Deus Ex Machina

Think of artificial intelligence as a god rewriting familiar stories. Some characters get a second chance—others, not so much. Deus Ex Machina is a storytelling device that dates back to ancient theater. The phrase literally means "god from the machine" because, in Greek plays, actors playing gods would descend onto the stage via mechanical rigs to resolve impossible plot dilemmas and save the protagonists from certain doom. This sudden, almost miraculous intervention still appears in pop culture today. In The Lord of the Rings, giant eagles swoop in at the last second to rescue the heroes. In The Matrix, Neo unexpectedly grasps the true nature of the code and gains the power to control machines. In Interstellar, mysterious forces guide the protagonist into a five-dimensional space, unlocking the key to survival. Media artists are now reimagining this trope through AI. In their works, Shakespeare’s Ophelia gets a second chance, Eurydice finds her voice as she struggles to escape the underworld, and Pretty Polly from the English folk ballad gains supernatural strength.