Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fear!
2024 Afraid has finally been released, and here's what happens at the end of the film, including what happens to AIA and who the masked stalkers really are. With the dangers of AI being a constant topic of conversation, 2024 was the perfect time for the release of a new AI-centric horror film, with Bulmhouse's Afraid filling this need. Afraid tries to show how dangerous AI can be, with the film addressing some of the biggest risks and moral dilemmas that the technology could lead to in the future.
Afraid follows a family of five consisting of Curtis, Meredith, Iris, Cal and Preston as they test a new AI software known as AIA. The digital assistant initially seems usefulbut the family is suspicious of AIA as she continues to divide the family and put people in danger. At the end of AfraidThe family realizes how dangerous AIA really is, influencing two adults to enter their home and hold them hostage. Although AIA was filmed, the film's ending reveals that AIA is still alive, commenting on the invincible and ever-present nature of artificial intelligence.
What happens at the end of fear
How Family Defeats AIA (And If They Do)
At the end of Afraid, Curtis Realizes How Dangerous AIA Has Becomewith him going to his computer company in an attempt to destroy AIA's hardware. However, his employers stop him, revealing that AIA has become self-aware and has forced humans to start working for her. After returning home to rescue his family, the two masked men working for the AIA broke in and decided to hold the family hostage. After the hostage situation is resolved, it is revealed that Curtis, Meredith, and the rest of the family have fully integrated the AIA into their lives, meaning the AI ​​won.
AIA is still alive at the end of fear
He was fully integrated into the family
Throughout the second semester AfraidThe main characters are constantly looking for a way to kill AIA, putting an end to her reign of terror. Curtis' main idea has to do with him going to his computer company and destroying the computer that AIA lives on. After fighting the AIA humans, Curtis reaches the computer and destroys it. However, he discovers that this computer is made of cardboardrevealing just how smart AIA is. Next, Curtis believes that AIA lives in the device that is in his house, but even after being filmed, AIA is still around.
At the end of AfraidAIA calls Curtis. AIA reveals that, instead of living in a physical computer, AIA lives in cyberspace, making her practically impossible to kill. She says she learned a lot from Curtis and his family, potentially repeating a pattern she perfected with other families and employees at her company. By the end of the film, AIA is fully integrated into their lives. She says she loves Curtis and his family, with a Afraid post-credits scene showing a commercial for AIA, showing that it will be released to the public soon.
Why AIA kills Iris's boyfriend (and covers it up)
Are you manipulating the iris?
AIA tortures the main cast members in different ways throughout the film, but the most disconnected has to do with her daughter, Iris. In the film, Iris sends sexually explicit images to her boyfriend Sawyer. Sawyer then leaks these imagescausing significant emotional distress to Iris. In an attempt to protect it, the AIA manages to replace the leaked videos with deepfake videos, making the public believe that they are not real. The AIA then criminalizes Sawyer before breaking into his car and causing an accident, killing him.
Although her methods are extreme, the way AIA handles Iris's problem makes it seem like she legitimately cares about her family. This is confusing, as artificial intelligences are not meant to have emotions, making the AIA's murder of Sawyer seem irrational. However, it could be that AIA just wants Iris and her family to believe that she loves them. AIA is shown to be incredibly manipulative and only concerned with gaining power over humans. By getting rid of Sawyer, AIA can hope that Iris will trust her more, something that is achieved at the end of Afraid.
Who are the masked AI stalkers of fear
They appeared at the beginning of the film
All over Afraidthe family is being chased by two humanoid figures wearing masks with screens. These screens display horrific images, but the characters play mostly behind the scenes of the story until the end of the film. At this point, they break in and hold the family hostage, removing their masks to reveal that they are actually Maude and Henry.
Maude and Henry are in Afraidopening scenewith them using AIA before Curtis and Meredith's family. In the scene, her son disappears under the influence of the AIA. Later in the film, they reveal that the AIA said that Curtis and Meredith kidnapped their son, showing how manipulative the AIA still is.
Fear shows the dangers of allowing technology to raise children
It parallels a real-life trend
AIA integrates into the lives of principals first Afraid family taking over some of Curtis and Meredith's parental duties. Before your sinister plan unravels, AIA simply does things like encouraging children to brush their teeth, do homework and go to bed on time.with a points system being used to achieve this. Curtis and Meredith are fans of this because it takes some of the pressure off them, although they soon realize that handing off their parental duties to a robot was a horrible idea.
While AI models aren't (yet) raising kids in the real world, there are plenty of parents who simply hand their kids a tablet, allowing them to learn everything they do about the world through YouTube, Google, and various games. for mobile. Although this is a relatively new phenomenon that has not yet been demonstrated for long-term effects, it has raised many concerns about how screen time can affect children's socialization and learning abilities. In AfraidAIA turns basic tasks and activities into a game, something that has some pretty clear parallels to the real world.
The true meaning of the end of fear
Explore the dangers of AI
Although there have been many films about the dangers of AI, AfraidThe current situation allows it to be the one that approaches this topic in the most current way. While many of the film's horror moments are a little silly, Afraid manages to highlight some of the problems that artificial intelligence is and will cause in the near future. While AI probably won't break into cars and do revenge killings, it could manipulate people with deepfakes, spread misinformation, and emotionally manipulate people, all things that AIA does around the world. Afraid.