The AI Doc: Daniel Roher’s Journey Through AI Fear

If you've been feeling a bit uneasy about the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, you’re certainly not alone. Daniel Roher, the Oscar-winning director behind the documentary Navalny, felt the exact same way. In fact, he was so unsettled by the technology that he decided to do what he does best: make a movie about it. His new project, The AI Doc: Or, How I Became an Apocaloptimist, is now hitting theaters, offering a deep dive into the confusing world of neural networks and automation.

Roher recently shared that the core motivation for the film was simple: he was "scared shitless." Like many of us, he didn't quite understand why AI suddenly became the only thing anyone was talking about, with opinions swinging wildly between a tech utopia and a literal apocalypse. The documentary acts as a sort of "first date" with the technology, bringing together boosters and critics to demystify what is actually happening behind the scenes at companies like OpenAI and Google.

One of the most interesting takeaways from Roher’s journey is the term he coined: "apocaloptimist." It’s a worldview that rejects the binary choice of seeing AI as either the end of the world or a perfect solution to all our problems. Instead, it suggests that while AI can cause serious harm, human beings still have the agency to shape the future. Roher points to the recent public backlash that led to the retraction of OpenAI’s Sora video tool as proof that collective action and public skepticism actually work.

The director doesn't hold back when discussing the billionaires driving this revolution. He describes many tech leaders as brilliant but disconnected from the nuances of human existence, often motivated by profit rather than thoughtfulness. For those of us watching from the sidelines, Roher’s film suggests that staying informed and vocal is our best defense against an uncertain future. It seems that being a little bit worried might actually be the most rational way to stay optimistic.