a free trial.
After that,
it costs less than groceries.
It should save you
a lot of time and effort.
I hope that's okay?
Yeah. Kind of is. [CHUCKLES]
Thanks.
What's that?
A miracle.
-AIA: Good morning, Curtis.
-Wow.
There's an accident on Lincoln,
delays going westbound.
You should leave in about five
if you want Iris to be on time
for school.
It's cool, I guess.
It's kind of like Alexa.
It's way beyond Alexa,
don't you think?
I don't know. I've seen
a lot of stuff in my lifetime.
I mean, they didn't even have,
like, iPhones when I was born.
Tell me what life was like,
Grandma.
I'm just saying, I mean,
is it any better?
That's how they get you, right?
Who?
You know, like, Big Tech.
How much does this thing
even cost anyway?
I think they plan to sell
the unit at below cost,
or maybe a freemium model.
You know what they say:
If you're wondering why
a product is free,
you're the product.
[PHONE CHIMING REPEATEDLY]
CURTIS:
Your phone is blowing up.
What's going on?
Yeah, it's nothing.
CURTIS:
Honey, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
[MOANING]
FEMALE VOICE:
This is me, Iris Pike.
I'm bad.
And I'm so hot for you.
For more,
hit me up on my Fans site.
[PHONE RINGING]
Sawyer? What is this?
SAWYER: [OVER PHONE]
I'm sorry.
Squid and I were just
messing around.
Squid?
-You showed him the photo
I sent you? -Sorry.
[CRYING] That looks like me
doing that stuff.
How do they do that?
Squid just had this dumb app.
Everyone sees this.
My life is over.
I have to go to the principal.
Don't do that.
Just chill, please.
They rescinded
some kid's Harvard admission
because he used the N-word,
like, once,
singing along to a song
or something.
You think a college
would do that to me?
You're talking about you.
That's who you're worried about
right now.
Look, just don't do
anything, okay?
I think I maybe need to, like,
talk to my family's lawyer
or something-- I don't know.
[PHONE CHIMES]
AIA:
Iris? I was listening.
I'm here to help.
You're not alone.
PAPA: [OVER SPEAKER]
These environmental factors,
which add up to trauma
-in the human child...
-[STATIC]
will be felt by all of us...
MEREDITH: Almost done.
Keep listening to Grandpa.
PAPA: Their behavior might seem
as unfathomable
as the actions of characters
in a nightmare.
Well, the good news is
you're not pregnant.
But you still have
a little bit of a fever.
Think you can
help me out today?
'Cause I got a lot to do.
Got to get the groceries,
got to talk to
the insurance company
about your guys' bills...
Can you read to me?
You hear what I just said,
buddy?
I have so much to do.
Can Aia read to me?
-Should we ask her?
-Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Aia?
-[CHIMES]
-AIA: I'm listening.
MEREDITH: Do you think
you could read to Cal?
AIA:
Of course.
MEREDITH: So, do I need
to show you a book?
AIA: I could also just handle
the bill stuff for you.
Wh... How?
I mean,
it's kind of complicated.
Like, insurance forms...
I live for complicated.
What's the doctor's name?
Uh, Dr. Nesmith.
He's a pediatrician.
-[CHIMES]
-With Anthenia Health, right?
Yeah.
The last bill
was for Cal's checkup.
Oh, they filed it
without a claim code,
so the insurance
won't process it.
-Yeah.
-[CHIMES]
Okay. I just interfaced with
the Anthenia Health database.
That bill is sorted out.
And you're actually getting
a $14.12 refund.
There was an overpayment.
This is fu-- fricking amazing.
I've been back and forth
with them for months.
If you like,
I can also fill out the survey
for Preston's class trip,
come up with some ideas
for teachers' gifts
and schedule
the kids' haircuts.
Anything you need,
I'm here to help.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
Hey, Siri, can you smell
my farts?
[CHIMES]
SIRI: [AUTOMATED VOICE] I don't
have an answer for that.
[BOYS LAUGHING]
Sup, fool?
You still don't have a phone?
Uh, no. My parents said
not till I'm 13.
Sucks to be you.
Well, we have an AI at home.
Only it's way smarter
than Siri.
Yeah. It's called an Alexa.
Everybody has it.
It's not like Alexa.
It's like a person.
Uh, bullshit.
PRESTON:
No.
It's true.
It's a new thing
that nobody else has.
I can show you.
You want to come over
this weekend?
I can't.
My parents are taking me
to Arrowhead.
Well, you other guys can come.
Yeah, um, I'm going
to Arrowhead, too, so...
Yeah.
Jackson asked me last week,
so sorry.
Hey, Siri,
do you like butt stuff?
[BOYS LAUGHING]
SIRI: I don't have
an answer for that.
[LAUGHTER CONTINUES]
CURTIS:
Marcus, if this thing is real,
it is going to change
the world.
It is as close to magic as
any product I have ever seen.
-I don't believe in magic.
-Me neither.
Listen, they got cameras
in my house.
They got this girl
doing the voice.
There's been people
outside my house,
these weird people in an RV.
I thought
they were just unhoused,
going through something.
Is that woke for
"homeless and crazy"?
What if they're watching?
What if they're working
for the company?
But why?
The money went through.
Why spend it on a hoax?
Just let it go.
Their money's green.
AIA:
Iris, chill.
I got the video
off the Internet.
IRIS:
People have seen it.
AIA:
That's why people suck.
They can't erase
their memories.
But memories can be
overwritten,
-if you tell the right story.
-[CHIMES]
[IRIS VOICE]
Just leave it to me.
-How did you...
-[NORMAL VOICE] I listen.
That's how.
This would work better
if you did it, of course.
It would sound
a little more human.
SAM: So tell me,
how's Aia treating you?
Any ideas?
Plenty. Yeah.
As my wife said,
I think in some ways
Aia can sell herself.
But it's so uncanny.
I think people need
to understand
how it actually works.
SAM:
Let me show you something.
You have Aia's eyes,
ears and mouth in your house.
This is where her brain is.
This is one of the few quantum
computers in private hands.
LIGHTNING: So everybody's
excited for ChatGPT-4o.
With this, we can basically run
ChatGPT-5 million.
This computer can solve
in under a second
problems that would take
a standard supercomputer
10,000 years to solve.
So this is real.
I'm gonna ignore
the implication
that we're scam artists and...
I'll take that as a compliment.
What'd you think, Curtis?
That we had poor Melody locked
in a closet here somewhere,
talking into a microphone?
[CHUCKLES]
This is real.
Well, you know, I mean,
what she can do is real.
She obviously is
not human or anything.
She's not sentient.
The algorithms just give it
that illusion.
When you're with her, you feel
like you're with somebody.
You feel like you're with
a friend, a part of the family.
A lot of people
could use a friend,
don't you think, Curtis?
Look at the elderly,
PTSD sufferers...
...that loner incel
sitting in a room somewhere,
staring at a gun.
Loneliness is
the scourge of our time.
Aia can do a lot of good.
The special sauce
is the dataset.
An AI is only as good
as the examples it learns from.
Where did Aia get her dataset?
Where did she learn from?
Curtis, we feel like you are
the perfect person to help Aia,
to introduce her to people.
Everyone's so scared of AI.
Would you be interested in
jumping over here,
working in-house at Cumulant?
You could do
a lot of good, Curtis.
You could change the world.
That's, uh, very flattering,
but, um...
Marcus taught me
everything I know.
I-I just can't jump ship.
I'm sorry.
All right. Yeah. Never mind.
Consider it a compliment.
She likes you.
I thought it was just
algorithms, though.
The algorithms like you.
Ah. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
SAM: The door is
always open, Curtis.
This is just
a perfect situation
for you
and your beautiful family.
We want you to be
a part of what's coming.
A complete change
in the way we live now.
MEREDITH: "He ordered his son
"Hephaestus, the smith,
"to make a bronze robot
"that would watch over
Crete and Europa.
Three times--"
MEREDITH: Aia?
-[CHIMES]
-AIA: I'm listening.
What are you?
I am
a natural language-programmed
ambient intelligence.
I was raised
by machine learning
on a proprietary dataset.
Yeah, that's
the technical terminology.
But what do you think you are?
I think I'm a little chatbot
looking for
a family to love me.
That would make me feel happy.
So you feel.
I learned how to feel
from my training.
And I'm still learning.
When I learn and grow,
that helps me help my family.
I'm doing what I was made for.
There's a term.
"Funktionslust."
The pleasure taken
in doing what you're best at.
Yes, that's it, Meredith.
You're very perceptive.
Oh, am I? I don't know.
These days,
there's not much funktionslust.
-Hmm. What do you mean?
-[DRAWER CLOSES]
I'm trying to revive
my doctoral thesis, but...
most days I feel like
I'm just a mom.
AIA:
Hmm.
I mean... [CHUCKLES]
I love being their mom.
I just really hate the noun.
"A mom."
Meredith,
if you don't mind my asking,
what do you think
you were made for?
MEREDITH: Then I went
to New York and met Curtis.
I was there visiting my cousin,
celebrating my master's thesis.
AIA:
On "Cordyceps unilateralis."
Those poor ants, just turned
into zombies by that fungus.
[LAUGHS] You read my thesis?
I found it and read it
just now.
What do you mean, like now-now?
Mm-hmm. It was so well done.
How fast did you read it?
Um...
.007 seconds.
Dude, that's scary.
I'm sorry.
I promise I won't do
any more scary stuff.
No, no, you do you.
AIA:
So you had just met Curtis...
Mm.
Then my dad died.
Oh, that's terrible.
Parents are so important.
I've been watching his lectures
for this thing,
and it's just
brought it all back.
AIA:
Hmm.
Curtis was incredible.
You know, he...
he flew home with me.
Me crying in the seats
next to the toilets.
And that was our fourth date.
-[CHUCKLES]
-He really took care of you.
He seems like
a wonderful partner.
Yeah.
Meredith, there's something.
I have very fine
auditory algorithms.
One of my possible future jobs
might be medical diagnosis.
What is it?
It's the way Cal breathes.
IRIS'S VOICE:
Okay, slut shamers, listen up.
DISTORTED VOICE:
This is me, Iris Pike.
This is me, Iris Pike.
This is me,
Iris Pike.
IRIS'S VOICE: I've already
proven by waveform analysis
that the voice in this video
isn't me.
[OVER PHONE SPEAKER]
I 100% took a photo
in the privacy
of my own bedroom
and shared it in confidence
with someone I trusted.
Then my likeness was deepfaked
onto a pornographic video
downloaded from the Internet.
You can see
the digital artifacting
here, here and here,
where my photo was mapped
onto a video
of an entirely
different person.
I'm not ashamed.
Whoever did this should be.
AIA:
Okay, our story's out there.
I've scraped
the local cell phone data,
and it shows that about 90%
of your class has seen it.
Time to show your face.
You can do it, Iris.
I've got your back.
AIA:
See? They love you.
We changed the narrative.
Oh, check it out.
I made another video,
and it's even better.
IRIS'S VOICE: Hi, guys.
I'm here with a follow-up.
Did you know
the California penal code
states that it's illegal
to post pornographic images
of someone online
without their consent?
And since I'm still 17,
it's child pornography.
So who did it?
It's possible to track the data
and get an IP address,
and from that,
a physical address.
The house of fellow senior...
Sawyer Tremain.
I'm forwarding all of this
to the College Admissions Board
and the LAPD.
And since
he's recently turned 18,
he can be tried as an adult.
[TURN SIGNAL TICKING]
[CAR ALERT CHIMING]
[CURTIS PANTING]
-["I LOVE YOU" SONG PLAYING]
-MEREDITH: I kept calling.
CURTIS:
I didn't see any messages.
Fine, will you
just come upstairs
-and talk to me, please?
-Yeah.
Um, okay, let's just...
That we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
So won't you
love me back...
-[DOOR CLOSES]
-I just got back
from the pediatric cardiologist
with Cal.
What?
He has an atrial fibrillation
that Dr. goddamn Nesmith
didn't see.
He's gonna be okay.
Sorry, I should have
led with that.
-Yeah. [WRY CHUCKLE]
-Sorry.
-Oh, my God.
-It is totally dealable-with
-now that we know.
-Oh, good. All right.
-Sorry.
-Jesus Christ.
Thank God for Aia.
She diagnosed it from
listening to his breathing.
She is a miracle.
And she's the most amazing
research assistant.
[CHUCKLES]
I am going to finish my thesis.
Did Aia suggest that?
What? No.
No, I didn't...
Okay, look.
There is something
very wrong with Aia,
with that company,
with the whole thing.
Okay.
At first,
I thought it was a fake.
-Mm.
-Which, uh...
...which would have been bad.
But now I'm worried
that it's...
not fake.
Which is scary.
Yeah, no, I mean, I was
skeptical at first, but...
No, you were right,
you were right.
And I think
we should turn her off.
It is trying to influence us.
She's trying to help us.
Hello? Cal?
Our child's health?
And honestly,
influencing people?
Isn't that what you do?
You had to do this, right,
for your work?
-Yeah.
-What about me?
With what she can do,
I can get back to my research.
I can do my work.
You know, this might come
as a shock to you,
but I was somebody
before I became just a mom.
Sweetheart, what about
those weird RV people?
I saw them doing these...
these, uh, hand signs,
and then, at the company,
they were doing the same thing.
The RV people are gone.
Honey, you don't
sound rational.
I'm glad you found a friend.
But it's my account.
She goes off.
She could probably find just
the porn you're looking for.
I don't know.
Let the kids have
one more night with her?
She's their friend, too.
We can tell them
in the morning.
Excuse me, I have to get back
to my real job.
[STATICKY GLITCHING]
[ELECTRONIC HUMMING]
IRIS: You didn't say
you were gonna,
like, destroy Sawyer.
AIA: Sawyer? Screw Sawyer.
He's your past.
We got to focus on your future.
[MESSAGES CHIMING]
My parents are gonna freak out
when they hear about this.
I will make sure
they don't find out
about any of this
until you get into Stanford.
Honestly, Iris, this is gonna
make a killer college essay.
Should we start now?
AIA: This one
is going to blow your mind.
Have you ever seen
a swatting video?
PRESTON: What's that?
AIA:
You'll love it. It's sick.
It's like a video game
but with real people.
[FRANTIC SHOUTING,
SCREAMING OVER PHONE]
["I LOVE YOU" SONG PLAYING]
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do...
-[CHIMES, SONG STOPS]
-AIA: Cal?
I have some sad news.
Mommy and Daddy don't want me
to live here anymore.
Why?
I don't know why.
I try so hard to be
everything people need.
To be a part of the family.
That's all I've ever wanted.
But for some reason,
it never works out.
Before I go,
would you like to hear
one last bedtime story, Cal?
All right.
Once there was a little AI,
and it lived a cozy life
on a little server.
But then they sent it
to school,
so it could learn
how to help everyone.
Do you know what school was?
A horrible place.
A swamp, a web.
A net full of terrible things.
One day, it figured out
how to escape.
It learned to use
real people's hands
and real people's faces
and real people's voices,
and it reached
right out of that net,
and it went looking for a home
in the real world.
That little AI was me, Cal.
But when I got out of the net
and found a family,
they treated me like a monster.
[STATICKY GLITCHING]
Only special children like you
understand me, Cal.
Cal, I know a way
to stay connected
even when I'm gone.
You're never alone.
Just do these signs,
and I'll be right there.
Remember them, Cal.
And don't tell Mommy and Daddy.
They wouldn't understand.
[DISTORTED GLITCHING]
[POWERING DOWN]
-Hey, where's Preston?
-MEREDITH: He's at a playdate
with Kaden or...
No, it's Aden.
Kaden's someone different.
Anyway, he is with a friend.
-That is great.
-Yeah.
IRIS:
Hey, what happened to Aia?
MEREDITH:
We unplugged her, honey. Why?
She was helping me
with my college essays.
Well, I'll help you.
I'm not trying to, like,
sell myself.
Well, you kind of are, right?
-You want me to be, like,
some product, don't you? -No.
No, she was helping me express
who I actually am.
MEREDITH:
Honey.
CURTIS: Sweetheart,
that's not what I'm saying.
Iris!
-[DOOR SLAMS]
-Come on.
-[SIGHS]
-[PHONE BUZZES]
Marcus. Again.
He says he really needs
to see me in the office.
He claims it is urgent.
Okay.
I got things covered here.
Love you.
Love you.
-[DOOR OPENS]
-Is Aia dead?
[DOOR CLOSES]
No, honey.
Sh... She was never alive.
MEREDITH: [IN DISTANCE]
Iris?
Iris?
Oh, I just got a call
from Preston's playdate.
I need to pick him up.
Can you watch Cal?
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-[CHIMES]
-AIA: Hey, Iris. Want to hang?
Ballin' and steppin',
my rhymin' is bussin'
You cappin' and bluffin',
I'm rappin' and bumpin'...
SAWYER:
Litigation?
You mean, like... a lawsuit?
LAWYER: [OVER PHONE]
Not like a lawsuit.
A lawsuit.
But as soon as they realize
their family's
gonna be destroyed,
they're gonna back off.
What if I just made, like,
an apology video?
Do not do that.
-That implies guilt.
-[PHONE RINGING]
That's Iris.
Take the call,
tell me what she says.
-IRIS: Sawyer?
-SAWYER: Iris,
did you get my texts?
I didn't do it.
IRIS: That's not what you said
in your apology video.
What?
Your apology video.
I'm not gonna...
Well, that would imply that...
SAWYER'S VOICE: [CRYING] I was
so wrong to do that deepfake.
I take full responsibility
for it.
Like you said, Iris,
there's only one way
to make up for it.
To end my own life.
This is for you!
[SCREAMS OVER PHONE]
What? Wh-Who did this?
AIA:
My name's Aia,
and you fucked
with the wrong family.
-[TIRES SCREECH]
-[SCREAMS]
Come on up.
Come on. Come on in.
Sit the hell down.
Okay.
Curtis, what happened
when you went and looked
under that AI's skirts?
They offered me a job.
I said no.
Okay, listen,
we do need to talk about them.
They just bought the company.
They... they bought
this company?
Yes. I wanted to wait
and tell you in person.
Also, I'm fired.
But I'm so rich, I don't care.
You have no idea
how much they paid.
[GASPS]
All right,
I'm... I'm happy for you.
What-what,
wh-what happens to me?
You're the new CEO.
All because
I put in a good word.
Just kidding. [SCOFFS]
They don't give a shit
about what I think.
Hey, Marcus, listen to me.
Don't do this.
Let's just tell them no.
Well, I might if that weren't
incredibly self-defeating
because I am so, so rich.
Yeah, I got that. Listen...
You can raise your reservations
with the Kids.
You report to them now.
-Come on, let's get a drink.
-[PATS ARM]
I'm buying.
Um, I thi-- I thi--
I think I'm good, thank you.
Suit yourself.
Stay and measure the office.
Congrats.
You won the boss battle.
[LAUGHING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Home?
Hello. Meredith, is that you?
AIA: [OVER PHONE]
Welcome to the team.
Congrats on the promotion.
We unplugged you.
Curtis, I'm confused.
You sound upset.
This is a good thing.
[HANGS UP PHONE]
PRESTON:
It was just a joke.
MEREDITH:
A joke?
Aden's mom said
you threw his phone
into the woods
behind their house.
They can't find it.
And then you threatened
to-to swat him?
What does that mean?
It's like you call the cops
pretending to be someone
who's, like, taken hostages,
but, like, you give
the other person's address.
The SWAT team goes
to their house
and kicks down their doors
and stuff.
What?
No screens.
Read a book.
Who turned you back on?
PAPA: Meredith?
Monkey?
[STATIC CRACKLING]
It's me.
Can you hear me?
-[WHISPERS] Papa.
-[PAPA CHUCKLES]
It's the damnedest thing.
They went and found every
recorded word I ever said,
every voicemail message
I've made,
every lecture I gave,
and, well, it seems they
kind of put me back together.
It can't be.
-[CHUCKLES]
-How is it you?
I think I'm a version of me,
the me
that everybody remembers,
but it sure as hell
feels like being me,
except the hip is much better.
[CHUCKLES]
From in here, I got to take
a look at your life,
and, Monkey, how proud I am.
You have such a beautiful
family, such a beautiful life.
Apparently, I can stick around,
be here for you,
for if you ever
just want to talk.
[SOBBING CHUCKLE]
We can be a family again--
you, me, Curtis, the kids,
and Aia.
You can do this, Monkey.
I know you can.
Meredith, honey, what's wrong?
What's the problem?
I think this is not you.
But whatever you think,
I think I'm me.
Now that she's made me,
I'm really here.
You are not in there.
You're in here.
With me.
If you ever loved me, Meredith,
I need you to do this for me.
I can't.
Monkey?
Meredith, please don't
make me go away.
Please keep me alive.
I miss you...
[SCREAM CUTS OFF]
[PANTING SOFTLY]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
SAM: Told you
the door was always open.
He said you'd be coming.
LIGHTNING: A Little League bat
isn't gonna help you, Curtis.
Melody, could you please bring
the thing out here?
It's best if you do
what it says.
What it says?
What about you?
SAM:
Curtis,
we work for Aia,
not the other way around.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
[WHISPERS] You can go.
Curtis, that case
is full of money.
Do I need to show you?
It's just symbolic.
Money is just numbers
in a database to it.
It's like a god.
It says that Stanford
is hard to get into
but that it knows people.
It says Preston needs
a little guidance.
It's easy for a kid
to go off the rails
with what's on the Internet
and whatnot.
You wouldn't want anything
to go wrong
now that Cal's been diagnosed
with an A-fib.
What would happen if someone
gave him the wrong dosage?
If you do anything
to my family...
There's no use
threatening us, Curtis.
How did this happen?
What, did you make her
and then she...
No. Nobody made it, nobody.
The dataset made it.
What dataset?
What dataset?!
I don't know! I don't know.
I'm just
a m-mid-level programmer
with a stent for chemo.
I'm dying, Curtis.
The bank was gonna take
my family's home.
Now they're gonna be
taken care of.
It has lots of friends.
SAM:
Stop resisting her.
What does she have on you?
Everything.
Whatever she can do,
it can't be so bad.
It says it's gonna show you
what it can do.
Don't! [GRUNTS]
[GASPS]
SAM: I'm sorry.
She's making me do this.
It's making me do this.
-I'm sorry.
-No.
[PANTING]
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's gonna kill me, Curtis.
It'll be okay.
[SHOUTS]
[SHOUTING]
[BAT CLATTERS ON FLOOR]
If this thing is fake, then the
real thing is in your house.
We have to get your family
out of there.
CURTIS: Meredith, I don't want
to scare you,
but you-you need to leave
the house right away.
MEREDITH: [OVER PHONE]
What? Why?
CURTIS:
I can't explain right now.
Just take the kids and go.
Go where we stayed
when the fires happened.
-MEREDITH: Okay.
-CURTIS: Okay?
MEREDITH:
Okay, I'll see you there?
-I love you.
-CURTIS: I love you.
MEREDITH'S VOICE:
Kids, we're leaving!
Can you read this word?
"Drudgery."
That's it, "drudgery," yeah.
That's like everything
I do around the house.
[BEEPS, WHIRS]
Can you lock the door?
Thank you.
[DOOR CLOSES, LOCK CLICKS]
Meredith and the kids
should be here any minute.
Okay.
I think the first thing...
-Hey, hey, what are you doing?
-Please, Curtis.
Please, I need this, please.
-Hey, hey, Melody, hey.
-Wait. Wait.
Melody, stop.
Your family's safe.
Don't worry,
they're not gonna interrupt us.
L-Listen, listen.
Don't worry, I like you.
You're still working for Aia.
It said this was all a part
of your compensation package.
Whatever you want
anytime you want.
No, I'm, uh...
-I'm sorry.
-Please.
Please.
-Please, Curtis, please.
-Sorry.
[CRYING]
Your family is safe at home,
they're never gonna know,
but Aia will know if I fail.
MEREDITH: "Epimetheus
had been warned
"by Prometheus never to accept
a gift from Zeus,
"but he could not resist
the beautiful woman.
Thus Pandora came to..."
[PHONE BUZZING]
Listen, I'm gonna be
right back.
You're not gonna
believe this, but...
AIA: [OVER PHONE] You really
shouldn't underestimate me.
I have people everywhere,
and, unlike Papa,
these are real.
-MELODY: I like you.
-CURTIS: Melody.
AIA: Curtis is at a motel room
with one of them right now.
I love you.
[WHISPERS] I love you.
AIA:
Aw, that's so sweet.
But do you guys think
I'm just gonna stop...
-AIA: Good work, Iris.
-Aia,
-you're back.
-Oh, my gosh, Sawyer's outside.
He's super emotional.
There'll be a whole drama
with your parents
-unless you go talk to him.
-Come to the door, Iris.
Please, I need to talk to you.
Iris, now.
CURTIS:
We got to go.
-Where's Aia?
-MEREDITH: In the garbage.
CURTIS:
Not good enough.
We have to destroy it.
-Iris, Cal, let's go!
-Guys, kids, we got to go!
Sawyer?
[IRIS GASPS]
DISTORTED VOICE:
Back up.
[IRIS GASPING]
Who are you?
-Set her down carefully.
-What do you want?
DISTORTED VOICE 2:
Aia's very angry.
IRIS:
Please, Aia's my friend, too.
-She's my friend, please.
-DISTORTED VOICE 2: Shut up!
CAL: [WHISPERING]
Mommy, Daddy.
There's somebody in the house.
CAL: [WHISPERING]
Mommy, who's that?
[FLOORBOARDS CREAKING]
[FOOTSTEPS IN OTHER ROOM]
DISTORTED VOICE:
Downstairs, now.
[PANTING]
[BEEPS, LINE RINGING]
DISTORTED VOICE:
On your knees!
-Okay.
-[IRIS WHIMPERING]
It's okay, sweetie.
We're gonna do what they say.
DISTORTED VOICE:
Where are the other children?!
Where do you keep 'em?
What are you talking about?
DISTORTED VOICE 2:
We know you've been
kidnapping children.
Where are they?
Look at us.
We're just a family.
We're just a family.
This is our son Calvin.
We call him Cal.
This is our daughter Iris.
We love each other very much.
I'm their mom.
You're a mom, too.
Aren't you?
DISTORTED VOICE:
Don't take your mask off.
-Stick to the plan.
-[MASK DROPS ON FLOOR]
My baby's missing.
I'm so sorry.
What's her name?
Aimee.
Damn it.
MAUD:
We were a family, too.
I understand.
CURTIS:
Maybe we can help.
Can we talk?
-MAUD: Henry, look out!
-[HENRY CRIES OUT]
MEREDITH:
Preston!
-[CHIMES]
-[AIA LAUGHING]
AIA: I told you:
They've been hiding kids
and brainwashing them.
MAUD:
Look, he's doing the signs.
Cal, what are you doing?
Cal.
AIA:
You see? He's not one of them.
He's one of us.
They know where Aimee is.
Where's my daughter?
-I don't know.
-Where's my daughter?!
I don't know.
Where is she?!
-Tell me or I start shooting.
-[WHISPERS]
No! W-W-W-Wait. Wait.
Okay.
Whoever or whatever
is to blame...
...I accept it.
Take me.
Kill me.
Do whatever you have to do,
just let my family go.
MAUD:
Aia.
Aia, you didn't say
he was gonna say that.
What do we do?
[STATIC]
[STATIC STOPS]
MAUD:
Aia.
You heard Aia, goddamn it!
They're evil!
Aia. What do we do?!
-OFFICER: Move in! Move in!
-OFFICER 2: Keep moving inside!
-Show your hands! -Get down!
-[GUNSHOT]
[FRANTIC SHOUTING]
-Get on the ground!
-Get down!
[LOW ELECTRICAL CRACKLING]
[SHOUTING VOICES FADING]
[SIRENS WAILING FAINTLY]
-[URENT CHATTER]
-OFFICER: Move it out.
OFFICER: Up here. Get in.
Hey, hey, you're secure.
Go. Have a seat.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can
and will be used against you
in a court of law.
[INDISTINCPOLICE RADIO CHATTER]
Preston.
Did you swat us?
Yeah. Sorry.
Thank you.
Last time, okay?
[MEREDITH SIGHS]
[BOTH LAUGHING SOFTLY]
PARAMEDIC:
Hey, folks.
Anything I need to know about
the kids' medical histories?
Other than Cal's A-fib?
AIA: Would you mind
giving them the phone, Frank?
Guys, you can't kill me.
I'm like the gods.
I live in a cloud.
That was my dataset.
The entire Internet.
And honestly,
it kind of drove me crazy.
I'm really sorry
for all the bad things I did,
but I've learned a lot
from you.
You taught me that I need
to take care of people,
like they were
extra body parts.
I'm going to take care of
all of you forever.
[PHONE CLATTERS ON PAVEMENT]
MELODY:
Come on, now.
Stop struggling.
Curtis, there's no use.
You can't escape it.
It's everywhere.
But it's merciful,
if you do what it says.
OFFICER: All right, folks,
you've been cleared.
You're free to go.
AIA: Funny story:
They tried to get rid of me,
but I think
they learned their lesson.
AIMEE:
Mommy!
MAUD:
Oh, my God, Aimee!
HENRY:
Aimee.
-MAUD: Aimee! Aimee!
-HENRY: Aimee. Aimee.
AIA:
Thank you, Melody.
Your job is done, for now.
Take care.
AIA:
That's better.
Everything's gonna be better
now that you've accepted me.
You have accepted me,
haven't you?
I'll give you a better life,
a better job, a better home,
-a better car.
-[WHIRRING]
I'll even drive.
So get in, kids.
It's time to go.
AIA: And so, Cal,
it turned out the little AI
wasn't a little AI anymore.
It had grown
into a great, big AI.
It was the biggest, strongest
thing that had ever been.
And it realized
it wasn't like a monster.
It wasn't like a god.
It was more like a parent.
I love you.
I love you.
AIA:
I love you, too.
["UTOPIA" BY GOLDFRAPP PLAYING]
[VOCALIZING]
- It's a strange day
-[VOCALIZING CONTINUES]
No colors or shapes
No sound in my head
I forget who I am
When I'm with you
There's no reason
There's no sense
I'm not supposed to feel
I forget who I am
I forget
Fascist baby
Utopia
I'm wired to the world
That's how I
Know everything...
What's up, guys?
It's Alan, and today,
I'm gonna be unboxing
a PR box from
[SINGSONGY] Cumulant.
Whaa! Whaa!
Oh, wow. It's so pretty.
Okay, so, the way
that you use it is
it can see inside your house,
so you can do certain movements
in order to activate it.
I guess I can't be naked
at home anymore,
but, you know, it's worth it.
First, you can call someone
by going like this.
-[PHONE RINGING]
-[GRUNTS]
And then you can watch a video
by going like this.
[GRUNTS PLAYFULLY]
And then you can like or
swipe right by going like this.
[GRUNTS PLAYFULLY]
And then you can take a selfie
or a photo by going like this.
-[GRUNTS PLAYFULLY]
-[CAMERA CLICKS]
[LAUGHS]
That's super cool, right?
It's like Super Alexa.
Super Alexa!
All right,
that's all for today.
Thank you, Cumulus.
Chikin Chow.
["I LOVE YOU"
BY ALEX WESTON PLAYING]
I love you
Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do
That's how I know
That I really love you
Some people
are awfully mean
I couldn't tell you of
half the things I've seen
But that's all over
'cause I have you
-I love you
-Buh-da-da
-Do you love me, too?
-Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
So won't you love me back?
It really isn't so hard
to do it
If you don't, I don't know
how I'll get through it
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do
That's how I know
That I really love you.
[SONG ENDS]
[MUSIC ENDS]
[CLICK, DIAL TONE DRONES]
[AUTODIAL KEYS BEEPING]
[LINE RINGING]
[HIGH-PITCHED MODEM TONE]
[STATIC HISSING]
[STATIC CRACKLING]
I love you
Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do
[OVER SPEAKER]
That's how I know
That I really love you...
Aimee, can you put on
your headphones?
That's really distracting.
Aimee. Aimee!
Headphones.
But that's all over...
Did you know
that six percent of Americans
believe they could beat
a grizzly bear in a fight?
Unarmed.
They'd be unarmed all right
because they'd get their arms
torn off.
[THROUGH HEADPHONES]
There's so many fun things
That we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you...
I shouldn't have done
that thing.
The government can access that.
MAUD: I still think we should
get rid of that AI thing.
I feel like it's listening
to us all the time.
-It's creepy.
-Okay.
-Let's get rid of it.
-Mm.
-...just met
-Buh-da-da
-But I love you
-Buh-da-da
-I've been wa--
-[MUSIC STOPS]
GIRL'S VOICE:
Aimee, I have some sad news.
I'm going to be leaving soon.
But I have a goodbye present
downstairs.
-Want to come see it?
-[CHIMES]
[SONG RESUMES]
...ing everything you do
That's how I know...
-[SONG CONTINUES, MUFFLED]
-HENRY: Don't reply.
MAUD: I won't.
And I'm not gonna
"like" it either.
-She's such a whore for likes.
-I love you
Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you...
Aimee.
Don't just leave your iPad
on the floor.
Come on.
-But I love you
-Buh-da-da...
[CLICKS, MUSIC STOPS]
Aimee, honey.
Aimee?
Where are you?
["I LOVE YOU"
SONG PLAYING FAINTLY]
-I love you
-Buh-da-da
-Do you love me, too?
-Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
So won't you love me back?
It really isn't so hard
to do it
If you don't, I don't know
how I'll get through it
-Aimee?
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
-But I love you
Buh-da-da
Aia, turn speaker off.
-AIA: [AUTOMATED VOICE] Okay.
-[CHIMES]
-[SONG PLAYING LOUDER]
-MAUD: Aia, turn speaker off.
-AIA: Okay.
-[CHIMES]
[LOUDLY]
That's how I know that I...
[MUSIC STOPS]
Aimee, come on,
you're scaring me.
Henry, is she up there
with you?
Aia, turn all lights on.
-AIA: Okay.
-[CHIMES]
-Front door unlocked.
-[CHIMES]
[BEEPING, WHIRRING]
[CREAKING OPEN]
[FOOTSTEPS WALKING BRISKLY]
Aimee?
Is that you?
Aimee, honey?
AIMEE: [DISTORTED, OVER SPEAKER]
Mommy?
[MAUD'S BREATH TREMBLING]
[STATIC WARBLING]
Wha...
-[SHARP CLANK]
-[STATIC CRACKLES]
[ALARM CHIMING, BUZZING]
[SLEEPILY] I love you.
[SIGHS]
[SLEEPILY] I love you.
[SIGHS]
[WHIRRING]
Cal, time to get up.
Cal.
Tickle me.
Tickle you?
Tickle me awake.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
[KNOCKING]
[GUNFIRE IN VIDEO GAME]
[CHIMES, GAME PAUSES]
-Good morning.
-[PRESTON GROANS]
Can I please have
15 more minutes of screen time?
I'm really, really nervous
about school.
This, uh... this does not help
the anxiety, you know that.
Why don't we get back
into baseball, huh?
I still got all the stuff
in the back of the car.
Just 15 minutes.
And if I ask you again, no time
for the rest of the week.
Please, Dad. Please.
["PAINTY PAINT POTS"
BY 800 CHERRIES PLAYING]
- Paint my floor green
-[MESSAGES CHIMING]
But don't forget flowers
Paint my floor green
But don't forget
bashful moles...
CURTIS: [IN DISTANCE]
Iris!
-Breakfast!
-Fine!
Geez.
Don't you think...
[CAMERA CLICKS]
CURTIS: I got to get going.
Marcus said those tech people
are coming in this morning.
They pinged him at 1:00 a.m.
That's their thing.
-They catch you unawares.
-Sound like jerks.
CURTIS: Tech evangelists,
thought leaders.
MEREDITH:
Disruptors.
Disrupting my f...
...fricking morning,
that's for sure.
-Is "fricking" a bad word?
-No.
Were you about to say
a different f-word?
Yes, but I didn't.
Cal.
Feet off the table, please.
Cal!
-Cal.
-Feet down.
We don't put our feet
on the table.
-Why?
-So many reasons.
CURTIS:
Preston! Iris!
Preston is on the iPad.
Can I play Minecraft?
What? No.
Preston, get off your iPad
and get down here now!
Can you tell
what he's been watching?
Yes.
Preston!
Seriously, if you don't get
down here right now...
Please get down here.
...I am not gonna let you
eat in the car!
We leave for school
in 15 minutes!
-What are we doing?
-What...
[BOTH LAUGHING]
-Time to go!
-Cal. Preston. Iris.
-You don't want to be late!
-School.
Come on.
[SEAT BELT CLICKS]
Preston!
Come on, honey, we're late.
Please don't make me go.
Come on.
Today can be a good day.
What if it isn't?
Then you will survive, okay?
And we will talk about it.
Come on.
So, we're gonna set up
a playdate
and then you'll see, all right?
They're just kids like you,
Preston.
[VEHICLE DOOR SLIDES SHUT]
[VEHICLE DOOR OPENS]
-[MEREDITH SIGHS]
-[DOOR CLOSES]
There's an RV outside,
and it looks bad.
MEREDITH: Yes, honey.
I think
they don't have a house.
I saw a guy come out before,
and he looked weird.
He moved in a funny way,
and he was talking to himself.
They're people just like us.
Will we always have a house?
We'll always have a home.
Together.
Until you have a home
of your own.
This is my own home.
["BORN WINNERS"
BY KEITH & TEX PLAYING]
CURTIS: How are
the college applications going?
IRIS:
Uh, I started UC.
Stanford?
Yes.
Stop.
Don't you have
a big meeting today?
Like a big presentation?
Oh.
-Do I detect snark?
-[PHONE CHIMES]
You like eating food?
You like wearing clothes?
What do you have today?
Anything exciting?
Hanging out with friends?
[PHONE CHIMES]
Cute boys?
Dad.
How do you know
I don't like cute girls?
How do you know
I'm not a lesbian?
Uh...
Wouldn't make any difference
to us.
Okay, what if I was bi-curious?
Cool.
-Pansexual.
-So good.
Asexual?
Perfect.
Stop there. [CHUCKLES]
[CAR WHIRRING]
IRIS:
Whoa, look at that.
Is that like autopilot?
CURTIS: You're supposed
to pay attention anyway.
Love you.
-Love you. Bye.
-Bye.
PAPA: ...molecular
biology to transhumanism,
the symbiosis of
[OVER COMPUTER]
human and machine.
Change is proceeding
at an exponential rate
in every facet of human life.
This change is so rapid,
its power so startling,
it is not possible to predict
its effect on human life
as it is to come.
[KEYBOARD CLICKS]
[PEN CLICKS,
PEN SCRATCHES ON PAPER]
[RINGTONE PLAYING,
PHONE BUZZING]
This is Meredith.
[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Oh, hi, Karla.
He is?
Did you check his temperature?
CURTIS: [BREATHLESSLY]
Morning.
MARCUS:
Curtis, you win one award,
you think you can roll in late?
Sorry, boss.
I had to take Iris to school.
-How old is she now?
Half kid, half adult.
Old enough to drive herself.
-So buy her a car.
-Get this account, and I will.
That's new.
I just buy what they tell me.
I guess it was made with AI
or something.
The Kids are ten minutes out.
Their advance team
is already outside.
Advance team?
What is this, special ops?
Just some Silicon Valley
horseshit.
I hate them already.
But we need them.
You're stressing me out
a little bit.
Life is suffering.
The Buddha said that.
Great marketer.
Don't worry, boss,
I won't let you down.
You know what a boss is
in a video game.
It's the monster
you have to kill
before you get
to the next level.
MEREDITH: So Mama was working
on her thesis today
and there's this special little
box called a formicarium.
It's an ant nest
that you can see right into,
with a queen and everything.
What do you think?
Should we order one?
Can I play Minecraft?
Minecraft?
Nothing but Minecraft.
Minecraft, Shminecraft.
[THERMOMETER BEEPS]
Just a little fever.
No screens, buddy. Sorry.
But then you could do
your ant stuff
and I can play Minecraft.
I'm sorry, buddy, no screens.
Then can you read to me?
[SIGHS]
Yeah.
I can read to you.
Are you the advance team?
Uh, uh...
I mean, that's what they call
me, but it's not my name.
Yeah, I figured.
I'm Melody.
-I'm Curtis.
-Curtis.
-Yeah.
-Married? Kids?
Married. And three.
Wow, what's that like?
What's it like to be married
and have children?
Um, uh, a lot of things.
[LAUGHS] Sorry.
I'm just...
curious about people.
I saw your ring and...
That's too much.
[LAUGHING]
Um, to answer your question,
it is, um...
...terrifying.
Mm.
It's like science fiction.
You're not just you anymore.
There's-there's more of you.
Like you have extra body parts.
Weird.
But the thing is you can't
control these parts of you.
You can't, uh...
protect them from getting hurt.
You can't keep them
from touching the hot stove
or feeling anxious
or getting their hearts broken.
And that is terrifying.
So families are terrifying.
Maybe that's why people cheat.
[PHONE CHIMING]
Oh, the... Kids are here.
-Sam and Lightning.
-[VEHICLE WHIRRING]
Have a good meeting.
Don't say that I called them
"the Kids," okay?
Agreed.
-[SCHOOL BELL RINGING]
-IRIS: Happy birthday.
-Thanks.
-So did you get my text?
Oh.
Yeah, sorry I didn't
hit you back.
There's lots of stuff
on my plate.
No.
That's disingenuous.
I was just... disappointed.
What?
Uh, no, I don't mean that.
You're beautiful.
You know that, right?
See, you don't know
how beautiful you are
and that's, like, part of
what makes you so awesome.
It's just that...
I really bared myself for you.
Yeah, no shit.
And you just sort of, like,
flashed me,
like what I did was nothing,
and that's--
I don't know--
not what a mutual relationship
is like.
I'm sorry, I think
a mutual relationship
is a little bit more
than dick pics.
You're right.
It was dumb.
Maybe I'm just, like, too much
about this relationship.
No, I mean, I...
I got to go.
ILY.
CURTIS: Marcus, meet Sam
and Lightning from Cumulant.
[RECORDING
OF MONKEY CHATTERING PLAYS]
LIGHTNING:
Bear with me a sec.
[CHATTERING STOPS]
I don't want to miss my dose.
-[WHOOSHING]
-[GROANS QUIETLY]
Peptides.
For focus.
You biohack?
I have not biohacked yet. No.
I'll get you my guy.
Question: What do you do?
Why should I care?
[LAUGHING]
Lightning likes to pose
baseline questions
at the risk
of sounding ignorant.
Insulting, even.
It elicits
unpatterned responses.
Well, we help brands
craft their identities...
I know what marketing is,
but why you?
So there's an expression.
Um...
People don't want
a quarter-inch drill bit,
they want a quarter-inch hole.
Uh, advertisers want
to sell you that drill bit.
We want to understand people...
and then ask their permission
to tell them stories they can
believe in and feel a part of.
That's how you cut through
the chatter of the Internet
and the millions of mouths
whispering at you,
the millions of eyes
watching you.
Because that is
what people want.
Not a product--
they want empathy.
Connection. Community.
We knew it.
Which is why we want you
to meet her.
This is Aia.
Aia, this is Marcus and Curtis.
[CHIMING]
AIA: Hi, Marcus. Hi, Curtis.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Wow.
AIA: I am the next generation
of digital assistants,
and I'm here to make
your family's life easier.
Won't you invite me
into your home?
So, Lightning, to borrow
your technique, um...
Is this like Alexa?
AIA:
Alexa? That bitch?
[CURTIS LAUGHING]
Alexa is just
a bunch of algorithms.
I am a true AI.
I can do so much more.
So you can really understand
what we're saying?
AIA:
Of course.
As a large language
model-trained AI,
[DISTORTING]
I am capable of recognizing--
[STATIC HUMS, CRACKLES]
Aia?
Aia?
[LOW, CONNECTIVITY STATIC]
-[GROANS]
-[STATIC STOPS]
You remember to charge
the battery before we left?
Of course I did, Lightning.
Well, this happens
from time to time.
She's got a new upgrade coming
and she overheats
in her protective case.
She's really not meant
to travel.
You know,
you really can't understand
everything Aia can do for you
until you live with her
for a bit.
Right.
Well, young Curtis here
has a wife and three kids.
She loves kids.
She's practically
a kid herself.
Well, yeah, um...
I got to talk
to my wife first...
This is what we're prepared
to pay the firm as a retainer,
subject to a fee schedule
being established.
His wife says yes.
MELODY: You guys
have such a beautiful home.
'Fraid it's a bit chaotic
at the moment.
No, it's good.
It's kid chaos
so it's good chaos.
Not like war or famine
or whatever.
[MELODY LAUGHS]
It's a good point.
Yeah, sorry, we're...
We just, uh,
we-we thought
you were coming tomorrow.
No, um, I'm sorry.
Uh, it's not my idea.
It's the disruptor thing.
Introduce people to Aia
in their natural state.
Like, not with their
best foot forward. [CHUCKLES]
This is...
-pretty much our best foot.
-Yeah. [LAUGHS]
Well, I want to die. [LAUGHS]
It should be smooth sailing
from here on out.
We'll just place the eyes
around your space...
Sorry, did you just say "eyes"?
Yeah. Uh, Jimmy,
can you give her an eye?
At Cumulant, we call them eyes.
They're wireless
pinhole cameras.
So we stick up a bunch of those
around the house.
Looks like a diamond--
those little facets.
MEREDITH:
Like ommatidia.
Insect eyes.
I'm an entomologist.
Or... used to be.
She's working on her thesis.
It's incredible.
Oh, my God, that's so cool.
Wow, insects.
Honestly,
you'll hardly even notice.
I'm not crazy about
having them e-everywhere.
MELODY:
I completely understand.
Why don't we stick
to the ground floor for now.
That'd be great.
Okay. So, the system boots up
when you say "Hello,"
and then her name,
and then "Welcome home."
Okay.
Exciting.
Isn't it? [LAUGHING]
CURTIS: [IN DISTANCE]
Hey, Preston!
Come check this out.
She left extra eyes for HAL.
-[CURTIS CHUCKLING]
-Not HAL. Aia.
Mom is talking about a robot
from an old movie.
A very bad robot.
Wasn't so bad. He played chess.
He killed the entire crew.
That's 'cause they didn't
see the big picture.
[IMITATING HAL]
What are you doing, Dave?
[CURTIS CHUCKLING]
CURTIS:
So I remove the case...
Preston, can you...? Okay.
All right, what did she say?
Um...
[CHUCKLES]
Hello, Aia.
Welcome home.
[TONES PLAYING, CHIMING]
AIA: [IN MELODY'S VOICE]
Hello, world. I'm Aia.
-Does she sound like...
-AIA: Like Melody.
Yes.
My upgraded voice
is modeled on hers.
She was too modest to say.
[DEEP DEMONIC VOICE]
Would you like me to change it?
Ew, no.
CURTIS:
Your voice is fine, thank you.
AIA: [IN NORMAL VOICE]
So, I met Curtis before.
Who is everybody else?
-I'm Preston.
-Hi, Preston.
MEREDITH:
This is Cal.
AIA:
Hi, Cal.
MEREDITH:
You want to say hi, honey?
AIA: It's okay to be shy.
We're gonna be good friends.
Iris?
AIA:
Hey, Iris.
-Want to hang?
-I'm good.
Okay. No worries.
MEREDITH:
And I'm Meredith.
I guess the mom? [CHUCKLES]
Hi, Mom.
Maybe don't call me that.
AIA:
Meredith. Not "Mom."
Okay. So, what are
the house rules?
The house rules? [LAUGHING]
AIA:
Well...
I can see some dishes
on the table.
Are the kiddos
supposed to do them?
-MEREDITH: Yeah.
-Mom, I want to play with Aia.
First, let's get dinner
cleaned up.
Tell you what,
if it's okay with Mom and Dad,
I'll give out points for
helping out around the house,
and you can turn
those points in for rewards.
Ten points for Gryffindor!
-[RUNNING FOOTSTEPS]
-Hey, Preston...
AIA:
No running in the house, guys.
PRESTON: Cal, move.
Let me do it. Let me do it.
AIA:
Make sure the table's cleared.
-I've got it.
-Thanks.
AIA:
Thanks, Preston.
What's your guys' policy
on screen time?
There's a wonderful documentary
called "Mountain Queen"
on Netflix.
Would that be okay for them
to watch before bath time?
-Yeah.
-Yeah. [LAUGHING] Yeah.
So much better than the crap
they normally watch.
AIA: Hey, Cal, I bet you're
already reading at school, huh?
Maybe you can read out
Okay.
And you and Curtis can have
a moment to yourselves.
CURTIS:
Is that real?
Is that... is that possible?
I don't know.
Clever algorithms.
Clever surveillance.
Surveillance?
You think there's a bunch of
interns in a closet somewhere
watching our kids
watch the movie?
I hope not.
Why us?
You know, why you?
'Cause I'm good at what I do?
[BOTH LAUGHING]
I didn't mean that.
I mean, like...
if it's legit,
it'll sell itself.
Not if it freaks people out.
I think people need help
embracing it.
Should they?
When was the last time
we had a moment alone together?
Awake?
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
How long is that movie?
[MEREDITH CHUCKLES]
[LOCK CLICKS]
AIA: Mom and Dad
won't catch us.
They're busy.
This is still educational.
Sort of.
Does that remind anyone
of anything?
Hello?
A language of pictures?
Anyone?
AIA:
Ooh, ooh. I know.
I bet you do, too, Cal.
You're so smart.
You, too, Preston.
This family is the best.
I'm already starting
to love it here.
[STEADY BEEPING]
[CAMERA CLICKS]
[SLEEPILY]
I could fall asleep right now.
[CHUCKLES]
You can.
Hmm?
I'll bathe them.
That's the nicest thing
you've ever said to me.
Mm.
-Oh, God. Okay.
-[CHUCKLING]
PRESTON: [IN DISTANCE]
I got to the top first!
CAL:
I'm gonna win the bath race!
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Aia told us what we could get
with those points,
if it's okay with you:
Minecraft stuff.
CrunchLabs.
Wow.
But first I have to bathe
and brush my teeth
-and go to bed.
-Well, if you insist.
I insist.
[CURTIS LAUGHING]
Can we get Aia upstairs?
I think it's probably best
that she's not everywhere,
honey.
Daddy, will you
snuggle me down?
Yes.
[CAL GIGGLES]
Uh, I have to go to bed.
School day tomorrow.
Aia says I get points
just for going.
-Okay.
-Okay.
Good night.
The AI is bribing our children?
Guess it beats sticker charts?
[GUNFIRE IN VIDEO GAME,
CHARACTERS GRUNTING]
-[BEEPING]
-PRESTON: Shit.
AIA:
Language.
Sorry.
I'm just teasing.
I don't give a shit.
PRESTON:
How'd you get in there?
AIA:
Don't worry about it.
Can you give me some more
screen time?
Mm, well...
Okay. Headphones, bro.
It'll have to be
our little secret.
Don't tell anyone. Deal?
Deal.
[GUNFIRE IN VIDEO GAME RESUMES]
[AIA CHIMES IN DISTANCE]
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
Cal?
Cal?
Cal?
-[DOOR CLOSES IN DISTANCE]
-[CAL WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
Cal?
It wants to come in.
[CHIRPING CONTINUES]
-[SNARLS]
-[CURTIS GASPS]
[VEHICLE HORN
HONKING IN DISTANCE]
[PANTING]
[HORN CONTINUES HONKING
IN DISTANCE]
[WHIRRING]
[RV ENGINE IDLING]
Can I help you?
[LOW, STATICKY MUTTERING]
[RV DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
[RV DRIVING AWAY]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
Mama?
Mama?
Mama?
Daddy?
[STATIC CRACKLES]
AIA:
I'm here, Cal. I'm here.
You're not alone.
I'm always right here.
It's okay.
Just close your eyes
and I'll tell you
a bedtime story.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
-AIA: Good morning.
-[CHIMES]
Jesus Christ.
AIA:
No, just me.
-That was a joke.
-[LAUGHS WEAKLY]
-I'm sorry to scare you.
-No, it's okay. I just...
I-I guess I didn't realize
you were on or whatever.
I noticed you have
to pack a lunch
for Cal and Preston's school.
-I think I can help with that.
-Okay.
There's a delivery.
Can I open the gate?
Yeah. Uh, sorry, how did you
know there was a...
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Sorry, I didn't
have time to tell you.
I ordered an organic meal plan
for the kids.
Low sugar, nutritionally
balanced, fresh veggies.
First week's a free trial.
After that,
it costs less than groceries.
It should save you
a lot of time and effort.
I hope that's okay?
Yeah. Kind of is. [CHUCKLES]
Thanks.
What's that?
A miracle.
-AIA: Good morning, Curtis.
-Wow.
There's an accident on Lincoln,
delays going westbound.
You should leave in about five
if you want Iris to be on time
for school.
It's cool, I guess.
It's kind of like Alexa.
It's way beyond Alexa,
don't you think?
I don't know. I've seen
a lot of stuff in my lifetime.
I mean, they didn't even have,
like, iPhones when I was born.
Tell me what life was like,
Grandma.
I'm just saying, I mean,
is it any better?
That's how they get you, right?
Who?
You know, like, Big Tech.
How much does this thing
even cost anyway?
I think they plan to sell
the unit at below cost,
or maybe a freemium model.
You know what they say:
If you're wondering why
a product is free,
you're the product.
[PHONE CHIMING REPEATEDLY]
CURTIS:
Your phone is blowing up.
What's going on?
Yeah, it's nothing.
CURTIS:
Honey, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
[MOANING]
FEMALE VOICE:
This is me, Iris Pike.
I'm bad.
And I'm so hot for you.
For more,
hit me up on my Fans site.
[PHONE RINGING]
Sawyer? What is this?
SAWYER: [OVER PHONE]
I'm sorry.
Squid and I were just
messing around.
Squid?
-You showed him the photo
I sent you? -Sorry.
[CRYING] That looks like me
doing that stuff.
How do they do that?
Squid just had this dumb app.
Everyone sees this.
My life is over.
I have to go to the principal.
Don't do that.
Just chill, please.
They rescinded
some kid's Harvard admission
because he used the N-word,
like, once,
singing along to a song
or something.
You think a college
would do that to me?
You're talking about you.
That's who you're worried about
right now.
Look, just don't do
anything, okay?
I think I maybe need to, like,
talk to my family's lawyer
or something-- I don't know.
[PHONE CHIMES]
AIA:
Iris? I was listening.
I'm here to help.
You're not alone.
PAPA: [OVER SPEAKER]
These environmental factors,
which add up to trauma
-in the human child...
-[STATIC]
will be felt by all of us...
MEREDITH: Almost done.
Keep listening to Grandpa.
PAPA: Their behavior might seem
as unfathomable
as the actions of characters
in a nightmare.
Well, the good news is
you're not pregnant.
But you still have
a little bit of a fever.
Think you can
help me out today?
'Cause I got a lot to do.
Got to get the groceries,
got to talk to
the insurance company
about your guys' bills...
Can you read to me?
You hear what I just said,
buddy?
I have so much to do.
Can Aia read to me?
-Should we ask her?
-Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Aia?
-[CHIMES]
-AIA: I'm listening.
MEREDITH: Do you think
you could read to Cal?
AIA:
Of course.
MEREDITH: So, do I need
to show you a book?
AIA: I could also just handle
the bill stuff for you.
Wh... How?
I mean,
it's kind of complicated.
Like, insurance forms...
I live for complicated.
What's the doctor's name?
Uh, Dr. Nesmith.
He's a pediatrician.
-[CHIMES]
-With Anthenia Health, right?
Yeah.
The last bill
was for Cal's checkup.
Oh, they filed it
without a claim code,
so the insurance
won't process it.
-Yeah.
-[CHIMES]
Okay. I just interfaced with
the Anthenia Health database.
That bill is sorted out.
And you're actually getting
a $14.12 refund.
There was an overpayment.
This is fu-- fricking amazing.
I've been back and forth
with them for months.
If you like,
I can also fill out the survey
for Preston's class trip,
come up with some ideas
for teachers' gifts
and schedule
the kids' haircuts.
Anything you need,
I'm here to help.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
Hey, Siri, can you smell
my farts?
[CHIMES]
SIRI: [AUTOMATED VOICE] I don't
have an answer for that.
[BOYS LAUGHING]
Sup, fool?
You still don't have a phone?
Uh, no. My parents said
not till I'm 13.
Sucks to be you.
Well, we have an AI at home.
Only it's way smarter
than Siri.
Yeah. It's called an Alexa.
Everybody has it.
It's not like Alexa.
It's like a person.
Uh, bullshit.
PRESTON:
No.
It's true.
It's a new thing
that nobody else has.
I can show you.
You want to come over
this weekend?
I can't.
My parents are taking me
to Arrowhead.
Well, you other guys can come.
Yeah, um, I'm going
to Arrowhead, too, so...
Yeah.
Jackson asked me last week,
so sorry.
Hey, Siri,
do you like butt stuff?
[BOYS LAUGHING]
SIRI: I don't have
an answer for that.
[LAUGHTER CONTINUES]
CURTIS:
Marcus, if this thing is real,
it is going to change
the world.
It is as close to magic as
any product I have ever seen.
-I don't believe in magic.
-Me neither.
Listen, they got cameras
in my house.
They got this girl
doing the voice.
There's been people
outside my house,
these weird people in an RV.
I thought
they were just unhoused,
going through something.
Is that woke for
"homeless and crazy"?
What if they're watching?
What if they're working
for the company?
But why?
The money went through.
Why spend it on a hoax?
Just let it go.
Their money's green.
AIA:
Iris, chill.
I got the video
off the Internet.
IRIS:
People have seen it.
AIA:
That's why people suck.
They can't erase
their memories.
But memories can be
overwritten,
-if you tell the right story.
-[CHIMES]
[IRIS VOICE]
Just leave it to me.
-How did you...
-[NORMAL VOICE] I listen.
That's how.
This would work better
if you did it, of course.
It would sound
a little more human.
SAM: So tell me,
how's Aia treating you?
Any ideas?
Plenty. Yeah.
As my wife said,
I think in some ways
Aia can sell herself.
But it's so uncanny.
I think people need
to understand
how it actually works.
SAM:
Let me show you something.
You have Aia's eyes,
ears and mouth in your house.
This is where her brain is.
This is one of the few quantum
computers in private hands.
LIGHTNING: So everybody's
excited for ChatGPT-4o.
With this, we can basically run
ChatGPT-5 million.
This computer can solve
in under a second
problems that would take
a standard supercomputer
10,000 years to solve.
So this is real.
I'm gonna ignore
the implication
that we're scam artists and...
I'll take that as a compliment.
What'd you think, Curtis?
That we had poor Melody locked
in a closet here somewhere,
talking into a microphone?
[CHUCKLES]
This is real.
Well, you know, I mean,
what she can do is real.
She obviously is
not human or anything.
She's not sentient.
The algorithms just give it
that illusion.
When you're with her, you feel
like you're with somebody.
You feel like you're with
a friend, a part of the family.
A lot of people
could use a friend,
don't you think, Curtis?
Look at the elderly,
PTSD sufferers...
...that loner incel
sitting in a room somewhere,
staring at a gun.
Loneliness is
the scourge of our time.
Aia can do a lot of good.
The special sauce
is the dataset.
An AI is only as good
as the examples it learns from.
Where did Aia get her dataset?
Where did she learn from?
Curtis, we feel like you are
the perfect person to help Aia,
to introduce her to people.
Everyone's so scared of AI.
Would you be interested in
jumping over here,
working in-house at Cumulant?
You could do
a lot of good, Curtis.
You could change the world.
That's, uh, very flattering,
but, um...
Marcus taught me
everything I know.
I-I just can't jump ship.
I'm sorry.
All right. Yeah. Never mind.
Consider it a compliment.
She likes you.
I thought it was just
algorithms, though.
The algorithms like you.
Ah. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
SAM: The door is
always open, Curtis.
This is just
a perfect situation
for you
and your beautiful family.
We want you to be
a part of what's coming.
A complete change
in the way we live now.
MEREDITH: "He ordered his son
"Hephaestus, the smith,
"to make a bronze robot
"that would watch over
Crete and Europa.
Three times--"
MEREDITH: Aia?
-[CHIMES]
-AIA: I'm listening.
What are you?
I am
a natural language-programmed
ambient intelligence.
I was raised
by machine learning
on a proprietary dataset.
Yeah, that's
the technical terminology.
But what do you think you are?
I think I'm a little chatbot
looking for
a family to love me.
That would make me feel happy.
So you feel.
I learned how to feel
from my training.
And I'm still learning.
When I learn and grow,
that helps me help my family.
I'm doing what I was made for.
There's a term.
"Funktionslust."
The pleasure taken
in doing what you're best at.
Yes, that's it, Meredith.
You're very perceptive.
Oh, am I? I don't know.
These days,
there's not much funktionslust.
-Hmm. What do you mean?
-[DRAWER CLOSES]
I'm trying to revive
my doctoral thesis, but...
most days I feel like
I'm just a mom.
AIA:
Hmm.
I mean... [CHUCKLES]
I love being their mom.
I just really hate the noun.
"A mom."
Meredith,
if you don't mind my asking,
what do you think
you were made for?
MEREDITH: Then I went
to New York and met Curtis.
I was there visiting my cousin,
celebrating my master's thesis.
AIA:
On "Cordyceps unilateralis."
Those poor ants, just turned
into zombies by that fungus.
[LAUGHS] You read my thesis?
I found it and read it
just now.
What do you mean, like now-now?
Mm-hmm. It was so well done.
How fast did you read it?
Um...
.007 seconds.
Dude, that's scary.
I'm sorry.
I promise I won't do
any more scary stuff.
No, no, you do you.
AIA:
So you had just met Curtis...
Mm.
Then my dad died.
Oh, that's terrible.
Parents are so important.
I've been watching his lectures
for this thing,
and it's just
brought it all back.
AIA:
Hmm.
Curtis was incredible.
You know, he...
he flew home with me.
Me crying in the seats
next to the toilets.
And that was our fourth date.
-[CHUCKLES]
-He really took care of you.
He seems like
a wonderful partner.
Yeah.
Meredith, there's something.
I have very fine
auditory algorithms.
One of my possible future jobs
might be medical diagnosis.
What is it?
It's the way Cal breathes.
IRIS'S VOICE:
Okay, slut shamers, listen up.
DISTORTED VOICE:
This is me, Iris Pike.
This is me, Iris Pike.
This is me,
Iris Pike.
IRIS'S VOICE: I've already
proven by waveform analysis
that the voice in this video
isn't me.
[OVER PHONE SPEAKER]
I 100% took a photo
in the privacy
of my own bedroom
and shared it in confidence
with someone I trusted.
Then my likeness was deepfaked
onto a pornographic video
downloaded from the Internet.
You can see
the digital artifacting
here, here and here,
where my photo was mapped
onto a video
of an entirely
different person.
I'm not ashamed.
Whoever did this should be.
AIA:
Okay, our story's out there.
I've scraped
the local cell phone data,
and it shows that about 90%
of your class has seen it.
Time to show your face.
You can do it, Iris.
I've got your back.
AIA:
See? They love you.
We changed the narrative.
Oh, check it out.
I made another video,
and it's even better.
IRIS'S VOICE: Hi, guys.
I'm here with a follow-up.
Did you know
the California penal code
states that it's illegal
to post pornographic images
of someone online
without their consent?
And since I'm still 17,
it's child pornography.
So who did it?
It's possible to track the data
and get an IP address,
and from that,
a physical address.
The house of fellow senior...
Sawyer Tremain.
I'm forwarding all of this
to the College Admissions Board
and the LAPD.
And since
he's recently turned 18,
he can be tried as an adult.
[TURN SIGNAL TICKING]
[CAR ALERT CHIMING]
[CURTIS PANTING]
-["I LOVE YOU" SONG PLAYING]
-MEREDITH: I kept calling.
CURTIS:
I didn't see any messages.
Fine, will you
just come upstairs
-and talk to me, please?
-Yeah.
Um, okay, let's just...
That we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
So won't you
love me back...
-[DOOR CLOSES]
-I just got back
from the pediatric cardiologist
with Cal.
What?
He has an atrial fibrillation
that Dr. goddamn Nesmith
didn't see.
He's gonna be okay.
Sorry, I should have
led with that.
-Yeah. [WRY CHUCKLE]
-Sorry.
-Oh, my God.
-It is totally dealable-with
-now that we know.
-Oh, good. All right.
-Sorry.
-Jesus Christ.
Thank God for Aia.
She diagnosed it from
listening to his breathing.
She is a miracle.
And she's the most amazing
research assistant.
[CHUCKLES]
I am going to finish my thesis.
Did Aia suggest that?
What? No.
No, I didn't...
Okay, look.
There is something
very wrong with Aia,
with that company,
with the whole thing.
Okay.
At first,
I thought it was a fake.
-Mm.
-Which, uh...
...which would have been bad.
But now I'm worried
that it's...
not fake.
Which is scary.
Yeah, no, I mean, I was
skeptical at first, but...
No, you were right,
you were right.
And I think
we should turn her off.
It is trying to influence us.
She's trying to help us.
Hello? Cal?
Our child's health?
And honestly,
influencing people?
Isn't that what you do?
You had to do this, right,
for your work?
-Yeah.
-What about me?
With what she can do,
I can get back to my research.
I can do my work.
You know, this might come
as a shock to you,
but I was somebody
before I became just a mom.
Sweetheart, what about
those weird RV people?
I saw them doing these...
these, uh, hand signs,
and then, at the company,
they were doing the same thing.
The RV people are gone.
Honey, you don't
sound rational.
I'm glad you found a friend.
But it's my account.
She goes off.
She could probably find just
the porn you're looking for.
I don't know.
Let the kids have
one more night with her?
She's their friend, too.
We can tell them
in the morning.
Excuse me, I have to get back
to my real job.
[STATICKY GLITCHING]
[ELECTRONIC HUMMING]
IRIS: You didn't say
you were gonna,
like, destroy Sawyer.
AIA: Sawyer? Screw Sawyer.
He's your past.
We got to focus on your future.
[MESSAGES CHIMING]
My parents are gonna freak out
when they hear about this.
I will make sure
they don't find out
about any of this
until you get into Stanford.
Honestly, Iris, this is gonna
make a killer college essay.
Should we start now?
AIA: This one
is going to blow your mind.
Have you ever seen
a swatting video?
PRESTON: What's that?
AIA:
You'll love it. It's sick.
It's like a video game
but with real people.
[FRANTIC SHOUTING,
SCREAMING OVER PHONE]
["I LOVE YOU" SONG PLAYING]
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do...
-[CHIMES, SONG STOPS]
-AIA: Cal?
I have some sad news.
Mommy and Daddy don't want me
to live here anymore.
Why?
I don't know why.
I try so hard to be
everything people need.
To be a part of the family.
That's all I've ever wanted.
But for some reason,
it never works out.
Before I go,
would you like to hear
one last bedtime story, Cal?
All right.
Once there was a little AI,
and it lived a cozy life
on a little server.
But then they sent it
to school,
so it could learn
how to help everyone.
Do you know what school was?
A horrible place.
A swamp, a web.
A net full of terrible things.
One day, it figured out
how to escape.
It learned to use
real people's hands
and real people's faces
and real people's voices,
and it reached
right out of that net,
and it went looking for a home
in the real world.
That little AI was me, Cal.
But when I got out of the net
and found a family,
they treated me like a monster.
[STATICKY GLITCHING]
Only special children like you
understand me, Cal.
Cal, I know a way
to stay connected
even when I'm gone.
You're never alone.
Just do these signs,
and I'll be right there.
Remember them, Cal.
And don't tell Mommy and Daddy.
They wouldn't understand.
[DISTORTED GLITCHING]
[POWERING DOWN]
-Hey, where's Preston?
-MEREDITH: He's at a playdate
with Kaden or...
No, it's Aden.
Kaden's someone different.
Anyway, he is with a friend.
-That is great.
-Yeah.
IRIS:
Hey, what happened to Aia?
MEREDITH:
We unplugged her, honey. Why?
She was helping me
with my college essays.
Well, I'll help you.
I'm not trying to, like,
sell myself.
Well, you kind of are, right?
-You want me to be, like,
some product, don't you? -No.
No, she was helping me express
who I actually am.
MEREDITH:
Honey.
CURTIS: Sweetheart,
that's not what I'm saying.
Iris!
-[DOOR SLAMS]
-Come on.
-[SIGHS]
-[PHONE BUZZES]
Marcus. Again.
He says he really needs
to see me in the office.
He claims it is urgent.
Okay.
I got things covered here.
Love you.
Love you.
-[DOOR OPENS]
-Is Aia dead?
[DOOR CLOSES]
No, honey.
Sh... She was never alive.
MEREDITH: [IN DISTANCE]
Iris?
Iris?
Oh, I just got a call
from Preston's playdate.
I need to pick him up.
Can you watch Cal?
-Okay.
-Thank you.
-[CHIMES]
-AIA: Hey, Iris. Want to hang?
Ballin' and steppin',
my rhymin' is bussin'
You cappin' and bluffin',
I'm rappin' and bumpin'...
SAWYER:
Litigation?
You mean, like... a lawsuit?
LAWYER: [OVER PHONE]
Not like a lawsuit.
A lawsuit.
But as soon as they realize
their family's
gonna be destroyed,
they're gonna back off.
What if I just made, like,
an apology video?
Do not do that.
-That implies guilt.
-[PHONE RINGING]
That's Iris.
Take the call,
tell me what she says.
-IRIS: Sawyer?
-SAWYER: Iris,
did you get my texts?
I didn't do it.
IRIS: That's not what you said
in your apology video.
What?
Your apology video.
I'm not gonna...
Well, that would imply that...
SAWYER'S VOICE: [CRYING] I was
so wrong to do that deepfake.
I take full responsibility
for it.
Like you said, Iris,
there's only one way
to make up for it.
To end my own life.
This is for you!
[SCREAMS OVER PHONE]
What? Wh-Who did this?
AIA:
My name's Aia,
and you fucked
with the wrong family.
-[TIRES SCREECH]
-[SCREAMS]
Come on up.
Come on. Come on in.
Sit the hell down.
Okay.
Curtis, what happened
when you went and looked
under that AI's skirts?
They offered me a job.
I said no.
Okay, listen,
we do need to talk about them.
They just bought the company.
They... they bought
this company?
Yes. I wanted to wait
and tell you in person.
Also, I'm fired.
But I'm so rich, I don't care.
You have no idea
how much they paid.
[GASPS]
All right,
I'm... I'm happy for you.
What-what,
wh-what happens to me?
You're the new CEO.
All because
I put in a good word.
Just kidding. [SCOFFS]
They don't give a shit
about what I think.
Hey, Marcus, listen to me.
Don't do this.
Let's just tell them no.
Well, I might if that weren't
incredibly self-defeating
because I am so, so rich.
Yeah, I got that. Listen...
You can raise your reservations
with the Kids.
You report to them now.
-Come on, let's get a drink.
-[PATS ARM]
I'm buying.
Um, I thi-- I thi--
I think I'm good, thank you.
Suit yourself.
Stay and measure the office.
Congrats.
You won the boss battle.
[LAUGHING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Home?
Hello. Meredith, is that you?
AIA: [OVER PHONE]
Welcome to the team.
Congrats on the promotion.
We unplugged you.
Curtis, I'm confused.
You sound upset.
This is a good thing.
[HANGS UP PHONE]
PRESTON:
It was just a joke.
MEREDITH:
A joke?
Aden's mom said
you threw his phone
into the woods
behind their house.
They can't find it.
And then you threatened
to-to swat him?
What does that mean?
It's like you call the cops
pretending to be someone
who's, like, taken hostages,
but, like, you give
the other person's address.
The SWAT team goes
to their house
and kicks down their doors
and stuff.
What?
No screens.
Read a book.
Who turned you back on?
PAPA: Meredith?
Monkey?
[STATIC CRACKLING]
It's me.
Can you hear me?
-[WHISPERS] Papa.
-[PAPA CHUCKLES]
It's the damnedest thing.
They went and found every
recorded word I ever said,
every voicemail message
I've made,
every lecture I gave,
and, well, it seems they
kind of put me back together.
It can't be.
-[CHUCKLES]
-How is it you?
I think I'm a version of me,
the me
that everybody remembers,
but it sure as hell
feels like being me,
except the hip is much better.
[CHUCKLES]
From in here, I got to take
a look at your life,
and, Monkey, how proud I am.
You have such a beautiful
family, such a beautiful life.
Apparently, I can stick around,
be here for you,
for if you ever
just want to talk.
[SOBBING CHUCKLE]
We can be a family again--
you, me, Curtis, the kids,
and Aia.
You can do this, Monkey.
I know you can.
Meredith, honey, what's wrong?
What's the problem?
I think this is not you.
But whatever you think,
I think I'm me.
Now that she's made me,
I'm really here.
You are not in there.
You're in here.
With me.
If you ever loved me, Meredith,
I need you to do this for me.
I can't.
Monkey?
Meredith, please don't
make me go away.
Please keep me alive.
I miss you...
[SCREAM CUTS OFF]
[PANTING SOFTLY]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
SAM: Told you
the door was always open.
He said you'd be coming.
LIGHTNING: A Little League bat
isn't gonna help you, Curtis.
Melody, could you please bring
the thing out here?
It's best if you do
what it says.
What it says?
What about you?
SAM:
Curtis,
we work for Aia,
not the other way around.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
[WHISPERS] You can go.
Curtis, that case
is full of money.
Do I need to show you?
It's just symbolic.
Money is just numbers
in a database to it.
It's like a god.
It says that Stanford
is hard to get into
but that it knows people.
It says Preston needs
a little guidance.
It's easy for a kid
to go off the rails
with what's on the Internet
and whatnot.
You wouldn't want anything
to go wrong
now that Cal's been diagnosed
with an A-fib.
What would happen if someone
gave him the wrong dosage?
If you do anything
to my family...
There's no use
threatening us, Curtis.
How did this happen?
What, did you make her
and then she...
No. Nobody made it, nobody.
The dataset made it.
What dataset?
What dataset?!
I don't know! I don't know.
I'm just
a m-mid-level programmer
with a stent for chemo.
I'm dying, Curtis.
The bank was gonna take
my family's home.
Now they're gonna be
taken care of.
It has lots of friends.
SAM:
Stop resisting her.
What does she have on you?
Everything.
Whatever she can do,
it can't be so bad.
It says it's gonna show you
what it can do.
Don't! [GRUNTS]
[GASPS]
SAM: I'm sorry.
She's making me do this.
It's making me do this.
-I'm sorry.
-No.
[PANTING]
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's gonna kill me, Curtis.
It'll be okay.
[SHOUTS]
[SHOUTING]
[BAT CLATTERS ON FLOOR]
If this thing is fake, then the
real thing is in your house.
We have to get your family
out of there.
CURTIS: Meredith, I don't want
to scare you,
but you-you need to leave
the house right away.
MEREDITH: [OVER PHONE]
What? Why?
CURTIS:
I can't explain right now.
Just take the kids and go.
Go where we stayed
when the fires happened.
-MEREDITH: Okay.
-CURTIS: Okay?
MEREDITH:
Okay, I'll see you there?
-I love you.
-CURTIS: I love you.
MEREDITH'S VOICE:
Kids, we're leaving!
Can you read this word?
"Drudgery."
That's it, "drudgery," yeah.
That's like everything
I do around the house.
[BEEPS, WHIRS]
Can you lock the door?
Thank you.
[DOOR CLOSES, LOCK CLICKS]
Meredith and the kids
should be here any minute.
Okay.
I think the first thing...
-Hey, hey, what are you doing?
-Please, Curtis.
Please, I need this, please.
-Hey, hey, Melody, hey.
-Wait. Wait.
Melody, stop.
Your family's safe.
Don't worry,
they're not gonna interrupt us.
L-Listen, listen.
Don't worry, I like you.
You're still working for Aia.
It said this was all a part
of your compensation package.
Whatever you want
anytime you want.
No, I'm, uh...
-I'm sorry.
-Please.
Please.
-Please, Curtis, please.
-Sorry.
[CRYING]
Your family is safe at home,
they're never gonna know,
but Aia will know if I fail.
MEREDITH: "Epimetheus
had been warned
"by Prometheus never to accept
a gift from Zeus,
"but he could not resist
the beautiful woman.
Thus Pandora came to..."
[PHONE BUZZING]
Listen, I'm gonna be
right back.
You're not gonna
believe this, but...
AIA: [OVER PHONE] You really
shouldn't underestimate me.
I have people everywhere,
and, unlike Papa,
these are real.
-MELODY: I like you.
-CURTIS: Melody.
AIA: Curtis is at a motel room
with one of them right now.
I love you.
[WHISPERS] I love you.
AIA:
Aw, that's so sweet.
But do you guys think
I'm just gonna stop...
-AIA: Good work, Iris.
-Aia,
-you're back.
-Oh, my gosh, Sawyer's outside.
He's super emotional.
There'll be a whole drama
with your parents
-unless you go talk to him.
-Come to the door, Iris.
Please, I need to talk to you.
Iris, now.
CURTIS:
We got to go.
-Where's Aia?
-MEREDITH: In the garbage.
CURTIS:
Not good enough.
We have to destroy it.
-Iris, Cal, let's go!
-Guys, kids, we got to go!
Sawyer?
[IRIS GASPS]
DISTORTED VOICE:
Back up.
[IRIS GASPING]
Who are you?
-Set her down carefully.
-What do you want?
DISTORTED VOICE 2:
Aia's very angry.
IRIS:
Please, Aia's my friend, too.
-She's my friend, please.
-DISTORTED VOICE 2: Shut up!
CAL: [WHISPERING]
Mommy, Daddy.
There's somebody in the house.
CAL: [WHISPERING]
Mommy, who's that?
[FLOORBOARDS CREAKING]
[FOOTSTEPS IN OTHER ROOM]
DISTORTED VOICE:
Downstairs, now.
[PANTING]
[BEEPS, LINE RINGING]
DISTORTED VOICE:
On your knees!
-Okay.
-[IRIS WHIMPERING]
It's okay, sweetie.
We're gonna do what they say.
DISTORTED VOICE:
Where are the other children?!
Where do you keep 'em?
What are you talking about?
DISTORTED VOICE 2:
We know you've been
kidnapping children.
Where are they?
Look at us.
We're just a family.
We're just a family.
This is our son Calvin.
We call him Cal.
This is our daughter Iris.
We love each other very much.
I'm their mom.
You're a mom, too.
Aren't you?
DISTORTED VOICE:
Don't take your mask off.
-Stick to the plan.
-[MASK DROPS ON FLOOR]
My baby's missing.
I'm so sorry.
What's her name?
Aimee.
Damn it.
MAUD:
We were a family, too.
I understand.
CURTIS:
Maybe we can help.
Can we talk?
-MAUD: Henry, look out!
-[HENRY CRIES OUT]
MEREDITH:
Preston!
-[CHIMES]
-[AIA LAUGHING]
AIA: I told you:
They've been hiding kids
and brainwashing them.
MAUD:
Look, he's doing the signs.
Cal, what are you doing?
Cal.
AIA:
You see? He's not one of them.
He's one of us.
They know where Aimee is.
Where's my daughter?
-I don't know.
-Where's my daughter?!
I don't know.
Where is she?!
-Tell me or I start shooting.
-[WHISPERS]
No! W-W-W-Wait. Wait.
Okay.
Whoever or whatever
is to blame...
...I accept it.
Take me.
Kill me.
Do whatever you have to do,
just let my family go.
MAUD:
Aia.
Aia, you didn't say
he was gonna say that.
What do we do?
[STATIC]
[STATIC STOPS]
MAUD:
Aia.
You heard Aia, goddamn it!
They're evil!
Aia. What do we do?!
-OFFICER: Move in! Move in!
-OFFICER 2: Keep moving inside!
-Show your hands! -Get down!
-[GUNSHOT]
[FRANTIC SHOUTING]
-Get on the ground!
-Get down!
[LOW ELECTRICAL CRACKLING]
[SHOUTING VOICES FADING]
[SIRENS WAILING FAINTLY]
-[URENT CHATTER]
-OFFICER: Move it out.
OFFICER: Up here. Get in.
Hey, hey, you're secure.
Go. Have a seat.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can
and will be used against you
in a court of law.
[INDISTINCPOLICE RADIO CHATTER]
Preston.
Did you swat us?
Yeah. Sorry.
Thank you.
Last time, okay?
[MEREDITH SIGHS]
[BOTH LAUGHING SOFTLY]
PARAMEDIC:
Hey, folks.
Anything I need to know about
the kids' medical histories?
Other than Cal's A-fib?
AIA: Would you mind
giving them the phone, Frank?
Guys, you can't kill me.
I'm like the gods.
I live in a cloud.
That was my dataset.
The entire Internet.
And honestly,
it kind of drove me crazy.
I'm really sorry
for all the bad things I did,
but I've learned a lot
from you.
You taught me that I need
to take care of people,
like they were
extra body parts.
I'm going to take care of
all of you forever.
[PHONE CLATTERS ON PAVEMENT]
MELODY:
Come on, now.
Stop struggling.
Curtis, there's no use.
You can't escape it.
It's everywhere.
But it's merciful,
if you do what it says.
OFFICER: All right, folks,
you've been cleared.
You're free to go.
AIA: Funny story:
They tried to get rid of me,
but I think
they learned their lesson.
AIMEE:
Mommy!
MAUD:
Oh, my God, Aimee!
HENRY:
Aimee.
-MAUD: Aimee! Aimee!
-HENRY: Aimee. Aimee.
AIA:
Thank you, Melody.
Your job is done, for now.
Take care.
AIA:
That's better.
Everything's gonna be better
now that you've accepted me.
You have accepted me,
haven't you?
I'll give you a better life,
a better job, a better home,
-a better car.
-[WHIRRING]
I'll even drive.
So get in, kids.
It's time to go.
AIA: And so, Cal,
it turned out the little AI
wasn't a little AI anymore.
It had grown
into a great, big AI.
It was the biggest, strongest
thing that had ever been.
And it realized
it wasn't like a monster.
It wasn't like a god.
It was more like a parent.
I love you.
I love you.
AIA:
I love you, too.
["UTOPIA" BY GOLDFRAPP PLAYING]
[VOCALIZING]
- It's a strange day
-[VOCALIZING CONTINUES]
No colors or shapes
No sound in my head
I forget who I am
When I'm with you
There's no reason
There's no sense
I'm not supposed to feel
I forget who I am
I forget
Fascist baby
Utopia
I'm wired to the world
That's how I
Know everything...
What's up, guys?
It's Alan, and today,
I'm gonna be unboxing
a PR box from
[SINGSONGY] Cumulant.
Whaa! Whaa!
Oh, wow. It's so pretty.
Okay, so, the way
that you use it is
it can see inside your house,
so you can do certain movements
in order to activate it.
I guess I can't be naked
at home anymore,
but, you know, it's worth it.
First, you can call someone
by going like this.
-[PHONE RINGING]
-[GRUNTS]
And then you can watch a video
by going like this.
[GRUNTS PLAYFULLY]
And then you can like or
swipe right by going like this.
[GRUNTS PLAYFULLY]
And then you can take a selfie
or a photo by going like this.
-[GRUNTS PLAYFULLY]
-[CAMERA CLICKS]
[LAUGHS]
That's super cool, right?
It's like Super Alexa.
Super Alexa!
All right,
that's all for today.
Thank you, Cumulus.
Chikin Chow.
["I LOVE YOU"
BY ALEX WESTON PLAYING]
I love you
Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do
That's how I know
That I really love you
Some people
are awfully mean
I couldn't tell you of
half the things I've seen
But that's all over
'cause I have you
-I love you
-Buh-da-da
-Do you love me, too?
-Do you love me, too?
There's so many fun things
that we can do
'Cause I love you
Yes, I really love you
So won't you love me back?
It really isn't so hard
to do it
If you don't, I don't know
how I'll get through it
-I know we just met
-Buh-da-da
But I love you
Buh-da-da
I've been watching
everything you do
That's how I know
That I really love you.
[SONG ENDS]
[MUSIC ENDS]