Artificial intelligence has transformed people’s lives at home and at work. But what happens when humans begin treating it as a substitute for their loved ones? Director Taika Waititi explores this unsettling idea in his new science-fiction film Klara and the Sun, adapted from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.
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The film follows Klara, a solar-powered “Artificial Friend,” played by Jenna Ortega, who develops a special bond with Josie, a sick teenage girl.
The film offers an unusual and unsettling vision of a world dominated by artificial intelligence. It could be described as a blend of The Wizard of Oz and Blade Runner, combining the bright visuals and offbeat humour characteristic of Waititi’s films. Beneath this style, however, the film raises more serious questions about AI and the possibility that it could weaken society and human relationships.
What sets Klara apart from other AI robots?
In science-fiction films, Klara is presented as a robot unlike the conventional image of artificial intelligence. She does not begin as a superintelligent being with extensive knowledge of the world. Instead, she resembles a child in a robot’s body, knowing little about anything beyond the shop from which Josie chooses her. She even imagines the sun as a god living in a barn who responds to her prayers.
Each of the other “Artificial Friends” has distinct characteristics, but Klara stands out even among them because of her childlike curiosity and optimism. At times, she behaves like an excited dog, longing for love and fearing its loss. Yet the film does not portray her as a naive pet or an emotionless machine.
Klara learns and grows with each passing day, just like anyone else. At first, she struggles to walk outside the shop and adapt to her surroundings. She gradually learns to venture out alone, hoping to help Josie recover.
Unlike films such as The Terminator and The Matrix, which portray AI as an overwhelming threat seeking to destroy humanity, Klara and the Sun presents more compassionate robots. Its robotic heroine offers love and hope to the people in her care.
Can AI replace humans?
At a time when artificial intelligence has entered the job market and people, including those working in the film industry, have lost their jobs, Klara and the Sun taps into a widespread fear that machines will replace humans.
These fears first emerge through Melania, the housekeeper played by Rachel House, who immediately dislikes Klara when she arrives at the family home.
The film does not limit the fear of replacement to jobs; Josie experiences it herself. As her health deteriorates, she watches her mother, Chrissie, played by Amy Adams, and her boyfriend, Rick, played by Aran Murphy, spend more time with Klara.
Because Ortega’s character can imitate anyone’s voice and mannerisms, she could become an almost complete substitute for Josie. This creates tension between Klara and Josie, who is already struggling to find her place in the world.
The film later reveals that Chrissie plans to transfer Klara’s mind into a robotic version of Josie, allowing her daughter to “continue living” after the real Josie dies.
The idea of a mother attempting to replace her daughter with a machine is frightening, but rapid technological advances make such a possibility increasingly imaginable.
While some characters try to replace humans with machines, Chrissie also pushes her daughter to compete with them. Driven by perfectionism, she attempts to make Josie more capable by “lifting” her genetic abilities, giving her advanced academic skills comparable to those of a machine. The film shows, however, that trying to make humans imitate machines can be destructive: the “lifting” process gradually causes Josie’s health to deteriorate.
Like Josie, Klara faces the risk of becoming “outdated and unwanted.” She belongs to a model whose production has been discontinued after it was deemed “too human-like” and “overly empathetic.” These perceived “flaws” initially lead Chrissie to reject her in favour of a supposedly more “advanced” model.
People fear that AI may become more human-like, but the film highlights another danger: society’s attempt to make humans less human.
Companies and employers have begun using AI because it can complete tasks more quickly. In the film, both Klara and Josie are expected to change to become more efficient. This suggests that the danger lies not only in AI itself, but also in a society that demands perfection and measures people’s worth by their productivity.
The film therefore warns against replacing the people around us with machines.
Can AI be a true friend?
The friendship between Klara and Josie lies at the heart of the film and raises questions about people turning to machines for companionship. The Artificial Friends exist in a world where the internet has gone offline after contributing to the outbreak of the Third World War. With a vital means of communication gone, it becomes understandable that people might turn to artificial companions to cope with loneliness.
Although some characters try to replace humans with AI, Chrissie and others also regard robots such as Klara as replaceable. Klara is even compared to a servant or a pet that can be returned or abandoned in the wild.
Klara offers Josie friendship, but she cannot fill the emotional void left by a distant mother. Instead, she helps the mother and daughter repair their strained relationship. Technology does not solve their problems; progress depends on their communicating honestly and learning to understand each other’s feelings.
Klara and the Sun does not condemn artificial intelligence itself. Its robotic heroine helps the human characters and makes them feel loved and accepted.
At the same time, the film reveals the dangers of humans attempting to replace one another with machines. The bond between Klara and Josie is genuine and meaningful, even though one of them is artificial.
The film suggests that AI may improve people’s lives, provided it does not come at the expense of human connection and accepting one another’s imperfections.
