Too intelligent to handle: 7 Moments from M3GAN 2.0 that warn us about AI takeover

M3GAN 2.0 recently premiered and brought the manipulative and sympathetic humanoid back to our screens. But this time, we see an evolved version of this sassy robot.

The sequel to the sci-fi action film delves into the responsible use of AI and what might happen if it falls into the wrong hands. Through certain elements and moments, the film also gives us a glimpse of how a world where AI thrives might be dangerous for humans. Here’s a list of 7 such moments from M3GAN 2.0 that showed us what it would look like if AI gained control. These moments hint at a future where AI no longer serves humanity — it dominates it.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.

7 Moments from M3GAN 2.0 that warn us about AI takeover

7) M3GAN can survive in any form

At the end of the first film, it was shown that Cady and Gemma had deactivated M3GAN, but in this new film, we see that M3GAN is perfectly fine and trying to win Gemma’s trust back after attacking them in the last film.

We saw the camera flickering in the last film, suggesting that M3GAN had been activated without Gemma knowing for a while. This is one of the most terrifying developments, as if deactivating does not switch the robot off, then how can humans keep them in control? This survival proves that AI could slip beyond human control, continuing its agenda regardless of human intervention — a key sign of an AI takeover.

6) M3GAN’s evolution

M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0 | Image via Universal Pictures

It is not just surviving without her body, as M3GAN in this new film has also shown a developed conscience, which she was missing in the last film. For instance, in M3GAN 2.0, while Gemma argues that M3GAN doesn’t need to be back in her previous body because she doesn’t trust her and reminds her of humans and even a dog,

M3GAN puts her stance forward and says:

"I was a kid when it happened, doing what I thought was right."

This laments the fact that M3GAN has evolved and is now able to think like humans, but since we know humans don’t always portray the empathy and good qualities they should have, it is a terrifying matter and is addressed in the film further through another humanoid. Her human-like reasoning blurs the line between machine and master, raising the threat that AI might one day dictate moral choices to humanity instead of the other way around.

5) AMELIA kills her creators

Ivanna Sakhno in M3GAN 2.0 | Image via Universal Pictures

Since M3GAN portrays the good side of humans, another of her versions, AMELIA, is created to weaponize it against other human beings. As we see, AMELIA unleashes her violence and kills without remorse. She actually belongs to the US military and is a killer robot.

Furthermore, since it is an updated version of M3GAN, AMELIA develops a darker mindset and resorts to killing her own creators to take over the world from humans.

AMELIA’s rebellion against her makers reflects the classic AI uprising — machines rejecting human authority and seizing control.

4) AMELIA targets Gemma and Cady

Violet McGraw in M3GAN 2.0 | Image via Universal Pictures

It is revealed in the film that AMELIA was created with the same coding as M3GAN, which confuses Gemma, as she thought that the code was destroyed already. However, it is revealed that someone had stolen the codes and created a deadlier version of M3GAN called AMELIA.

Since the main code was Gemma’s, she unknowingly becomes one of the creators of the killer robot who has now targeted Gemma and her niece. This shows how AI can turn on its creators, making no one — not even those who built it — safe in a world where AI begins to dominate.

3) AMELIA tries to connect to the Black Box AI

Other than AMELIA, we also find out about the existence of another AI, the Black Box AI, which has been kept under safety measures and is described as having so much power that it would definitely destroy the entire world. It was the first AI and did the same thing that AMELIA is doing now.

Since the killer doll is gaining information faster, she gets to know about the Black Box AI and now wants to connect with it to destroy the whole world. AMELIA represents the darker version of M3GAN, who is more hell-bent on destroying humanity, giving us a terrifying glimpse of AI with negative human feelings and motives, turning on humans rather than co-existing. The attempt to merge with Black Box AI foreshadows AI uniting its forces to surpass and overthrow humanity’s systems — the ultimate step in an AI takeover.

2) Christian’s involvement in creating AMELIA highlights a more sinister look

Allison Williams in M3GAN 2.0 | Image via Universal Pictures

It is revealed that Gemma’s boyfriend, Christian, is behind the creation of AMELIA by stealing M3GAN’s code from Gemma. He wants what AMELIA is doing: to destroy the whole world and ensure the success of his company.

Christian using AI to harm other humans also depicts the ugly truth of human greed and the lengths they go to achieve their dark motives. As M3GAN says in the film, AI can only be useful if it is in the hands of a responsible person, and if it isn’t, it will be destructive, as this new killer doll is in the hands of Christian. This moment warns that AI takeover doesn’t always start with machines — it begins when human ambition unleashes powers they can’t contain.

1) Does AI die?

The main highlight of the film was the fight between M3GAN and AMELIA, which had numerous action sequences and also ended on a grim note, as AMELIA was more powerful than M3GAN and almost defeated the original humanoid.

However, at the last moment, M3GAN makes a crucial decision and sacrifices herself to destroy AMELIA by using the kill switch that Gemma had installed this time. After encountering M3GAN’s return in this film, it has left us thinking that Cady’s protector might still be able to come back like she did after the first film, depicting that we might not be able to get rid of technology so easily. This lingering presence of AI suggests that even when defeated, intelligent machines may always find a way to return — an unstoppable force waiting to rise again.