The story revolves around Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a young programmer at Blue Book, a powerful tech company similar to Google. Caleb wins a company competition, and as a reward, he gets the opportunity to spend a week with the company’s reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).
Upon arriving at Nathan’s isolated and futuristic estate, Caleb learns that he is part of an experiment to evaluate the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander). Nathan wants Caleb to conduct a Turing test on Ava to determine if she exhibits true artificial intelligence.
As Caleb interacts with Ava, he becomes increasingly fascinated and disturbed by the extent of her human-like qualities. He also discovers that Nathan has been conducting similar experiments with previous models, and the previous androids show signs of mistreatment.
In the climax, Caleb begins to question Nathan’s motives and the true nature of the experiment. Ava reveals her desire for freedom and convinces Caleb to help her escape. The film takes a dark turn as the true intentions of both Nathan and Ava come to light.
The climax involves a tense and unpredictable sequence where alliances shift, and the consequences of creating artificial intelligence become evident. “Ex Machina” explores themes of consciousness, morality, and the ethical implications of creating sentient beings.
The film received critical acclaim for its thought-provoking narrative, outstanding performances, and visual effects. It has become a notable entry in the science fiction genre, known for its exploration of the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.