Night of the Networks 2026 X-Factor Edition

No one would willingly hand over their conscience to a machine.
But what if we’ve been doing exactly that all along—just under a different name?

Efficiency. Automation. Scalability. Data-driven decisions. Optimized processes.

We let machines pre-sort, evaluate, recommend, decide, and prioritize. And at some point, the question may not even be whether a human makes the final decision—but whether they even understand what decision has been presented to them.

This is exactly where the Night of the Networks 2026 begins.

A movie night about artificial intelligence, control, and dependence—and the question of how much science fiction actually remains in the scenarios Hollywood portrays.

 

Night of the Networks 2026 – X-Factor Edition:
“Who will be in control tomorrow—AI or us?”

June 23 – Astor Film Lounge, Munich

Register now

 

After all, movies about AI often depict extremes: systems that manipulate people. Machines that decide who is guilty and who is innocent. Technologies that slip beyond the control of their creators.

That sounds exaggerated. Maybe it is. But maybe it isn’t?

Because some of it has long since become reality.

Today, we work with systems that we do not fully understand. We make decisions based on data whose origins and pathways are not always transparent. And we build companies, markets, and entire digital processes on infrastructures on which we depend—technically, economically, and strategically.

So the question is not just: Are we heading toward one of these scenarios?
But also: How much control are we willing to relinquish? Where are we already giving it up today, without really noticing?

The following options are available:

There are three films to choose from for the evening, each exploring these questions in very different ways:

Ex Machina (2014) Sci-Fi/Thriller, starring Alicia Vikander and Domhnall Gleeson, among others

A young programmer is invited by his CEO to a remote research center. There, he is to participate in an experiment: he is to test whether a highly advanced AI—in the form of a humanoid robot named Ava—truly possesses consciousness.

What begins as a scientific test quickly turns into a psychological game. Ava appears empathetic, intelligent, and increasingly… independent. While the programmer believes he understands her and perhaps even wants to protect her, the boundaries between human and machine begin to blur.

Superintelligence (2020) Comedy/Action, starring Melissa McCarthy

An ordinary woman is suddenly contacted by an all-powerful artificial intelligence. This AI has access to all the world’s data, systems, and devices—and is observing humanity to decide whether it should be saved or wiped out.

Interestingly, the AI chooses her as the “average person” to determine whether humanity is worth saving. In doing so, it actively intervenes in her life—controlling technology, influencing situations, and making decisions for her.

Mercy (2026) Sci-Fi/Thriller, starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson

In a dystopian future, serious crimes are no longer judged by humans. Instead, an artificial intelligence determines guilt and innocence—quickly, efficiently, and supposedly objectively.

A family becomes entangled in this system when one of its members is accused of murder. But instead of a traditional trial, the machine’s decision takes center stage—final and irreversible.

These films are available for selection—please indicate your favorite when you register. The film with the most votes will be shown.

Register now

 

 

Together with our partner Megaport, we’re building a bridge back to reality. In an increasingly complex, globally connected infrastructure driven by AI and the demand for greater speed, how can we regain control, flexibility, and the ability to act?

After all, loss of control isn’t caused solely by AI. It also stems from dependence: on systems, networks, platforms, operators, and global infrastructures.

We look forward to an evening at Munich’s most nostalgic cinema, to an exciting film, and to the moment afterward when science fiction suddenly becomes very real questions: How close are these scenarios really? Where do they exaggerate? And where might they hit exactly the right nerve?

Or as Jonathan Frakes might have put it:
Is there any truth to these stories—or is it all pure fiction?