Documentaries show what AI looks like in the real world – not the imagined future, not the sci-fi dystopia, but the everyday decisions, trade-offs, and innovations already shaping communities, workplaces, and public life.
This section isn’t about hype or fear. It’s about perspective.
Here you’ll find films that explore:
- Bias in algorithms
- Automation and labor
- Data privacy and civic rights
- Surveillance and public safety
- Health, creativity, and emerging science
These stories feature real people navigating questions we’re all facing:
How much technology is too much? Who controls the code and the data? How can cities use AI responsibly, equitably, and transparently?
Documentaries give us context – the human side of innovation. They help policymakers, educators, parents, and community leaders see beyond headlines and into lived experience.
AI, Automation & Society
Do You Trust This Computer? (2018)
Why it matters: Accessible, big-picture exploration of AI’s rise, featuring Elon Musk, Ray Kurzweil, and academics.
Why it matters: Brilliant global survey of AI power — from state surveillance to activist responses.
Education, Equity & Ethics
Why it matters: Examines algorithmic reinforcement, social media addiction, and civic polarization.
Why it matters: Focuses on mental health implications and digital attention — great for Next Wave’s community focus.
Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)
Why it matters: Essential foundation for understanding surveillance capitalism and data consent.
Work, Labor & Automation
Humans Need Not Apply (YouTube, 2014 – 15 min)
Why it matters: Quick, accessible overview of job displacement due to automation.
Why it matters: Not AI-specific, but crucial for understanding global supply chains, consumer systems, and the ethics automation sits inside.
American Factory (Netflix, 2019)
Why it matters: Shows automation’s impact on workers, culture, and local economics in a Midwest community.
Government, Policing & Public Data
Why it matters: Examines body cams, surveillance systems, and who controls “the digital truth.”
Why it matters: Snowden story — indispensable context for data rights and government control.
Health, Biology & Emerging Science
Unnatural Selection (Netflix series, 2019)
Why it matters: CRISPR & biotech storytelling that maps directly to AI-enabled research decisions.
Why it matters: Emotional narrative of human creativity vs. machine skill — ideal bridge between fiction and civic AI.
Why it matters: Gene editing debate that mirrors AI ethics: who decides, who benefits, who is at risk.
Culture & Creativity
Why it matters: Early warning on digital identity, surveillance, and public vs. private life.
The Great Hack (Netflix, 2019)
Why it matters: Cambridge Analytica, democracy, voter manipulation — core to Next Wave’s mission.