I enjoyed your discussion of this undeniably compelling film. I especially appreciate how you all can entertain various readings of the movie, without arguing that one must be “right” and others “wrong.” Here’s my own reading to add to the mix, if you’re interested:

http://thescifichristian.com/2015/05/ex-machina-one-sci-fi-christians-reflections-spoilers/

I saw this film with a friend who very vehemently objected to the ending – “Caleb’s a nice guy, he deserves better than that!” And he does, but I ultimately think the film plays fair. It tells us in the first reel that AIs are going to make humans obsolete; and, sure enough, in the final reel, the only real human we’ve seen — the only character with any empathy — is as good as dead, while the AI is out there in the world, ready to inherit the earth. It’s a pretty bleak take on who we are and what we deserve as a species. Maybe it can profit Christians to view it as a prophetic parable: If we continue to treat each other (let alone any new life forms we might create) the way Nathan treats his AIs, we’re sowing the seeds of our own destruction.