How to Survive AI
The documentaries “Ghost in the Machine” and “The AI Doc” both end in calls to action, but arrive there in different ways.
After a year when chatbots have infiltrated virtually every aspect of our social consciousness, it wasn’t a surprise to see that AI was a big theme in the 2026 Sundance Film Festival programming. On top of over a dozen industry panels and artist talks address...
In the face of rising concern over AI and its influence on society, two documentaries presented at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival offer different perspectives. "Ghost in the Machine" takes a critical approach, tracing the eugenicist roots of AI research and exposing the long history of techno-fascism in America. By contrast, "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist" presents a more measured examination of AI, ultimately advocating for cautious optimism about humanity's future. Both films ...