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Blumhouse’s Afraid brings AI terror to the smart home

Smart House’s spirit lives on in Blumhouse’s Afraid.

Whereas M3gan was focused specifically on a future on the advent of humanoid consumer robots, Afraid tells the story of how the lives of an unsuspecting family are upended after installing a smart hub in their home. Neither Curtis (John Cho) nor his wife (Katherine Waterston) are sure what to expect from AIA — a HomePod / Ring / Siri-like device — when they’re selected to test it out, but they quickly find themselves enamored with its ability to help with tasks they simply don’t have time to do. With its sensors placed everywhere and its constant tendency to ingest information about the family, it’s all too easy for AIA to become a reassuring presence in their lives once it takes over paying the bills and making sure the kids do their chores.

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