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<p>This paper explores the intersections of gender, power, and surveillance in Alex Garland’s <i>Ex Machina</i> (2014), focusing on the ethical and societal implications of creating gendered artificial intelligence (AI). Through an analysis of Ava, a female coded AI, the study examines how her embodiment reflects and critiques societal constructs of femininity, autonomy, and technological control. Drawing on theories of gender performativity by Judith Butler, Donna Haraway’s cyborg feminism, and Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze, the paper highlights how Ava’s physicality serves as both a tool of control and a means of resistance. The analysis also addresses the racial and gendered dynamics of Kyoko, another AI, whose silence and disposability underscore the dehumanization of marginalized bodies. Furthermore, the study critiques the role of surveillance and big data in shaping AI autonomy, paralleling real-world concerns about privacy and control in the age of surveillance capitalism. Ava’s journey from objectification to autonomy challenges patriarchal and technological power structures, raising critical ethical questions about the responsibilities of creators toward sentient beings. By situating Ex Machina within broader discourses on posthumanism and gender, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the societal and ethical challenges posed by AI development.</p>

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The (dis)embodied gaze: power, gender, and surveillance in Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2014)

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月29日

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  • Bibin Sebastian

摘要

This paper explores the intersections of gender, power, and surveillance in Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2014), focusing on the ethical and societal implications of creating gendered artificial intelligence (AI). Through an analysis of Ava, a female coded AI, the study examines how her embodiment reflects and critiques societal constructs of femininity, autonomy, and technological control. Drawing on theories of gender performativity by Judith Butler, Donna Haraway’s cyborg feminism, and Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze, the paper highlights how Ava’s physicality serves as both a tool of control and a means of resistance. The analysis also addresses the racial and gendered dynamics of Kyoko, another AI, whose silence and disposability underscore the dehumanization of marginalized bodies. Furthermore, the study critiques the role of surveillance and big data in shaping AI autonomy, paralleling real-world concerns about privacy and control in the age of surveillance capitalism. Ava’s journey from objectification to autonomy challenges patriarchal and technological power structures, raising critical ethical questions about the responsibilities of creators toward sentient beings. By situating Ex Machina within broader discourses on posthumanism and gender, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the societal and ethical challenges posed by AI development.