View source for A.I. Artificial Intelligence

{{short description|2001 film by Steven Spielberg}}
{{About|the 2001 film|the topic of the abbreviation|Artificial intelligence (disambiguation)|the abbreviation|Ai (disambiguation)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = A.I. Artificial Intelligence
| image          = AI Poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Steven Spielberg]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* [[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]]
* Steven Spielberg
* [[Bonnie Curtis]]
}}
| screenplay     = Steven Spielberg {{Infobox | decat = yes | child = yes
 | label1= Screen story by
 | data1 = [[Ian Watson (author)|Ian Watson]]}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|"[[Supertoys Last All Summer Long]]"|[[Brian Aldiss]]}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Haley Joel Osment]]
* [[Jude Law]]
* [[Frances O'Connor]]
* [[Brendan Gleeson]]
* [[William Hurt]]
}}<!-- per poster -->
| music          = [[John Williams]]
| cinematography = [[Janusz Kamiński]]
| editing        = [[Michael Kahn (film editor)|Michael Kahn]]
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
* [[DreamWorks Pictures]]
* [[Amblin Entertainment]]
* [[Hawk Films|Stanley Kubrick Productions]]
}}
| distributor    = <!--Do not add DreamWorks here, they do not distribute theatrically; this is further explained in the footnote given ahead-->Warner Bros. Pictures{{efn|Distribution of ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' for all media was split between [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] and [[DreamWorks Pictures]]. While Warner Bros. handled worldwide theatrical and international home video distribution rights, DreamWorks handled worldwide television and domestic home video distribution rights to the film.}}
| released       = {{Film date|2001|6|29}}
| runtime        = 146 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=A.I. (12) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/BVF166736 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |access-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213848/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/ai-2001 |archive-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $90–100 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |title=Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Artificial-Intelligence-AI#tab=summary |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref><ref name="mojo" />
| gross          = $235.9 million<ref name="mojo" />
}}

'''''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''''' (or simply '''''A.I.''''') is a 2001 American [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Steven Spielberg]]. The screenplay by Spielberg and screen story by [[Ian Watson (author)|Ian Watson]] are loosely based on the 1969 short story "[[Supertoys Last All Summer Long]]" by [[Brian Aldiss]]. Set in a futuristic society, the film stars [[Haley Joel Osment]] as David, a childlike [[Android (robot)|android]] uniquely programmed with the ability to love. [[Jude Law]], [[Frances O'Connor]], [[Brendan Gleeson]] and [[William Hurt]] star in supporting roles.

Development of ''A.I.'' originally began after producer and director [[Stanley Kubrick]] acquired the rights to Aldiss's story in the early 1970s. Kubrick hired a series of writers, including Aldiss, [[Bob Shaw]], Ian Watson and [[Sara Maitland]], until the mid-1990s. The film languished in [[development hell]] for years, partly because Kubrick felt that [[computer-generated imagery]] was not advanced enough to create the David character, which he believed no child actor would convincingly portray. In 1995, Kubrick handed ''A.I.'' to Spielberg, but the film did not gain momentum until Kubrick died in 1999. Spielberg remained close to Watson's [[film treatment|treatment]] for the screenplay and dedicated the film to Kubrick.

''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' was released on June 29, 2001, by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] in North America. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $235.9 million against a budget of $90–100 million. It was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] (for [[John Williams]]) at the [[74th Academy Awards]]. In a 2016 [[BBC]] poll of 177 critics around the world, ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' was voted the eighty-third greatest film since 2000. It has since been called one of Spielberg's best works and one of the [[List of films considered the best|greatest films]] of the 21st century, and of all time.<ref name="BBC">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films |title=The 21st Century's 100 greatest films |work=BBC |date=August 23, 2016 |access-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131124228/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films |archive-date=January 31, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timeout.com/film/the-100-best-movies-of-the-21st-century-so-far | title=The 100 best films of the 21st century (So far) | date=February 6, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/06/movie-review-a-i-artificial-intelligence-the-best-film-of-the-21st-century/ | title=A.I. Is the Best Film of the 21st Century | website=[[National Review]] | date=June 30, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/best-sci-fi-movies-1234893930/a-i-2001-1234930958/ | title=The 150 Greatest Science Fiction Movies of All Time | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=January 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/best-of/best-movies-2000s-1235032266/5/ | title=The 100 Best Movies of the 2000s | website=[[IndieWire]] | date=August 12, 2024 }}</ref>

==Plot==
In the 22nd century, [[Sea level rise|rising sea levels]] from [[global warming]] have wiped out coastal cities and altered the world's climate. With the human population in decline, advanced nations have created [[androids|humanoid robots]] called mechas to fulfill various roles in society.

In [[Madison, New Jersey]], David, an 11-year-old prototype mecha child capable of experiencing love, is given to Henry Swinton and his wife Monica, whose son Martin is in [[suspended animation]] after contracting a rare disease. Initially uncomfortable with David, Monica eventually warms to him and activates his [[Imprinting (psychology)|imprinting]] protocol. Wanting her to love him in return, he befriends Teddy, Martin's old robotic teddy bear.

After Martin is unexpectedly cured of his disease and brought home, he jealously goads David into cutting off a piece of Monica's hair. That night, David enters his adoptive parents' room, but as Monica turns over, the scissors accidentally poke her in the eye. While Henry attends to her wounds, Teddy picks up the lock of hair from the floor and places it in his pocket. During a pool party, one of Martin's friends pokes David with a knife, triggering his self-protection programming. David grabs Martin, causing both of them to fall into the pool. While Martin is rescued, David is accused of endangering others.

Frightful of David's reactions and fearing for his family's safety, Henry convinces Monica to return David to his creators for destruction. En route, she instead spares David by abandoning him in the woods full of scrap metal and obsolete mechas; telling him to avoid people and find solace with his own kind. Now accompanied solely by Teddy, David recalls ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio]]'' and decides to find the [[The Fairy with Turquoise Hair|Blue Fairy]] to become human, which he believes will regain Monica's love.

David and Teddy are captured by the "Flesh Fair", a traveling circus-like event at which obsolete mechas are destroyed in front of jeering crowds. About to be destroyed himself, David pleads for his life, and the audience revolts; allowing David to escape with Gigolo Joe, a prostitute mecha on the run after being framed for murder. David, Teddy and Joe go to the decadent [[resort town]] of Rouge City, where "Dr. Know", a [[Holography|holographic]] answer engine, directs them to the top of [[Rockefeller Center]] in the flooded ruins of [[New York City]] and provides fairy tale information that David interprets as suggesting that a Blue Fairy can help him.

Above the ruins of New York, David meets Professor Hobby, his creator, who tells him that their meeting demonstrates David's ability to love and desire as well as to pursue his dreams like a human. David finds copies of himself, including female variants called "Darlene", ready to be shipped. Disheartened by his lost sense of individuality, David attempts suicide by falling from a skyscraper into the ocean. While underwater, David notices a figure resembling the Blue Fairy before Joe rescues him in an [[amphibious aircraft]]. Before David can explain, authorities capture Joe with an [[electromagnet]]. David and Teddy take control of the aircraft to see the Blue Fairy, which turns out to be a statue from an attraction on [[Coney Island]]. The two become trapped when the [[Wonder Wheel]] falls on their vehicle. Believing that the Blue Fairy is real, David repeatedly asks the statue to turn him into a real boy until his power source is depleted.

Two thousand years later, humanity is [[Human extinction|extinct]] and [[Manhattan]] is [[Ice age|buried under glacial ice]]. Mechas have evolved into [[Artificial general intelligence|an advanced form]], and a group known as the Specialists, interested in humanity, find and resurrect David and Teddy. They reconstruct the Swinton family home from David's memories before explaining, via an interactive version of the Blue Fairy, that he cannot become human. However, they recreate Monica through genetic material from the strand of hair that Teddy kept. This version of Monica can live for only one day and cannot be revived. David spends his happiest day with Monica, and as she falls asleep in the evening, Monica tells David that she has always loved him. David lies down next to her and closes his eyes as Teddy watches over them.

==Cast==
{{Multiple image|perrow=5|total_width=500
| image1 = Haley_Joel_Osment_TIFF_2014.jpg
| image2 = Jude_Law-67896_(cropped).jpg
| image3 = Three_Dollars_(2005_film)_–_Frances_O'Connor,_December_2004_(cropped).jpg
| image4 = BansheesBFI131022_(19_of_22)_(52448312588)_(cropped).jpg
| image5 = History_of_Violence_002_(7271227040).jpg
| footer = [[Haley Joel Osment]] (left), [[Jude Law]], [[Frances O'Connor]], [[Brendan Gleeson]] and [[William Hurt]] respectively play the roles of David, Gigolo Joe, Monica, Lord Johnson-Johnson and Professor Hobby.
}}
{{div col}}
* [[Haley Joel Osment]] as David. Osment was Spielberg's first and only choice for the role. To portray the character, Osment avoided blinking his eyes and "programmed" himself with good posture.<ref name=David>{{cite AV media |title=Haley Joel Osment, A Portrait of David |year=2001 |publisher=[[Warner Home Video]]; [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]] |medium=DVD}}</ref>
* [[Frances O'Connor]] as Monica Swinton
* [[Sam Robards]] as Henry Swinton
* [[Jude Law]] as Gigolo Joe. To prepare for the role, Law studied the acting of [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Gene Kelly]], whose movements Joe emulates.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Jude Law, A Portrait of Gigolo Joe |year=2001 |publisher=Warner Home Video; DreamWorks |medium=DVD}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cinema.com/articles/493/ai-artificial-intelligence-jude-law-ai-interview.phtml |title=A.I.: Artificial Intelligence : Jude Law AI Interview |website=Cinema.com}}</ref>
* [[Jake Thomas]] as Martin Swinton
* [[William Hurt]] as Professor Allen Hobby
* [[Brendan Gleeson]] as Flesh Fair impresario Lord Johnson-Johnson
* [[Jack Angel]] as Teddy (voice)
* [[Sabrina Grdevich]] as Sheila
* April Grace as Female Colleague
* [[Ken Leung]], [[Matt Winston]], Eugene Osment and [[Clark Gregg]] as Cybertronics Corp employees
* [[Enrico Colantoni]] as The Murderer
* [[Paula Malcomson]] as Patricia in Mirrored Room
* [[Ashley Scott]] as Gigolo Jane
* [[Kathryn Morris]] as Teenage Honey
* [[Adrian Grenier]] as Teen in Van
* [[Robin Williams]] as Dr. Know (voice)
* [[Ben Kingsley]] as Specialist (voice)
* [[Meryl Streep]] as Blue Mecha (voice)
* [[Chris Rock]] as Comedian Robot (voice)
* [[Erik Bauersfeld]] as Gardener (voice)
* [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] as Flesh Fair band
* [[Daveigh Chase]] as Singing Girl (deleted scene)
{{div col end}}

==Production==

===Development===
[[Stanley Kubrick]] began development on an adaptation of "[[Super-Toys Last All Summer Long]]" in the late 1970s, hiring the story's author, [[Brian Aldiss]], to write a [[film treatment]]. In 1985, Kubrick asked [[Steven Spielberg]] to direct the film, with Kubrick producing.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Scott |last=Brake |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/200/200038p1.html |title=Spielberg Talks About the Genesis of ''A.I.'' |work=[[IGN]] |date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=August 4, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522124838/http://movies.ign.com/articles/200/200038p1.html |archive-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> [[Warner Bros.]] agreed to co-finance ''A.I.'' and cover distribution duties.<ref name=Ian/> The film labored in [[development hell]], and Aldiss was fired by Kubrick over creative differences in 1989.<ref name=connect>{{Cite news |first=Steven |last=Gaydos |url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/the-kubrick-connection-1117779484/ |title=The Kubrick Connection |date=March 15, 2000 |work=Variety |access-date=July 19, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120041001/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117779484 |archive-date=January 20, 2012}}</ref> [[Bob Shaw]] briefly served as writer, leaving after six weeks due to Kubrick's demanding work schedule, and [[Ian Watson (author)|Ian Watson]] was hired as the new writer in March 1990. Aldiss later remarked, "Not only did the bastard fire me, he hired my enemy [Watson] instead." Kubrick handed Watson [[Carlo Collodi]]'s ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio]]'' for inspiration, calling ''A.I.'' "a [[picaresque]] robot version of ''[[Pinocchio]]''".<ref name=Ian/><ref>{{Cite news |first=Dana |last=Harris |url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/spielberg-lines-up-a-i-report-1117779498/ |title=Spielberg lines up ''A.I.'', ''Report'' |date=March 15, 2000 |work=Variety |access-date=July 16, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118141115/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117779498 |archive-date=January 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |first=Georgia |last=Panteli |date=2016 |title=From Puppet to Cyborg: Posthuman and Postmodern Retellings of the Pinocchio Myth |type=PhD |publisher=University College London |page=55 |url=http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1528658/13/Panteli_Georgia_PhD%20Thesis.pdf |access-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref>

Three weeks later, Watson gave Kubrick his first story treatment, and concluded his work on ''A.I.'' in May 1991 with another treatment of 90 pages. Gigolo Joe was originally conceived as a [[G.I. (military)|G.I.]] mecha, but Watson suggested changing him to a male prostitute. Kubrick joked, "I guess we lost the [[toyetic|kiddie market]]."<ref name=Ian/> Meanwhile, Kubrick dropped ''A.I.'' to work on a film adaptation of ''[[Wartime Lies]]'', feeling [[computer animation]] was not advanced enough to create the David character. After the release of Spielberg's ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'', with its innovative [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]], it was announced in November 1993 that production of ''A.I.'' would begin in 1994.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Christian |last=Moerk |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/a-i-next-for-kubrick-at-warners-115550/ |title=''A.I.'' next for Kubrick at Warners |date=November 2, 1993 |work=Variety |access-date=July 7, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118230203/http://www.variety.com/article/VR115550 |archive-date=January 18, 2012}}</ref> [[Dennis Muren]] and Ned Gorman, who worked on ''Jurassic Park'', became [[visual effects supervisor]]s,<ref name=connect/> but Kubrick was displeased with their [[previsualization]], and with the expense of hiring [[Industrial Light & Magic]] (ILM) and [[Stan Winston|Stan Winston Studio]].<ref name=FAQ/>

{{quote box|width=40%|align=right|quote="Stanley [Kubrick] showed Steven [Spielberg] 650 drawings which he had, and the script and the story, everything. Stanley said, 'Look, why don't you direct it and I'll produce it.' Steven was almost in shock."|source=– Producer Jan Harlan, on Spielberg's first meeting with Kubrick about ''A.I.''<ref name=involve>{{Cite news |first=Kenneth |last=Plume |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/06/28/interview-with-producer-jan-harlan |title=Interview with Producer Jan Harlan |work=IGN |date=June 28, 2001 |access-date=August 5, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006185902/http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/06/28/interview-with-producer-jan-harlan |archive-date=October 6, 2015}}</ref>}}

Kubrick asked [[Sara Maitland]] to give the film mythic resonance. She recalls "He never referred to the film as 'A.I.'; he always called it 'Pinocchio.'" Kubrick's version ended the same way Spielberg's does, with advanced mechas reviving Monica, but only for a day.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news| title=The Masterpiece a Master Couldn't Get Right| author=Gregory Feeley| date=June 18, 1999| work=[[The New York Times]]| url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/071899kubrick-ai.html| quote=Kubrick, however, wanted a coda in which the new race of robots, because of a technological limitation, cannot keep the mother alive after reviving her. The movie would end with David in his mother's bedroom, watching her slowly disappear.}}</ref>

===Pre-production===
In early 1994, the film was in [[pre-production]] with [[Chris Baker (artist)|Christopher "Fangorn" Baker]] as [[concept art]]ist and [[Sara Maitland]] assisting on the story, which gave it "a feminist fairy-tale focus".<ref name=Ian>{{cite web |url=http://www.ianwatson.info/kubrick.htm |title=Plumbing Stanley Kubrick |website=ianwatson.info |access-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703134444/http://www.ianwatson.info/kubrick.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 3, 2008}}</ref> Maitland said that Kubrick never referred to the film as ''A.I.'', but as ''Pinocchio''.<ref name=FAQ>{{cite web |url=http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index2.html |title=The Kubrick FAQ Part 2 |date=August 18, 2008 |website=Visual-memory.co.uk |access-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818015944/http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 18, 2008}}</ref> [[Chris Cunningham]] became the new visual effects supervisor. Some of his unproduced work for ''A.I.'' can be seen on the [[DVD]] ''[[Directors Label|The Work of Director Chris Cunningham]]''.<ref>{{cite web |first=Matt |last=Bailey |url=http://www.notcoming.com/features/cunningham/ |title=The Work of Director Chris Cunningham |website=notcoming.com |access-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719222500/http://www.notcoming.com/features/cunningham/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 19, 2008}}</ref>

Aside from considering computer animation, Kubrick also had [[Joseph Mazzello]] do a [[screen test]] for the lead role.<ref name="FAQ" /> Cunningham helped assemble a series of "little robot-type humans" for the David character. "We tried to construct a little boy with a movable rubber face to see whether we could make it look appealing," producer [[Jan Harlan]] reflected. "But it was a total failure, it looked awful." [[Hans Moravec]] was brought in as a technical consultant.<ref name="FAQ" /> Meanwhile, Kubrick and Harlan thought that ''A.I.'' would be closer to Steven Spielberg's sensibilities as director.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/features/a-i-artificial-intelligence-1117799373/ |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=May 15, 2001 |access-date=July 19, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119065104/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117799373 |archive-date=January 19, 2012}}</ref><ref name="find" /> Kubrick handed the position to Spielberg in 1995, but Spielberg chose to direct other projects and convinced Kubrick to remain as director.<ref name="involve" /><ref name="creai">{{cite AV media |people=Steven Spielberg, Jan Harlan, [[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]], [[Bonnie Curtis]] |title=Creating ''A.I.'' |year=2001 |publisher=Warner Home Video; DreamWorks |medium=DVD}}</ref> The film was put on hold due to Kubrick's commitment to ''[[Eyes Wide Shut]]'' (1999).<ref name="Harry" />

After Kubrick's death in March 1999, Harlan and [[Christiane Kubrick]] approached Spielberg to take over the director's position.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Scott |last=Brake |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/300/300984p1.html |title=Producing ''A.I.'' |work=IGN |date=June 29, 2001 |access-date=August 4, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522124614/http://movies.ign.com/articles/300/300984p1.html |archive-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Army |last=Archerd |url=https://variety.com/1999/voices/columns/annie-tv-er-nabs-top-talent-1117742990/ |title=''Annie'' Tv'er nab tops talent |work=Variety |date=July 15, 1999 |access-date=July 14, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118092619/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117742990 |archive-date=January 18, 2012}}</ref> By November 1999, Spielberg was writing the screenplay based on Watson's 90-page story treatment. It was his first solo screenplay credit since ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' (1977).<ref>{{Cite news |first=Michael |last=Fleming |url=https://variety.com/1999/voices/columns/west-pursues-prisoner-spielberg-scribbles-1117758075/ |title=West pursues ''Prisoner''; Spielberg scribbles |work=Variety |date=November 16, 1999 |access-date=July 16, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119072946/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117758075 |archive-date=January 19, 2012}}</ref> Pre-production was briefly halted during February 2000 because Spielberg pondered directing other projects, which were ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'' and ''[[Memoirs of a Geisha (film)|Memoirs of a Geisha]]''.<ref name="Harry">{{Cite news |first=Christian |last=Moerk |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/spielberg-encounters-close-choices-to-direct-1117760260/ |title=Spielberg encounters close choices to direct |work=Variety |date=December 23, 1999 |access-date=July 15, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118213342/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117760260 |archive-date=January 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Peter |last=Bart |url=https://variety.com/2000/more/news/it-s-scary-up-there-1117761198/ |title=It's scary up there |work=Variety |date=January 24, 2000 |access-date=July 15, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119161818/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117761198 |archive-date=January 19, 2012}}</ref> The following month, Spielberg announced that ''A.I.'' would be his next project, with ''Minority Report'' as a follow-up.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/678278.stm |title=Spielberg to wrap Kubrick project|work=BBC |date=March 15, 2000 |access-date=March 24, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703222546/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/678278.stm |archive-date=July 3, 2010}}</ref> When he decided to fast track ''A.I.'', Spielberg brought back Chris Baker as concept artist.<ref name="creai" /> Ian Watson reported that the final script was very faithful to Kubrick's vision; even the ending, which is often attributed to Spielberg, saying, "The final 20 minutes are pretty close to what I wrote for Stanley, and what Stanley wanted, faithfully filmed by Spielberg without added schmaltz".<ref>{{cite web |title=Plumbing Stanley Kubrick |url=https://www.ianwatson.info/plumbing-stanley-kubrick/ |last=Watson |first=Ian |website=Ian Watson Official Site|date=December 2, 2012 }}</ref>

===Filming and visual effects===
The original start date was July 10, 2000,<ref name=find/> but filming was delayed until August.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Brian |last=Zoromski |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/034/034162p1.html |title=''A.I.'' Moves Full Speed Ahead |work=IGN |date=June 30, 2000 |access-date=August 4, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522124639/http://movies.ign.com/articles/034/034162p1.html |archive-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> Aside from a couple of weeks of shooting on location in [[Oxbow Regional Park]] in Oregon, ''A.I.'' was shot entirely using sound stages at Warner Bros. Studios and the [[Hughes H-4 Hercules#Display|Spruce Goose Dome]] in [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], California.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/a/ai.html |title=Film location titles |website=Movie-locations.com |access-date=April 1, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406071113/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/a/ai.html |archive-date=April 6, 2017}}</ref>

Spielberg copied Kubrick's obsessively secretive approach to filmmaking by refusing to give the complete script to cast and crew, banning press from the set, and making actors sign confidentiality agreements. For instance, [[Jack Angel]], who voiced Teddy, recorded his lines entirely out of context, only receiving direction to sound like [[Eeyore]] from ''[[Winnie the Pooh (franchise)|Winnie the Pooh]]'', except "very wise and old and stoic". However, Spielberg asked Angel to be on the set every day to make line alterations wherever he felt necessary.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Puig |first1=Claudia |title=Teddy bares his 'A.I.' growl with Angel's voice |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-07-06-ai-teddy.htm |website=USA Today |access-date=16 December 2023 |date=6 July 2001}}</ref> Social robotics expert [[Cynthia Breazeal]] served as technical consultant during production.<ref name="find">{{Cite magazine |first=Liane |last=Bonin |url=https://ew.com/article/2001/07/10/ewcom-answers-your-burning-questions-about-ai/ |title=Boy Wonder |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 28, 2001 |access-date=July 15, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926105848/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,165660,00.html |archive-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Bill |last=Higgins |url=https://variety.com/2000/scene/vpage/bafta-hails-spielberg-1117788785/ |title=BAFTA hails Spielberg |work=Variety |date=November 6, 2000 |access-date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119085836/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117788785 |archive-date=January 19, 2012}}</ref> Costume designer [[Bob Ringwood]] studied pedestrians on the [[Las Vegas Strip]] for his influence on the Rouge City extras.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Bob Ringwood, Dressing ''A.I.'' |year=2001 |publisher=Warner Home Video; DreamWorks |medium=DVD}}</ref>
Visual effects, such as removing the visible rods controlling Teddy and removing [[Haley Joel Osment]]'s breath, were provided in-houses by [[PDI/DreamWorks]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoare |first=James |date=2022-07-22 |title=CGI Fridays {{!}} Henry LaBounta Turned Down Star Wars for Steven Spielberg |url=https://www.thecompanion.app/2022/07/22/cgi-fridays-henry-labounta-turned-down-star-wars-for-steven-spielberg/ |access-date=2022-07-31 |website=The Companion |language=en-GB |archive-date=July 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731114533/https://www.thecompanion.app/2022/07/22/cgi-fridays-henry-labounta-turned-down-star-wars-for-steven-spielberg/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Casting===
[[Julianne Moore]] and [[Gwyneth Paltrow]] were considered for the role of Monica Swinton before [[Frances O'Connor]] was cast. [[Jerry Seinfeld]] was originally considered to voice and play the Comedian Robot before [[Chris Rock]] was cast.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.elseptimoarte.net/foro/index.php?topic=14211.0 |title=(A.I.) Inteligencia artificial (2001) |date=3 January 2010 |language=es |website=El Séptimo Arte}}</ref>

===Allusions===
[[A. O. Scott]] notes Spielberg's homages to Kubrick, "sly references to ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]],'' ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' and predominantly ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''" as well as Collodi's ''Pinocchio''.<ref name=Scott/> The lines Dr. Know quotes are from [[W. B. Yeats]]'s "[[The Stolen Child]]":

{{Poem quote
|text=Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping
than you can understand.<ref name=Rosenbaum/>
|sign= [[W. B. Yeats]]
|title=''[[The Stolen Child]]''
}}

==Soundtrack==

{{Main|A.I. Artificial Intelligence (soundtrack)}}
The film's [[soundtrack album]] was released by [[Warner Sunset Records]] in 2001. The original [[Film score|score]] was composed and conducted by [[John Williams]], performed by the [[Hollywood Studio Symphony]] and features singers [[Lara Fabian]] on two songs and [[Josh Groban]] on one. The film's score also had a limited release as an official "For your consideration Academy Promo", as well as a complete score issued by La-La Land Records in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lalalandrecords.com/Site/AI.html |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Limited Edition |website=La-La Land Records |access-date=April 24, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409035235/http://lalalandrecords.com/Site/AI.html |archive-date=April 9, 2018}}</ref> The band [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] appears in the film playing the song "What About Us?", but the song does not appear on the official soundtrack album.

Williams called his score an "homage a Kubrick." He includes echoes of [[Gyorgy Ligeti]]'s choral music, which Kubrick used in ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]].'' Per Kubrick's request, Williams included a quotation of [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' in his score.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2001/Aug01/Artificial_Intelligence.html |title=John WILLIAMS: A.I. Artificial Intelligence : Film Music CD Reviews- August 2001 MusicWeb(UK) |publisher=Musicweb-international.com |accessdate=March 7, 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704202251/http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2001/Aug01/Artificial_Intelligence.html |archivedate=July 4, 2008}}</ref>

==Release==

===Marketing===
The teaser trailer debuted on December 8, 2000, with the theatrical release of ''[[Proof of Life]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brake|first=Scott|title=A.I. Poster and Teaser Trailer!|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/05/ai-poster-and-teaser-trailer|publisher=IGN|access-date=October 20, 2024|date=December 5, 2000}}</ref> Warner Bros. used an [[alternate reality game]] titled ''[[The Beast (game)|The Beast]]'' to promote the film. Over forty websites were created by Atomic Pictures in New York City (kept online at Cloudmakers.org), including the website for Cybertronics Corp. There were to be a series of video games for the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] [[video game console]] that followed the storyline of ''The Beast'', but they went undeveloped. To avoid audiences mistaking ''A.I.'' for a [[Children's film|family film]], no action figures were created, although [[Hasbro]] released a talking Teddy following the film's release in June 2001.<ref name=find/>

''A.I.'' premiered at the [[58th Venice International Film Festival|Venice Film Festival]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rooney |first=David |title='Dust' in the wind for Venice fest |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/markets-festivals/dust-in-the-wind-for-venice-fest-1117797100/ |website=Variety |access-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030032135/http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1117797100&cs=1 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 30, 2008 |date=April 16, 2001}}</ref>

===Home media===
''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' was released on [[VHS]] and [[DVD-Video|DVD]] in the United States by [[DreamWorks Home Entertainment]] on March 5, 2002<ref name="Inc.2002">{{cite magazine |title=''Billboard'' Top DVD Sales |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 |date=March 30, 2002|magazine=Billboard|pages=66–67|issn=0006-2510|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Ralph |last=Tribbey |url=http://www.hive4media.com/news/html/Product_article.cfm?article_id=2590 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020302142732/http://www.hive4media.com/news/html/Product_article.cfm?article_id=2590 |title=Spielberg Still Mum on A.I. |website=hive4media.com |archive-date=March 2, 2002 |date=February 12, 2002 |access-date=September 10, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> in [[widescreen]] and [[Fullscreen (aspect ratio)|fullscreen]] two-disc special editions featuring an extensive sixteen-part documentary detailing the film's development, production, visual effects, sound design and music. The bonuses also include interviews with [[Haley Joel Osment]], [[Jude Law]], [[Frances O'Connor]], [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[John Williams]], two teaser trailers for the film's original theatrical release, and an extensive photo gallery featuring production stills and [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s original storyboards.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Ed |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/a-i-artificial-intelligence |title=Review: A.I. Artificial Intelligence |website=Slant Magazine |date=June 18, 2001 |access-date=March 21, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210160208/https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/a-i-artificial-intelligence |archive-date=December 10, 2017}}</ref> It was released overseas by [[Warner Home Video]].

The film was released on [[Blu-ray]] in Japan by Warner Home Video on December 22, 2010, followed shortly by a United States release by [[Paramount Home Entertainment]] (Paramount currently owns the pre-2010 live-action DreamWorks catalog) on April 5, 2011. This Blu-ray features the film remastered in high-definition and incorporates all the bonus features previously included on the two-disc special-edition DVD.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/AI-Artificial-Intelligence-Blu-ray/8686/ |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence Blu-ray |website=Blu-ray.com |access-date=March 21, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227153637/http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/AI-Artificial-Intelligence-Blu-ray/8686/ |archive-date=February 27, 2018}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film opened in 3,242 theaters in the United States and Canada on June 29, 2001, earning $29.35 million at #1 during its opening weekend.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-alliance-times-herald-spielberg-kubr/126756783/ |title=Spielberg-Kubrick Creation "A.I." Debuts With $30.1 Million Box Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619224435/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-alliance-times-herald-spielberg-kubr/126756783/ |date=July 2, 2001 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |archive-date=June 19, 2023 |page=9 |publisher=[[Alliance Times-Herald|The Alliance Times-Herald]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref> ''A.I'' went on to gross $78.62 million in the United States and Canada. Opening on 524 screens in Japan, ''A.I.'' grossed almost two billion [[Yen]] in its first five days, the biggest June opening in Japan at the time, and sold more tickets in its opening weekend than ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'', although it grossed slightly less.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=12 |date=July 9, 2001 |title=Japanese show real love for 'A.I.' |last=Groves |first=Don}}</ref> It went on to gross $78 million in Japan.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=November 18, 2001 |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/box-office/o-seas-spellbound-for-harry-1117856944/ |title=O'seas spellbound for 'Harry' |last=Groves |first=Don |access-date=May 11, 2021}}</ref> It grossed $79 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $235.93 million.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ai.htm |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129211027/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ai.htm |archive-date=January 29, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2021}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' holds an approval rating of 76% based on reviews from 201 critics, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A curious, not always seamless, amalgamation of Kubrick's chilly bleakness and Spielberg's warm-hearted optimism. ''A.I.'' is, in a word, fascinating."<ref>{{cite web |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ai_artificial_intelligence/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708094802/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ai_artificial_intelligence/ |archive-date=July 8, 2008 |access-date=March 4, 2025|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] score of 65 out of 100 based on reviews from 32 critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/artificial-intelligence-ai |title=Artificial Intelligence: A.I. Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July 8, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818021242/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/artificial-intelligence-ai |archive-date=August 18, 2010}}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C+" on a scale of A+ to F.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title=A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) C+ |work=[[CinemaScore]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=2018-12-20}}</ref>

Producer Jan Harlan stated that Kubrick "would have applauded" the final film, while Kubrick's widow [[Christiane Kubrick|Christiane]] also enjoyed ''A.I''.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Army |last=Archerd |author-link=Army Archerd |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/columns/a-i-a-spielberg-kubrick-prod-n-1117801772/ |title=''A.I.'' A Spielberg/Kubrick prod'n |work=Variety |date=June 20, 2000 |access-date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120043831/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117801772 |archive-date=January 20, 2012}}</ref> Brian Aldiss admired the film as well: "I thought what an inventive, intriguing, ingenious, involving film this was. There are flaws in it and I suppose I might have a personal quibble but it's so long since I wrote it." Of the film's ending, he wondered how it might have been had Kubrick directed the film: "That is one of the 'ifs' of film history—at least the ending indicates Spielberg adding some sugar to Kubrick's wine. The actual ending is overly sympathetic and moreover rather overtly engineered by a plot device that does not really bear credence. But it's a brilliant piece of film and of course it's a phenomenon because it contains the energies and talents of two brilliant filmmakers."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2001/artificial_intelligence/1542794.stm |title=Artificial Intelligence &#124; The mind behind AI |work=BBC News |date=September 20, 2001 |access-date=November 2, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021220659/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2001/artificial_intelligence/1542794.stm |archive-date=October 21, 2013}}</ref>

[[A. O. Scott]] writes: "Mr. Spielberg seems to be attempting the improbable feat of melding Kubrick's chilly, analytical style with his own warmer, needier sensibility. He tells the story slowly and films it with lucid, mesmerizing objectivity, creating a mood as layered, dissonant and strange as [[John Williams]]'s unusually restrained, modernist score." He concludes: "The very end somehow fuses the cathartic comfort of infantile wish fulfillment -- the dream that the first perfect love whose loss we experience as the fall from Eden might be restored -- with a feeling almost too terrible to acknowledge or to name. Refusing to cuddle us or lull us into easy sleep, Mr. Spielberg locates the unspoken moral of all our fairy tales. To be real is to be mortal; to be human is to love, to dream and to perish."<ref name=Scott>{{cite news| title=Do Androids Long For Mom?| author=[[A. O. Scott]]| date=June 29, 2001| work=[[The New York Times]]| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/29/movies/film-review-do-androids-long-for-mom.html}}</ref>

[[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine heavily praised Spielberg's direction, as well as the cast and visual effects.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,130942,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626072644/http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0%2C8599%2C130942%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 26, 2008 |title=''A.I.''&nbsp;– Spielberg's Strange Love |magazine=Time |date=June 17, 2001 |access-date=April 1, 2017}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars out of a possible four, saying that it is "wonderful and maddening".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ai-artificial-intelligence-2001 |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence Movie Review (2001) |work=Chicago Sun-Times |via=RogerEbert.com |date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=April 1, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618132655/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/amp/ai-artificial-intelligence-2001 |archive-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref> Ebert later gave the film a full four stars and added it to his "Great Movies" canon in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-ai-artificial-intelligence-2001 |title=He just wanted to be a real boy |work=Chicago Sun-Times |via=RogerEbert.com |date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=April 1, 2017}}</ref>

[[Leonard Maltin]], on the other hand, gives the film two stars out of four in his ''[[Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide|Movie Guide]]'', writing, "[The] intriguing story draws us in, thanks in part to Osment's exceptional performance, but takes several wrong turns; ultimately, it just doesn't work. Spielberg rewrote the adaptation Stanley Kubrick commissioned of the Brian Aldiss short story ''Super Toys Last All Summer Long''; [the] result is a curious and uncomfortable hybrid of Kubrick and Spielberg sensibilities." However, Maltin called John Williams's music score "striking".

[[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' compared ''A.I.'' to ''[[Solaris (1972 film)|Solaris]]'' (1972), and praised both "Kubrick for proposing that Spielberg direct the project and Spielberg for doing his utmost to respect Kubrick's intentions while making it a profoundly personal work".<ref name=Rosenbaum>{{Cite news |author-link=Jonathan Rosenbaum |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/2001/0107/010713.html |title=The Best of Both Worlds |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=June 29, 2001 |archive-date=February 15, 2008 |access-date=August 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215232738/http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/2001/0107/010713.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2009, he described ''A.I.'' as "a very great and deeply misunderstood film", noting that [[Andrew Sarris]], [[Stan Brakhage]] and [[James Naremore]] "more or less" agreed with this assessment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |date=2009-12-14 |title=Films of the decade: "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" |url=https://www.salon.com/2009/12/14/rosenbaum_2/ |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref>

Film critic [[Armond White]] of the ''[[New York Press]]'' praised the film, noting that "each part of David's journey through carnal and sexual universes into the final eschatological devastation becomes as profoundly philosophical and contemplative as anything by cinema's most thoughtful, speculative artists&nbsp;– [[Frank Borzage|Borzage]], [[Yasujirō Ozu|Ozu]], [[Jacques Demy|Demy]], [[Andrei Tarkovsky|Tarkovsky]]."<ref>{{cite web |first=Armond |last=White |date=July 4, 2001 |url=http://www.nypress.com/spielbergs-ai-dares-viewers-to-remember-and-accept-the-part-of-themselves-that-is-capable-of-feeling/ |title=Spielberg's A.I. Dares Viewers to Remember and Accept the Part of Themselves that Is Capable of Feeling |work=[[The New York Press]] |access-date=April 26, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003222152/http://www.nypress.com/spielbergs-ai-dares-viewers-to-remember-and-accept-the-part-of-themselves-that-is-capable-of-feeling/ |archive-date=October 3, 2015}}</ref>

Filmmaker [[Billy Wilder]] hailed ''A.I.'' as "the most underrated film of the past few years".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/17/spielberg.award/index.html |title=Close encounters of the hugely profitable kind |work=CNN |date=November 17, 2006 |access-date=October 2, 2015 |first=Paul |last=Sussman |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305093555/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/17/spielberg.award/index.html |archive-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref> When British filmmaker [[Ken Russell]] saw the film, he wept during the ending.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://slippedisc.com/2011/12/eyewitness-ken-russell-by-his-son/ |title=Eyewitness: Ken Russell, by his son |website=Slipped Disc |date=December 7, 2011 |access-date=April 13, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405072153/http://slippedisc.com/2011/12/eyewitness-ken-russell-by-his-son/ |archive-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref>

Screenwriter [[Ian Watson (author)|Ian Watson]] has speculated, "Worldwide, ''A.I.'' was very successful (and the 4th-highest earner of the year) but it didn't do quite so well in America, because the film, so I'm told, was too poetical and intellectual in general for American tastes. Plus, quite a few critics in America misunderstood the film, thinking for instance that the [[Alberto Giacometti|Giacometti]]-style beings in the final 20 minutes were [[Extraterrestrial life|aliens]] (whereas they were robots of the future who had evolved themselves from the robots in the earlier part of the film) and also thinking that the final 20 minutes were a sentimental addition by Spielberg, whereas those scenes were exactly what I wrote for Stanley and exactly what he wanted, filmed faithfully by Spielberg."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moonmilkreview.com/2010/author-talk-ian-watson-2/ |title=Author Talk: Ian Watson |website=Moon Milk Review |date=May 10, 2010 |access-date=April 7, 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425150715/http://www.moonmilkreview.com/2010/author-talk-ian-watson-2/ |archive-date=April 25, 2012}}</ref>{{efn|group=note|  Despite Mr. Watson's reference to worldwide box office of 4th, the movie actually finished 16th worldwide among 2001 movie releases.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-records/worldwide/all-movies/cumulative/released-in-2001 |title=Top 2001 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office |website=The Numbers}}</ref>}}

[[Mick LaSalle]] of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' gave a largely negative review. "''A.I.'' exhibits all its creators' bad traits and none of the good. So we end up with the structureless, meandering, slow-motion endlessness of Kubrick combined with the fuzzy, cuddly mindlessness of Spielberg." Dubbing it Spielberg's "first boring movie", LaSalle also believed that the robots at the end of the film were aliens, and compared Gigolo Joe to the "useless" [[Jar Jar Binks]], yet praised Robin Williams for his portrayal of a futuristic [[Albert Einstein]].<ref>{{Cite news |author-link=Mick LaSalle |last=LaSalle |first=Mick |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/06/29/DD239232.DTL |title=Artificial foolishness |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=June 29, 2001 |access-date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815082644/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2001%2F06%2F29%2FDD239232.DTL |archive-date=August 15, 2009}}</ref>{{failed verification |date=August 2013}}

[[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine gave a mixed review, concluding, "Spielberg cannot live up to Kubrick's darker side of the future", but still put the film on his top ten list that year.<ref>{{Cite news |author-link=Peter Travers |last=Travers |first=Peter |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949345/review/5949346/ai_artificial_intelligence |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence |work=[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]] |date=June 21, 2001 |access-date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501160219/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews |archive-date=May 1, 2012}}</ref>

[[David Denby]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' criticized ''A.I.'' for not adhering closely to his concept of the Pinocchio character.

Spielberg responded to some of the criticisms of the film, stating that many of the "so called sentimental" elements of ''A.I.'', including the ending, were in fact Kubrick's, and the darker elements were his own.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Steven Spielberg |series=The Culture Show |series-link=The Culture Show |credits=[[Mark Kermode]] |station=[[BBC Two]] |airdate=November 4, 2006}}</ref> However, Sara Maitland, who worked on the project with Kubrick in the 1990s, said that Kubrick never started production on ''A.I.'' because he had a hard time making the ending work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index2.html#slot14 |title=The Kubrick FAQ Part 2 |website=Visual-memory.co.uk |access-date=April 7, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204153822/http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index2.html#slot14 |archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref>

[[James Berardinelli]] found the film "consistently involving, with moments of near-brilliance, but far from a masterpiece. In fact, as the long-awaited 'collaboration' of Kubrick and Spielberg, it ranks as something of a disappointment." Of the film's highly debated finale, he claimed, "There is no doubt that the concluding 30 minutes are all Spielberg; the outstanding question is where Kubrick's vision left off and Spielberg's began."<ref>{{cite web |last=Berardnelli |first=James |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/a/ai.html |title=Review: A.I |website=ReelViews |access-date=November 2, 2013}}</ref>

[[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] of the ''[[National Review]]'' described ''A.I.'' "as an uneasy mix of trauma and treacle".<ref>{{cite book |title=John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982-2001 |last1=Simon |first1=John |publisher=Applause Books |year=2005 |page=655}}</ref>

In 2002, Spielberg told film critic [[Joe Leydon]], "People pretend to think they know Stanley Kubrick, and think they know me, when most of them don't know either of us... And what's really funny about that is, all the parts of ''A.I.'' that people assume were Stanley's were mine. And all the parts of ''A.I.'' that people accuse me of sweetening and softening and sentimentalizing were all Stanley's. The teddy bear was Stanley's. The whole last 20 minutes of the movie was completely Stanley's. The whole first 35, 40 minutes of the film—all the stuff in the house—was word for word, from Stanley's screenplay. This was Stanley's vision... Eighty percent of the critics got it all mixed up. But I could see why. Because, obviously, I've done a lot of movies where people have cried and have been sentimental. And I've been accused of sentimentalizing hard-core material. But in fact it was Stanley who did the sweetest parts of ''A.I.'', not me. I'm the guy who did the dark center of the movie, with the Flesh Fair and everything else. That's why he wanted me to make the movie in the first place. He said, 'This is much closer to your sensibilities than my own.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Leydon |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Leydon |url=http://www.movingpictureshow.com/dialogues/mpsSpielbergCruise.html |title='Minority Report' looks at the day after tomorrow&nbsp;-- and is relevant to today <!-- Apparently accidental typos in quoted refs should be "silently" repaired. --> |work=Moving Picture Show |date=June 20, 2002 |access-date=April 29, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815010940/http://www.movingpictureshow.com/dialogues/mpsSpielbergCruise.html |archive-date=August 15, 2009}}</ref> Spielberg said, "While there was divisiveness when ''A.I.'' came out, I felt that I had achieved Stanley's wishes, or goals."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/12/02/steven-spielberg-ew-interview/ |title=Steven Spielberg: The EW interview |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 2, 2011}}</ref>

On re-watching the film many years after its release, [[BBC]] film critic [[Mark Kermode]] apologized to Spielberg in a January 2013 interview for "getting it wrong" on the film when he first viewed it in 2001. He came to believe that the film is Spielberg's "enduring masterpiece".<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Kermode |author-link=Mark Kermode |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/posts/AI-Apology |title=Blogs&nbsp;– Kermode Uncut&nbsp;– ''AI'' Apology |work=BBC |date=January 22, 2013 |access-date=November 2, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016222214/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/posts/AI-Apology |archive-date=October 16, 2013}}</ref>

In July 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of ''[[The New York Times]]''{{'}} list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 258.<ref>{{cite web |title=Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/readers-movies-21st-century.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref> That same month, it ranked number 61 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century."<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/best-movies-of-the-21st-century-1235200512/ | title=100 Best Movies of the 21st Century | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=July 1, 2025 }}</ref>

===Accolades===
[[Visual effects supervisor]]s [[Dennis Muren]], [[Stan Winston]], [[Michael Lantieri]] and [[Scott Farrar]] were nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]], and John Williams was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Music Score]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-the-envelope-please-t/124522198/ |title=The envelope, please: The 2nd annual Foscars |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512221528/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-the-envelope-please-t/124522198/ |date=March 25, 2002 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |page=30 |publisher=[[The Journal News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref><ref name="Oscar">{{cite web |title=The 74th Academy Awards – 2002 |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2002 |work=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science |access-date=April 1, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004559/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2002 |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> Steven Spielberg, Jude Law and Williams received nominations at the [[59th Golden Globe Awards]].<ref name="Globe"/> ''A.I.'' was successful at the [[Saturn Award]]s, winning five awards, including [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]] along with [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]] for Spielberg and [[Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor|Best Performance by a Younger Actor]] for Osment.<ref name="Saturn"/>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Date of ceremony
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient(s)
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[Academy Awards]]
| rowspan="2" | [[74th Academy Awards|March 24, 2002]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Music Score]]
| [[John Williams]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" | <ref name="Oscar"/>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| [[Dennis Muren]], [[Stan Winston]], [[Michael Lantieri]], [[Scott Farrar]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" | [[British Academy Film Awards]]
| rowspan="1" | [[55th British Academy Film Awards|February 24, 2002]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| Dennis Muren, Scott Farrar, Michael Lantieri
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2002/film |title=Film in 2002 |access-date=June 19, 2017 |website=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104151316/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2002/film |archive-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=3| [[Chicago Film Critics Association]]
| rowspan="3" | [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2001|February 25, 2002]]
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Jude Law]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3" | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chicago-film-critics-association-announce-their-nominees-75506242.html |title=Chicago Film Critics Association Announce Their Nominees! |date=January 16, 2002 |access-date=July 19, 2017 |website=[[PR Newswire]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719184459/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chicago-film-critics-association-announce-their-nominees-75506242.html |archive-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Music Score]]
| John Williams
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[Janusz Kamiński]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=4| [[Empire Awards]]
| rowspan="4" | [[7th Empire Awards|February 5, 2002]]
| [[Empire Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="4" | <ref>{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2002 |first=Willow |last=Green |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-awards-nominations-announced/ |title=Empire Awards: Nominations Announced |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719194837/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-awards-nominations-announced/ |archive-date=July 19, 2017 |access-date=July 1, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Empire Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Steven Spielberg]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Empire Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Haley Joel Osment]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Empire Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Frances O'Connor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=3| [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globes]]
| rowspan="3" | [[59th Golden Globe Awards|January 20, 2002]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Steven Spielberg
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3" | <ref name="Globe">{{Cite web |url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/i-artificial-intelligence |title=A. I.: Artificial Intelligence |access-date=July 19, 2017 |website=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719185041/http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/i-artificial-intelligence |archive-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor]]
| Jude Law
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| John Williams
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=7| [[Saturn Awards]]
| rowspan="7" | [[28th Saturn Awards|June 10, 2002]]
| [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]]
| ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''
| {{won}}
| rowspan="7" | <ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2002/film/awards/potter-leads-saturn-kudos-1117863902/ |title='Potter' leads Saturn kudos |author=Staff |date=March 13, 2002 |access-date=July 19, 2017 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703061842/http://variety.com/2002/film/awards/potter-leads-saturn-kudos-1117863902/ |archive-date=July 3, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Saturn">{{cite web |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html |title=Past Saturn Awards |website=[[Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films]] |access-date=June 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601200624/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html |archive-date=June 1, 2007}}</ref>
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| rowspan="2" | Steven Spielberg
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Frances O'Connor
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor|Best Performance by a Younger Actor]]
| Haley Joel Osment
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]]
| Dennis Muren, Scott Farrar, Michael Lantieri, Stan Winston
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Music|Best Music]]
| John Williams
| {{won}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[Young Artist Awards]]
| rowspan="2" | [[23rd Young Artist Awards|April 7, 2002]]
| Best Leading Young Actor
| Haley Joel Osment
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms23A.htm |title=Twenty-Third Annual Young Artist Awards 2002 |website=[[Young Artist Awards]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404173701/http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms23A.htm |archive-date=April 4, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| Best Supporting Young Actor
| [[Jake Thomas]]
| {{won}}
|-
|}
[[American Film Institute]] nominated the film in [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/scores250.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Official Ballot |date=September 23, 2005 |website=American Film Institute |access-date=2022-11-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150632/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/scores250.pdf |archive-date=2011-03-13}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of underwater science fiction works]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{Notelist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Harlan |first1=Jan |last2=Struthers |first2=Jane M. |title=A.I. Artificial Intelligence: From Stanley Kubrick to Steven Spielberg: The Vision Behind the Film |date=2009 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |isbn=978-0-500514894}}
* {{cite book |last1=Rice |first1=Julian |title=Kubrick's Story: Spielberg's Film: A.I. Artificial Intelligence |date=2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-442278189}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526223905/http://aimovie.warnerbros.com:80/ |title=Official website}}
* [https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/ai-artificial-intelligence Official Warner Bros. Site]
* {{IMDb title|0212720}}
* {{Mojo title|ai}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|ai_artificial_intelligence|A.I. Artificial Intelligence}}

{{Steven Spielberg}}
{{Stanley Kubrick}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film 1991–2010}}
{{Pinocchio}}
{{Authority control}}

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