When a robot kills a human, who takes the blame? This eerie, eye-opening work of science nonfiction uses incidents in which robots have caused the deaths of humans—from a Volkswagen factory in Germany to a bomb-carrying police droid in Dallas—as a window into global automation and its consequences. Though they are typically treated as freak anomalies, each case raises questions of accountability, legality and morality. Exploring the provocative views of engineers, journalists and philosophers, the film goes beyond sensational deaths to examine more subtle but pervasive ways that robots pose a threat to humanity.
The Truth About Killer Robots premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and is available now on HBO.