Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been an idea that has been presented in media for a number of years. One of the first examples of AI in film is from the silent movie Metropolis (1927), which was not only released nearly two decades before the term was coined, but also several months before the release of the first ever film with sound, which came out later that same year.In other words, the concept of AI has been showcased  in media for a very long time. And over the years, we have seen a number of different representations of AI, which includes Second Officers aboard the USS Enterprise, as seen in Star Trek, to the unstoppable killing machines sent by Skynet, as seen in The Terminator. In this chapter, we will be taking  a look at an example of AI in the film Upgrade , which was written and directed by co-creator and star of Saw (2004), Leigh Whannel.

Released in 2018, Upgrade takes place in the year 2046, a futuristic world filled with self-driving cars, police drones, and surgeries that allow people to implant guns into their arms. The  main protagonist is Grey Trace, your typical rugged, “old ways are better” kind of  guy. One night, he and his wife, Asha, are held at gunpoint by a group of strangers. The two are shot during the holdup, which results in the death of Asha, and Grey becoming paralyzed from the neck down. After a suicide attempt, Grey is visited by one of his clients, Eron Keen. He claims that he can help Grey walk again, using a computer chip he created and named STEM (see Figure 1), which was shown earlier in the film. Grey reluctantly agrees, and soon enough he’s back on his own two feet. Things very quickly take an unexpected turn, as STEM begins communicating with Grey.

What follows is a bloody, action, buddy-cop adventure, as the two try and uncover the truth behind the death of Grey’s wife. Throughout the film, Grey gives STEM permission to take over his body when needed, all while still giving Grey full control of his body when desired…for now.

The film was released during a time period when AI technology/Research had seen a number of big advancements, such as the increased usage of virtual assistants like Amazon Echo or Google home. This gave the film a much more updated perspective of AI’s potential, especially in comparison to many previous depictions that had come out many years prior.

This chapter will be conducting a narrative analysis of the film, which is a “study of stories in media, which is an approach used by film scholars exploring representation in film/tv/and more,” (Beltran, p.g 97). This analysis will showcase how the AI, STEM, is depicted in the film, which includes how he affects Grey’s movements, his tone of voice when communicating with Grey, and his overall intentions throughout the film. On top of that, we will also look at how the film’s depiction compares to other representations of AI in the media.

Part One: Movement

When a piece of media is given the task to present how an AI, or more specifically a robot/computer would move, there are typically two directions they might go. One of the most common/stereotypical ways is to present their movements as stiff and clunky, like 3CPO from Star Wars. However, media in more recent years have shown robotic movement as more elegant and precise, like the Androids in Detroit Become Human (2018), or a less clumsy Baymax from Big Hero 6 (2014). This is a much more realistic approach, as it’s more in line with the fact that computers, if programmed correctly, are extremely smart, and can carry out a command in a matter of milliseconds. This  is why it is impossible to beat a computer at a game like chess, as the computer is able to think of every possible outcome, and will make the most precise decisions to ensure its victory.

The way  Grey’s movements are  affected by STEM is showcased very similarly to this idea. As stated in the film, “STEM works in service of  [Grey’s] brain. [His] brain gives STEM a command. He makes it happen,” (Whannel, 2018, 00:28:15).

And so, after having STEM surgically implanted into his body, Grey ends up having a very distinct movement throughout the rest of the film, one that showcases precision and elegance, like a computer giving out commands. This style of movement is most noticeable in a number of scenes throughout the film. For example, after Grey returns home from the surgery, he gets up out of his wheelchair, and walks around his home. As he moves around, his body can be seen making exact movements, such as when he turns a corner, pours himself a drink, as well as when he sits up or down from the couch. It’s also during these moments that we can see that Grey has a perfect sitting and standing posture. (e.g. Figure 2).These robotic-like movements and perfect posture really help amplify the fact that “Grey isn’t 100% in control of his body.

Another thing that helps establish this “not-in-control” feeling is the amazing cinematography by Stefan Duscio, which is most notable in the ever so bloody and violent fight sequences, where Grey gives STEM full control of his body (e.g. Figure 3). As mentioned in the kill count for this movie, “Stefan used a gyroscopic rig, which was programmed to follow an iPhone attached to Grey’s actor, Logan Marshall-Green. This allowed the camera to move in sync with Grey, making for some epic fight sequences. (Dead Meat, 2020, 12:19)”

Overall, the film’s representation of AI through the showcasing of Grey’s movements provides an interesting new take on the typical “Robot-like” movement. It doesn’t necessarily showcase STEM’s personality just yet, but it does showcase its origins as a sort of computer program, which processes information in the most efficient way possible.

Part Two: Communication

When it comes to the way STEM communicates with Grey, there are two details being looked  at. First is the way he sounds, such as his voice, and how he pronounces sentences for example.  Second is the things he says when talking to Grey, such as giving him suggestions on how to deal with a situation they are in.

For this section,  we will be focusing on how he  sounds.  The things he says will be discussed in the next section, which ties in to STEM’s overall intentions throughout the film. Now just like the way a piece of media would portray how an AI would walk, there are also two  common directions a piece of media will sometimes go in when showcasing how an AI would speak.

First, there’s your typical text-to-speech sounding voice, where each word in a sentence is pronounced individually. One example of this can be seen in the movie War Games (1983), when the main protagonist, David, hacks into the military supercomputer, Joshua, and then has it talk through a speaker, which gives us the iconic line, “Shall we play a game?”

Another example would be a voice that sounds very emotionless and monotone, like with HAL-9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), or the aforementioned Baymax from Big Hero 6 (2014). This is one of the most common voice styles that is given to AI, even in today’s standards. You could say that it’s sort of  like the middle ground, where it sounds like a human, but lacks the emotion and tone of one. As an honorable mention, some portrayals also tend to have a voice that sounds metallic/robotic, like in Short Circuit (1986), which gives off more of the vibe that the voice is coming from a computer/robot As for Upgrade (2018), the filmmakers went with the second direction, giving STEM a sorta relaxing and monotone sounding voice, one that is delivered excellently by Australian actor Simon Maiden.

The voice for STEM directly sits on the line between sounding natural, and unnatural. It’s natural in a sense where he speaks clearly, having a nice flow between words when speaking in sentences, unlike your typical “text-to-speech ” bot, which pronounces each word and syllable individually. STEM, however, knows how to talk like a human.

It’s also unnatural in a sense where he speaks with a monotone voice. For a majority of the film, no matter what situation Grey is in, STEM mostly talks to Grey in a voice that sounds very emotionless. Now, one could argue that STEM probably doesn’t fully know how to process emotion, and is unable to know the difference between when a situation is urgent or not. And while this  is a fair argument to make, there is some evidence that disproves this argument.

About halfway through the film, Grey comes across one of the suspects involved in his wife’s murder. Once he and STEM take down his lackies, Grey then attempts to get more information from the suspect. After failing to get them to talk, STEM offers to try and persuade them through means of torture, which sure enough gets them to finally talk. And throughout this entire scene, STEM speaks with his normal monotone voice.This moment, combined with all of the other bloody fight scenes up to this point, showcases that STEM does have a bit of understanding of the human mind.

Now with all of that being said, that doesn’t mean STEM is entirely emotionless.

While he does speak in a monotone voice for a good majority of the film, there are some moments where his tone of voice changes ever so slightly. This mainly occurs in the third act, after Grey has a hacker remove some of STEMs safety protocols, which is where his true intentions become more clear.

Part Three: Intentions

Now, the previous two sections have mainly analyzed STEM as a sort of computer program, both how he visually affects Grey’s movements, and how he audibly communicates with Grey. But STEMs  overall intentions is where the film’s  representation of AI truly stands out.

Up to this point in the film, STEM has only wanted to help Grey solve the mystery behind his wife’s murder, whilst still allowing Grey to have full control of his body. However, after STEM’s safety protocols are removed, he reveals that he no longer needs permission to take control of Grey, and intends to continue their mission, despite Grey not wanting to go farther down the bloody path.

Following  a number of twists and turns later, the truth behind STEM is finally revealed. It turns out, STEM was the one behind everything. “He was the one that chose Grey as its host, due to him not having any computer implants in his body. He was the one that ordered the holdup that ended up killing Grey’s wife. And he was the one that took Grey  down this murderous adventure, where he proceeded to manipulate Grey into gaining his trust,  so that he could eventually  take full control of  Grey’s body, and finally  become a human being. The film ends with STEM killing his creator, Eron Keen, and setting out to live in his brand new body, while Grey now lives in a fictional world inside his own mind,” (Dead Meat, 2020, 20:46 – 22:31). And according to ScreenRant, his reasoning behind all of this was, “To be the next step of evolution between man and machine. (Freeman, Section 5)

This idea surrounding the relationship between AI  and humans has been explored a number of times. And just like with the depictions for how a robot/AI would walk, these ideas have evolved over years. When it comes to presenting these ideas, there are two very common depictions that are seen in the media. The first, which is one of the most common, usually showcases AI trying to take over the world, by either means of enslavement or simply control. This version of the idea is seen in many iconic films/franchises, which include The Matrix series (1999-2021), the aforementioned Terminator franchise (1984-2024), etc. These types of media usually portray AI as evil, usually seeing humans as either weak, inferior, or a threat to the world.

Another type of depiction, which has been  becoming more common, showcases AI as living beings, and sometimes simply just wanting to live among humans. A really good example of this can be seen in the aforementioned game Detroit Become Human (2018) which showcases a story about an uprising of AI, who simply no longer want to have to serve humans, and instead want to be seen as living beings.

In the article, “AI Representation in Cinema”, author Quyhn Nguyen takes note about how portrayals of AI have changed over the years. “Back when artificial intelligence was still a vision of the future, AI and robots were often portrayed as deceptive and/or aggressive monsters. Now with the increase in technological advancements, along with changing social attitudes towards said technology, films are now showcasing a more neutral/accepting relationship between humans and AI. Not only that, but newer portrayals also showcase AI with the ability to properly replicate the appearance and emotions of humans.” (Nguyen, p.g 4&5).

So now the question is, which category does STEM fall into? You could argue that he falls into the first category, as his overall goal was to take over Grey’s body, and he is shown to be extremely willing to commit violent acts. With that being said, we don’t really know what STEMs intentions are beyond that, which leaves the film up to interpretation. We don’t know if he plans on taking over more hosts, or to simply keep to himself and continue on living as a human.

One prediction that comes from ScreenRant states that, “One possibility is that STEM may plan on joining other people who have upgrades similar to him, based on a strange interaction Grey had with the hacker,” (Freeman, Section 6). If this were the case, then this could put STEM into the second category. But as of now, we can’t really make any final conclusions. Meaning we will simply have to leave the film’s ending up to interpretation.

Conclusion

Overall, Upgrade (2018) offers a very interesting depiction of  AI that is both very familiar and new when compared to previous depictions in other media. The way STEM controls Grey’s movements showcases him as precise and efficient, while his voice depicts him as somewhat emotionless. As for his overall intentions, they depict STEM as a strategist, due to the way he was able to set every piece in motion that would allow him to reach his  end goal of becoming a human.

As of now, there are no plans to continue the film’s story, which means it is very possible that we will never find out what STEMs plans are going forward with his new human body. Hopefully we will  get an answer in the future, we’ll simply just have to wait until the story gets an UPGRADE.

Sources

Beltran, M. (2018). 8. Representation. In The Craft of Criticism: Critical Media Studies in Practice. (1st ed., pp. 97–108). essay, Routledge.

Freeman, M., & Russell, T. (2024, May 24). Upgrade Movie Ending & Stem explained. ScreenRant. https://screenrant.com/upgrade-movie-ending-stem-explained/

Dead Meat. (2020, April 24). Upgrade (2018) KILL COUNT [Video] Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glS3RDoxYMM&t=392s

Poster for the film Upgrade (2018). IMDb.com. (n.d.). Upgrade. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6499752/mediaviewer/rm2510309632/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Newell, C. H. (2019, April 13). Upgrade: The abject anxieties of Bodies + technology. Father Son Holy Gore. https://fathersonholygore.com/2018/08/28/upgrade-the-abject-anxieties-of-bodies-technology/

Nguyen, Q (2023, October 17). AI Representation in Cinema. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Quynh-Nguyen-431/publication/377410844_AI_REPRESENTATION_IN_CINEMA_A_Quantitative_Content_Analysis/links/65a56a5a5582153a6828704d/AI-REPRESENTATION-IN-CINEMA-A-Quantitative-Content-Analysis.pdf

Whannel, L. (Director). (2018). Upgrade [Film] Blumhouse Productions. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6499752/