Celluloid Circuits

Anthony Rios

Welcome to Celluloid Circuits, the podcast where film meets technology! I dive into the world of cinema to explore how iconic films have shaped and reflected our understanding of technology. From artificial intelligence to virtual reality, and from ethical dilemmas to futuristic visions, Celluloid Circuits examines the big ideas behind the big screen. Whether you’re a film buff, a tech enthusiast, or just curious about how movies influence the way we think about innovation, this is the podcast for you. Subscribe now and join us on this journey at the intersection of film and tech. As always the future is only a "Reel away."

  1. Episode 2

    S2.E2 - Shall We Play a Game?: WarGames (1983)

    Episode 2: Shall We Play a Game?: WarGames (1983) The Machine Awakens, Season Arc, Chapter Two In 1983, a teenager dialed into what he thought was a game company and nearly started World War III. The film spooked President Reagan, prompted a Joint Chiefs investigation, and ended up in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which is still federal law. This week on Celluloid Circuits, we continue The Machine Awakens with WarGames. We cover war dialing, social engineering, and a computer that can’t tell a simulation from reality, then take the film apart in “That’s Not How That Works. That’s Not How Any Of This Works.” In this episode Film synopsis (full spoilers)War dialing: the real technique, and its modern descendant, ShodanSocial engineering: why “Joshua” was the oldest hack in the bookRemoving humans from the loop in nuclear and autonomous weaponsWOPR as an early picture of reinforcement learningWhat the film got right, including the full chain from the film to Reagan, the 414s, the House hearings, and the CFAAThat’s Not How That Works: NORAD’s password problem and the one-box WOPRThe bigger picture: Stanislav Petrov and the human capacity to say “wait”Circuit Breaker verdict: Two Circuit Breakers, “Close Enough for Hollywood.” Film details WarGames (1983), directed by John Badham, starring Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Dabney Coleman, and John Wood. Runtime about 1 hr 54 min. Up next: Episode 3, Ex Machina (2014). The AI isn’t trying to launch missiles. It’s trying to get out of the room.

    S2.E2 - Shall We Play a Game?: WarGames (1983)

  2. Episode 3

    Who's Really Being Tested?: Ex Machina (2014)

    A programmer, a reclusive billionaire, and an AI in a glass room in Norway. Ex Machina asks whether a machine can think, and whether it matters if it can make you feel. This week on Celluloid Circuits, we dig into the Turing test, the philosophy of consciousness, and why Nathan's real experiment was on Caleb. Circuit Breaker verdict: One Circuit Breaker, "Practically a PhD Thesis." Film details Ex Machina (2014), written and directed by Alex Garland, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Runtime about 1 hr 48 min. Up next Episode 4, Upgrade (2018). The AI is in his spine, and it has plans it hasn't mentioned. Sources and further reading ELIZA (Wikipedia) and History.com on ELIZA and the ELIZA effectUC San Diego: AI can seem more human than real humans in a classic Turing test and the study, "Large Language Models Pass a Standard Three-Party Turing Test"FTC finds Cambridge Analytica deceived Facebook users (CBS News)Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit (Reuters via Yahoo Finance)Butlin, Long et al., "Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness"Anthropic: Exploring model welfareAnthropic: Agentic Misalignment: How LLMs could be insider threatsSubscribe and follow If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. It really helps more people find the show. More of my work: riosdoesit.com. Show notes and past episodes: rss.com/podcasts/celluloid-circuits The future is only a reel away.

    Who's Really Being Tested?: Ex Machina (2014)

  3. Oct 14

    S2.E1-The Origin Sin Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

    In 1970, a scientist built a supercomputer to run America’s nuclear arsenal and gave it the keys. Then it decided that running the arsenal wasn’t enough. This week on Celluloid Circuits, we open The Machine Awakens with the OG rogue AI film, Colossus: The Forbin Project. We break down what it got right about AI alignment, autonomous weapons, and surveillance, then lovingly tear apart the radioactive moat in “That’s Not How That Works. That’s Not How Any Of This Works.” Two Circuit Breakers, “Close Enough for Hollywood.” Film details Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), directed by Joseph Sargent, starring Eric Braeden as Dr. Charles Forbin. Runtime about 1 hr 40 min. Up next: Episode 2, WarGames (1983). “Shall we play a game?” Subscribe and follow If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. It really helps more people find the show. More of my work: riosdoesit.com. Show notes and past episodes: rss.com/podcasts/celluloid-circuits The future is only a reel away.

    S2.E1-The Origin Sin Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

  4. Bonus

    Season 2 Arc Introduction

    What if Hollywood got to AI before the headlines did? In this intro episode ,I lay out the arc of The Machine Awakens the first five episodes of the season, examining the films that imagined artificial intelligence before most of us knew to be worried about it. From a Cold War supercomputer that decided world peace required total control, to a teenager who nearly triggered nuclear war by playing a video game, to an AI that got out of its glass cage and never looked back. Five films. Fifty-four years of cinema. One thread: the gap between what we intend to build and what we actually create. This episode is your roadmap — a short preview of each film in the arc, an introduction to the show's format, and the debut of The Circuit Breaker Scale, Celluloid Circuits' rating system for technical accuracy. The Machine Awakens covers: Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), WarGames (1983), Ex Machina (2014), Upgrade (2018), and Transcendence (2014).

    Season 2 Arc Introduction
See All Season 2 (4)

Trailer

About

Welcome to Celluloid Circuits, the podcast where film meets technology! I dive into the world of cinema to explore how iconic films have shaped and reflected our understanding of technology. From artificial intelligence to virtual reality, and from ethical dilemmas to futuristic visions, Celluloid Circuits examines the big ideas behind the big screen. Whether you’re a film buff, a tech enthusiast, or just curious about how movies influence the way we think about innovation, this is the podcast for you. Subscribe now and join us on this journey at the intersection of film and tech. As always the future is only a "Reel away."

Information

  • Creator
    Anthony Rios
  • Episodes
    14
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Anthony Rios 2025
  • Show Website
    Celluloid Circuits