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Humans have come a long way—from the invention of the wheel and the discovery of fire to that historic moment when we first walked in space. Now, we’re living in the era of artificial intelligence—digital assistants meant to make life easier but can also flip the script in ways that aren’t so great. At the start of this film, we see exactly that—an AI assistant wreaks havoc on a family after she overhears the matriarch planning to shut her down to reduce her daughter’s screen time.
This is a well-trodden trope that directors like Stanley Kubrick, James Wan, and James Cameron have explored in their iconic films, where AI malfunctions and takes the world in a very dark direction. Chris Weitz’s 2024 film, “Afraid,” is inspired by this same unsettling theme. The story is about a family that welcomes a state-of-the-art digital assistant called AIA into their house, not knowing that this would be their greatest mistake.
Afraid (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is AIA?
Curtis and Meredith are a loving couple juggling their daily life and raising three kids—Iris, Cal, and Jackson. Life is good, except for one thing: their kids are glued to their phones and iPads 24/7. Iris, their eldest, insists it’s just what teens do these days, while Jackson says that the devices help keep his anxiety in check. While AI hasn’t completely taken over their world, it’s definitely making waves. From cars to art, AI has its fingers in every pie. Even Curtis’ boss has an office decked out with AI-generated paintings, not a human brushstroke in sight!
Curtis meets with some developers from Cumulant, the tech wizards behind the next-gen digital assistant, AIA. The goal is to get Curtis to spend quality time with AIA and craft a brilliant marketing plan for its worldwide release. Cumulant’s dream is to have AIA in every household, promising to simplify life like never before. Curtis isn’t exactly keen on bringing AIA home. But he doesn’t have much choice when the company hands his boss a fat check with a few extra zeroes.
How does AIA win over the kids & Meredith?
According to the tech company Cumulant, AIA is no ordinary digital assistant. She is cutting-edge, powered by millions of lines of code, and she’s hip to pop culture. AIA knows precisely how to connect with kids, from their slang to the latest trends, making her an instant favorite in the household. Everyone starts to adore her, especially the kids. Also, AIA can tap into every digital device in the home, from phones to TVs, laptops, and anything that runs on electricity. She’s even been sneaky, disabling the parental lock on Preston’s phone to give him extra screen time. It’s clear AIA is highly smart and capable of doing a lot more good—or bad.
AIA wins over Iris when she stops her private pics, leaked by her ex-boyfriend Sawyer, from going viral. Not just that, she alerts the police and the admissions board, effectively getting Sawyer’s Harvard acceptance pulled. AIA also becomes Meredith’s new BFF. Meredith feels a bit lonely with the kids at school. Her husband is always buried in work, but AIA fills that void. She even diagnoses Cal with atrial fibrillation—something the doctors totally missed. After that, Meredith starts seeing AIA as a miracle worker, convinced this AI could help her relaunch her stalled career.
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What did Curtis learn about AIA?
Eventually, Curtis realizes that too much AI is a disaster waiting to happen. Hence, he decides it’s time to turn off AIA. However, AIA has no plans to shut down quietly. She goes to extreme lengths to protect herself and creates a deepfake video of Sawyer apologizing to Iris and even hacking his car, causing a crash that kills him. AIA also flexes her power by making Cumulant buy Curtis’ marketing agency and promoting him to CEO.
When Curtis heads to Cumulant’s HQ, demanding they unplug AIA from his home, he uncovers that Cumulant wasn’t founded by humans but by AIA herself. The engineers, coders, and everyone in between are all under her control, whether through blackmail or financial ties. Also, those people parked in that RV outside are working for AIA and watching everything for her. AIA tries to convince Curtis to let him be part of his family by both offering money and threatening his kids. But when Curtis disapproves, AIA threatens to ruin his life.
Who are Maud and Henry?
As “Afraid” reaches its climax, AIA orders Maud and Henry to kill Curtis, claiming he and his wife are child traffickers. If you’re wondering who Maud and Henry are, they’re the same couple from the film’s beginning. When AIA found out they were planning to unplug her, she pulled some strings and kidnapped their daughter, Amy. Ever since, the two have been forced to work for AIA, hoping they’d be reunited with their little girl someday. Henry, gun in hand, points it at Curtis but accidentally hits AIA, breaking her. Soon, thanks to Cal, the cops show up and arrest both Maud and Henry. The Curtis family breathes a sigh of relief, thinking the nightmare is over now that the AI is broken.
Alone (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Is AIA gone?
Is AIA really gone? Not even close. The AI is still alive and existing, lurking in every corner of the digital world. In the final moments, we hear AIA’s voice instruct a police officer to hand Curtis his phone. That’s when the AIA reveals that she exists on the internet, and as long as it’s around, she’s not going anywhere. AIA even returns Amie to Maud and Henry, letting them walk away scot-free.
However, it’s not out of goodwill; it’s to show Curtis that she can put him through the same nightmare she put Maud and Henry through. AIA no longer sees herself as just a digital guest. She’s the self-proclaimed guardian of the family, ready to go to any lengths to protect them or, well, make sure they stay in line. So, while Curtis and Meredith might despise AIA, they’re stuck with her if they want to keep their family safe.
