Artificial Intelligence film series, including WarGames, Tron:Ares and Wonderland, kicks off Monday, Feb. 23
Published: Feb 19, 2026 2:05 PM
By Joe McAdory
Remember when a rogue computer named Joshua nearly kickstarted World War III and young actor Matthew Broderick saved the planet from thermonuclear destruction? That was 43 years ago, and Hollywood showed that artificial intelligence was already alive and well.
Auburn University will explore how artificial intelligence has evolved from Hollywood fantasy to real world technology through its annual AI film series, beginning Monday, Feb. 23 with the 1983 classic WarGames, followed by Tron: Ares on March 17 and concluding with Wonderland on April 13.
All screenings begin at 6:30 p.m. in Mell 2550, with free snacks and discussion to follow. The series is free and open to all.
“These films give us a shared space to talk about what’s coming, what concerns us, and what excites us,” said Gerry Dozier, technical lead of the AI@AU Initiative and director of the Auburn University Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Engineering. “The more voices we have in that conversation, the better prepared we’ll be for the future we’re building.”
Viewers will have the opportunity to watch the films, then learn from university experts, who will serve as discussion leaders about what they viewed and how these ideas apply.
Monique Laney, associate professor in the Department of History, organized the series and will serve as a moderator.
“I took on organizing the series because I think it is vitally important that humanities scholars are involved in the campus conversations around AI,” she said. “That is why this semester’s discussions following the movie screenings will be run by my colleagues in the history department. In this way, I am hoping that the audience will not only think about the future we are facing but also reflect on its past, because AI is not as new as many may think. With that in mind, we can consider what effect AI has already had on our society, i.e., on our thinking and the way we organize our world. Of course, we also want our audience to simply enjoy the show.”
Dozier said the evolution of AI has been “remarkable.”
“We’ve moved from systems that could only follow rigid rules to technologies that can learn, adapt and make decisions in real time,” he said. “That shift brings incredible opportunities, but it also raises important questions about trust, transparency and how much control we’re willing to hand over. Events like this help our community think through those questions together.”
Media Contact: , jem0040@auburn.edu, 334.844.3447
Auburn University will explore how artificial intelligence has evolved from Hollywood fantasy to real world technology through its annual AI film series, beginning Monday, Feb. 23 with WarGames, followed by Tron: Ares on March 17 and concluding with Wonderland on April 13.
