It can be hard to locate a moral compass in Hollywood—at least one that is consistent and not subject to shape shifting based on the political moods or cultural trends. But one topic seems to uniformly inspire film and TV artists to pursue moral inquiry today: concerns about technology. Though the ethical assessments are all over the map, the general sentiment seems to be, “something is not right here.” From Black Mirror to Bo Burnham’s Inside, from The Social Network to The Social Dilemma, there’s no shortage of thought-provoking reflections on the moral dimensions and ethical questions arising in a world where technological development often outpaces the cultivation of wisdom.

After watching these themes show up in a number of recent films and TV shows, I decided to write about it in a new article for TGC. I discuss four movies (After Yang, Everything Everywhere All at Once, KIMI, and Swan Song) and one TV series (Severance), looking at how the moral implications of technology show up in each. What does it mean to be human in the age of AI? How has the digital age fractured our souls and impaired our relationships? If technology can spare us pain, does that automatically make it good? Though not everything in these narratives is morally sound or appropriate, they nevertheless offer thoughtful fodder—by common grace—in an ongoing cultural conversation that will only become more important in the years ahead.