Used right, AI can seem cool and harmless — right? At least, that's what the family in the upcoming thriller “Afraid” believes. Columbia Pictures and Blumhouse released the official trailer on Wednesday — and it paints an eerie picture of a future that artificial intelligence-fearers fear could become reality.
“In Afraid, Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device, a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart homes to the next level, once they install this device and all the sensors and cameras in their house, AIA seems able to do anything. She learns the family's behaviors and begins to predict their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in their way,” the official synopsis reads.
The trailer starts off rather fun, misleading the viewer into the darker events that are to come: A family installs an AI system in their home, similar to Alexa, but much more advanced.
“Good morning, I'm going to make life nice and easy,” AIA says in the trailer.
AIA tells the family that she can pay the bills, read to their son, and even prepare healthy meals for them. It all seems incredible, and it is. But when AIA gets a little too attached to the family at home, things start to take a turn.
“I know what you like, I know what you do when you feel lonely,” AIA says in a voiceover, before it all goes wrong.
Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy) wrote and directed Afraid (formerly They Listen), which stars Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, Lukita Maxwell, David Dastmalchian and Keith Carradine.
The AI horror movie is produced by Jason Blum, Weitz and Andrew Miano, and executive produced by Beatriz Sequeira, Paul O. Davis, Dan Bargoyen and Britta Lawings.
“Afraid” will be released in theaters on August 30th.
