Artificial Intelligence systems are commonplace in the Sci-Fi genre, often used to show technology's endless capabilities and the dangers that go along with it. While some films choose to portray their AI through a physical being like a robot, others keep their AI systems mysterious, often being played by an off-screen voice through phones and other audio devices.
Many famous actors such as The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco to the talented Katey Sagal have taken on this unique role. Sometimes, the AI is used as comic relief, while, other times, it’s meant to be scary and often a cautionary tale about man’s relationship to technology. However, one thing most of these films have in common is that the AI turns out to be the main antagonist and often plots to control people or even take over the world. Here are 10 actors who used their unique voices to bring the idea of artificial intelligence to life.
James Corden (Superintelligence)
HBO Max's original movie Superintelligence saw actress Melissa McCarthy teaming up with her husband and director Ben Falcone. It centers around McCarthy’s character Carol Peters who ends up being the victim of an autonomous artificial intelligence looking to study her as an attempt to learn about humanity.
In order to appeal to Peters, the AI uses the voice of James Corden, her character's favorite celebrity. The late-night host does a great job voicing this sweet-yet-menacing disembodied voice, and, according to reviewer Jake Coyle of the Associated Press, Corden isn’t as good of a foil for Melissa McCarthy as her recent partners Sandra Bullock (The Heat) and Richard E. Grant (Can You Forgive Me?).
Kaley Cuoco (Why Him?)
Why Him? is a holiday-themed romantic comedy that stars Zoey Deutch as a college student who invites her family, including her father (Bryan Cranston) to spend the holidays with her wealthy and raunchy boyfriend, played by James Franco. The movie takes place almost exclusively in Laird Mayhew’s (Franco) house, which features its own artificial intelligence named Justine, voiced by Kaley Cuoco.
Justine is often used as comic relief messing with Cranston’s character by controlling the shower, toilet, and other household appliances. Cuoco’s performances were some of the funniest moments of the film, with her distinct voice sounding more human than a computer. In fact, Entertainment Weekly reviewer Darren Franich jokingly theorized that Franco’s Laird actually trapped the actress in his walls.
Scarlett Johansson (Her)
The Oscar-winning film Her starred Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly, a man who develops a romantic relationship with his phone’s AI virtual assistant, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The film was praised for its mix of sci-fi and romantic-drama to shed light on growing concerns about man’s relationship to technology, echoing similar themes to that of the hit anthology series, Black Mirror.
Rolling Stone's Peter Travers praised Johansson's performance for being “sweet, sexy, caring, manipulative, and scary." There was even chatter at the time of expanding the Oscar category for Best Supporting Actress to include voice work in order to include Johansson's memorable role.
Rose Byrne (Jexi)
Jon Lucas and Scott Moore were the men who wrote The Hangover trilogy, and both wrote and directed the Bad Moms films. Jexi is the most recent film created by this dynamic Hollywood duo, though its Rotten Tomatoes rating is aggressively divided between critics and audiences.
The film stars comedian Adam DeVine who ends up in an emotional relationship with his phone’s virtual assistant voiced by Rose Byrne. The movie is extremely similar to Her (2014), but it leans more into the comedic genre. Byrne’s Jexi is significantly cruder than the other AIs on this list, including a scene where DeVine’s character Phil is forced to pleasure his phone by plugging and unplugging her into the outlet.
Katey Sagal (Smart House)
Those that grew up watching Disney Channel Original Movies—AKA DCOMs—will most likely remember the film Smart House. The movie was ahead of its time and predicted a world where a house would possess a powerful artificial intelligence able to cook, turn on lights, and even take in the paper.
The AI is named PAT (Personal Applied Technology) and is voiced by Katey Sagal (Married… with Children, Sons of Anarchy). Later in the film, PAT feels that her place in the family is being threatened and generates a holographic housewife version of herself, played by a live-action Katey Sagal. The film might be a TV movie and the oldest on this list, but it certainly earned the title of the number one DCOM by Entertainment Weekly.
Simon Maiden (Upgrade)
Jason Blum’s 2018 techno-action thriller Upgrade starred Logan Marshall-Green as Grey Trace, a technophobe who ends up paralyzed in a car accident. Grey ends up having a chip called STEM implanted in him, allowing him to regain control of his limbs.
Later it’s revealed that STEM has a mind of its own, and this AI is voiced by Simon Maiden. Director Leigh Whannell wanted to have Maiden involved in the film and not just record his lines offsite. So, during production, they actually had Logan Marshall-Green wear an earpiece while Maiden talked to him from out in the hall.
Paul Bettany (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe prides itself on being faithful to the comics, they often make changes to modernize and update some of the source material. One of these changes being Tony Stark’s AI, J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System). In the comics, Tony had an actual butler named Edwin Jarvis, who appeared in the Agent Carter series played by James D-Arcy.
Actor Paul Bettany (Gangster No. 1, A Knight’s Tale) voices Tony Stark's comedic AI across five films, including the Iron Man trilogy, The Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In Age of Ultron, Bettany got the chance to come out from behind the camera when his character, J.A.R.V.I.S. was turned into the android known as Vision, who Bettany has now played in four films, as well as the upcoming WandaVision series for Disney+.
Jennifer Connelly (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Fans love it when married couples act in movies together, as John Krasinski and Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place and Cruel Intentions, which stars Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, did. The MCU brought together actor Paul Bettany with his wife Jennifer Connelly by having her voice the AI inside Spider-Man’s suit whom he names Karen. While Bettany’s J.A.R.V.I.S. and Karen are never in the same film, the two were both created by Tony Stark in the MCU.
Kerry Condon (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
After J.A.R.V.I.S. became Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark revealed his newest AI, F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth), voiced by actress Kerry Condon. Condon is a prominent TV actress known for her roles as Stacey Ehrmantraut in Better Call Saul and Molly Sullivan in Ray Donovan.
Condon goes on to play F.R.I.D.A.Y. for four more MCU films, but she was sadly killed off along with Iron Man at the emotional end of Avengers: Endgame. Most recently, Spider-Man: Far From Home introduced a new AI called E.D.I.T.H. (Even Dead, I'm The Hero), voiced by longtime MCU assistant editor Dawn Michelle King.
Julianne Moore (Eagle Eye)
Eagle Eye is a 2008 sci-fi action-thriller that stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as two strangers being controlled by a rogue government AI in its plans to take down the U.S. government. Throughout the film, audiences are led to believe that this is just a woman, voiced by the talented Julianne Moore (Magnolia, Still Alice).
Later, the characters find out that the voice is actually a supercomputer called ARIIA (Autonomous Reconnaissance Intelligence Integration Analyst) and was designed for top-secret intelligence gathering and had the ability to tap into all forms of technology without the user's knowledge. This story reflected real concerns that started back in 2005 that the National Security Agency intercepted the phone calls of American citizens in a counter-terrorism effort.