In 1964, the famous British science fiction writer Arthur Clarke said that computers had the electronic brains of “complete idiots,” but that in the next generation they would eventually “completely outsmart their makers.”
That prediction – or warning, depending on how you view artificial intelligence – is how Focus Features begins its new film “The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.”
Our guide navigating the chaotic AI world we find ourselves in is the film’s co-director Daniel Roher, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “Navalny.” With a baby on the way. Roher tries to find answers to the question of whether his children will prosper or suffer as AI continues to develop at miraculous speed.
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Co-director Daniel Roher during production of “The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist,” a Focus Features release. (Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2025 All rights reserved.)
“The AI Doc” is essentially a crash course on the subject, split into three parts. First we hear from the alarmists who predict the end of days. Then we hear from the optimists who believe that emerging technology will solve all the world’s problems. And finally, in the third act, we hear from tech giants at the forefront of the AI race – at least those willing to participate.
One of the most shocking illustrations of how divergent the views of the alarmists and the optimists are is when Roher asks them whether people should have children.
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Roher speaks to dozens of AI experts with varying thoughts. The three who best express the complex nature of the AI times we live in are author/professor Yuval Noah Harari and Center for Humane Technology co-founders Aza Raskin and Tristin Harris, the latter known for his appearance in the 2020 Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma.” As Harris explains to Roher, it is impossible to separate the promise and danger of AI.
The documentary covers all current topics in the field of AI, from data centers to deep fakes and the international race to the top (or honestly) of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Roher talks to three of the five CEOs pioneering AI in the US: Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Google Deepmind co-founder Demis Hassabis (xAI CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg passed on the interview requests).
A production still from “The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist”, a Focus Features release. (Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2025 All rights reserved.)
Personally, I’m not absolutely afraid of AI as a whole. I use it for work and I see it helping society in the future, but I can’t help but keep looking over my shoulder considering the possibility that it might one day take over my job (fingers crossed that AI can’t make personalized, funny movie reviews at least a little longer than I can).
Roher is a perfect vessel that captures the general public’s utter exhaustion and fear about AI. But this documentary from him and co-director Charlie Tyrell isn’t meant to answer all the questions we have – that’s because no one really has the answers about where AI will go, not even the AI titans speaking to Roher know.
Carrying his weight as a producer is Oscar-winning director of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Daniel Kwan. Art director Benjamin Fieschi-Rose also deserves a nod, who enriches the film with fun, idiosyncratic stop-motion animation.
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A production still from “The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist”, a Focus Features release. (Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2025 All rights reserved.)
The verdict
“The AI Doc” is a timely, thought-provoking reality check on a technology that is dominating the world. Roher’s personal journey elevates what would otherwise be a solid educational video, perfect for a science lesson. We often watch films to escape from everyday life – this documentary brutally does the opposite, as it is intended to do.
★★★☆ — STREAM IT LATER
“The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” is rated PG-13 for language. Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes. Now in select theaters.
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