Review: An Anime Murder Mystery With an AI Twist
In Netflix's Pluto, a serial killer targets the world’s most advanced robots.
In Pluto, a sci-fi murder-mystery anime streaming on Netflix, a serial killer targets the world's most advanced robots. The mystery deepens as the killer starts pursuing human activists advocating robot rights. The investigation falls into the hands of Europol Inspector Gesicht, a robot who finds himself among the potential targets.
The absence of human DNA at the crime scenes forces Gesicht to confront a disturbing possibility: Could an AI, programmed to never harm humans, be orchestrating the killings? If robots are responsible, the balance between humans and robots could be threatened, potentially ending their peaceful coexistence.
A prequel to the 1960s series Astro Boy, this animedelves into a world where robots are virtually indistinguishable from people. They not only mimic human appearance and behavior; they enjoy rights once thought to be uniquely human, such as marriage and adoption. Beneath this technological achievement lies an unforeseen evolution: Their AI is starting to experience human emotions—suffering, hatred, love—coupled with the ability to doubt and make mistakes.
Pluto challenges viewers to reconsider the essence of humanity. If robots can have human behaviors and emotions, what truly distinguishes them from us?
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Pluto."
