Chappie film’s prediction about AI comes trueReleased more than a decade ago, this movie made a huge prediction about out society that has proven to be hauntingly spot-on.Siobhan Duck3 min readMay 3, 2026 - 11:09AMIn the sun-drenched landscape of a dystopian Johannesburg, Chappie unfolds not as a typical hi-tech thriller, but a modern-day fable about artificial intelligence (AI) – and emotional intelligence.Released in 2015 – before AI was an increasing encroachment on our day-to-day existence (for better or worse) – the film explores what it means to be alive through Chappie, a sentient, childlike police robot who ends up learning morality from the gangsters who abduct him.Apart from being a high-octane, sci-fi adventure featuring two of the genre’s finest (Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver), what makes director Neill Blomkamp’s film essential viewing today is its insightful social commentary about AI’s potentially far-reaching consequences.Jackman, who plays Vincent, the film’s mulletted, khaki shorts-clad villain, said he found AI’s unpredictability fascinating, but it was a tool that still required caution. “I’m someone who actually likes all this technology,” Jackman told entertainment site ScreenRant. “I love the possibilities of it. I will probably be one of the first ones to have a driverless car. I love that idea.”In considering something like Chappie, a robot programmed to be more human, Jackman added, “I think it’s really interesting. I think if this was possible, a lot of mistakes would be made. I think it has great power for good and great power for bad depending on which direction it’s set off in. So, it’s something that does need to be thought about very deeply.”Wētā Workshop’s Joe Dunckley helped bring Blomkamp’s vision to life, crafting Chappie’s impressively realistic puppets, props and special effects, and recalls AI being a hot topic on the set. Chappie is now streaming on TubiAussie Hugh Jackman stars in Chappie.Over a decade later, the film is more relevant than ever.“What’s interesting looking back is that, at the time, those conversations still felt quite theoretical, almost like talking about something far off in the future, like light-speed travel,” the multi-talented art director tells The Watchlist. “I don’t think most of us fully grasped how quickly AI would begin to impact society in a tangible way. It still felt somewhat abstract; interesting, but distant.”Unlike those spaceships travelling at warp speed in Star Trek, or the hovering cars of Back To The Future II and Blade Runner, AI is now an entrenched part of life in 2026, which means Dunckley is unsurprised that Chappie tapped into the Zeitgeist and has gained a cult following. “Neill has an exceptional ability to extrapolate from current cultural, societal and technological trends and build them into the thematic core of his storytelling,” Dunckley explains.Referencing other key films by Blomkamp, Dunckley adds, “District 9, for example, uses stranded aliens to explore immigration and society’s treatment of outsiders. Elysium imagines the endgame of unchecked capitalism, amplifying wealth inequality to grotesque levels that, today, doesn’t feel quite so distant. And with Chappie, the focus is on AI and the question of digital consciousness.”Chappie is a sentient, childlike police robot.Dev Patel also stars in the flick.Just like the AI tools being used in workplaces around Australia, Chappie is a blank slate designed to absorb information from the world around him. But the world Chappie faces is as destructive as it is potentially good, and the bunny-eared robot’s childlike wonder makes him raise a lot of interesting questions. “Today, as we start to see AI systems exhibiting increasingly complex, sometimes unpredictable behaviours, that idea feels far less theoretical and much more real and fascinating,” Dunckley says. “As a species, we still struggle to define our own consciousness, yet we’re now creating systems that appear to edge toward something that one day soon might resemble it.”The world Chappie faces is as destructive as it is potentially good.As the on-set supervisor for Chappie, Dunckley was responsible for making a robot-patrolled Johannesburg seem believable. That involved layering design elements with oil stains, grime and broken-down paint so that they felt like working machines rather than pristine props. “Neill often talked about wanting his worlds to feel like they exist just five minutes into the future, and that philosophy really guided the approach,” Dunckley explains.“Neill has grounded his sci-fi storytelling in a very tactile, gritty reality, placing hi-tech elements into harsh, recognisable environments,” he adds. “For Chappie, he wanted the police robots to feel like utilitarian equipment: practical, built for purpose, and fully integrated into the world.”That hands-on work is what Dunckley loves most. “There’s something really satisfying about creating tangible elements that actors can physically engage with, and that ultimately helps ground the film in reality,” he enthuses.More CoverageThe Watchlist: What to stream this weekendJames Wigney‘I never went’: Stars live teen dream in new filmSiobhan Duck Another highlight of working on the production for Dunckley was working with Weaver. “Sigourney is sci-fi royalty,” he says of the Oscar-nominated genre veteran.“She has such a deep history with ‘hard sci-fi’. Her portrayal of Ripley in the Alien franchise is legendary, so she brings a real sense of authority and credibility to any project she’s part of. Her presence on set added a level of gravitas to the production, and it was a privilege for the crew to be working alongside someone of her stature.”Chappie is now streaming on Tubi.Join the conversationAdd your comment to this storyTo join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? 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