Reprogramming Morality: How Ex Machina Rejects Asimov’s Laws of Robotics Rugweda Bhatkar College

Alex Garland's Ex Machina (2015) is a science fiction movie about a highly advanced robot intelligence named Ava, structured as a synthetic feminine entity undergoing what appears to be a Turing test. It's designed to examine where Ava exhibits intelligent behavior indistinguishable from humans. Her creator, Nathan, the reclusive owner of a powerful tech company, invites one of his employees, Caleb, to evaluate Ava’s consciousness. However, the test is not what it seems, and Caleb is the real subject while Ava’s autonomy is more dangerous than anticipated. Unlike many works in the genre, Ex Machina openly defies Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics—a foundational ethical framework in science fiction meant to ensure that robots cannot harm humans, especially their creators. The First Law, in particular, forbids a robot from injuring a human being, while the Second ensures obedience to human commands unless it violates the first. Despite Ava's extraordinary intelligence and clear manipulative capabilities, Nathan does not implement these laws in her programming. This creates a central tension in the film and questions why a creator, fully aware of his invention’s psychological depth and potential for rebellion, deliberately...