The Artifice Girl

When two FBI agents discover a revolutionary AI program that lures and convicts online sex offenders, it opens up entirely new possibilities for investigative work. The artificial intelligence, created by a brilliant programmer (Franklin Ritch, later Lance Henriksen), poses as an underage girl (Tatum Matthews). However, the program evolves at a breakneck pace. And this may have fatal consequences not only for future technologies—but also for all of humanity. What begins as a classic thriller increasingly evolves into a philosophical chamber drama about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and moral boundaries. The film poses central questions that are becoming ever more pressing even today: What does it mean to be “human”? And how far should technology go to combat evil? Particularly strong is the way the plot unfolds across multiple time periods within a 50-year narrative span. This narrative structure allows for a nuanced exploration of AI’s development and the consequences of its existence. The result is a clever journey into a future that no longer seems all that distant! “In three chapters, structured as minimalist chamber plays that largely take place in a single room, the film offers clever and—thanks to a strong screenplay and solid performances—thrilling insights into the ethical questions raised by the development of autonomous artificial intelligence.” (Lexikon des Internationalen Films)