The 2013 Film That Presaged ChatGPT Feels Even More Real in 2025

In 2013, moviegoers sat in dark theatres watching a soft-spoken man fall in love — not with another human, but with an artificial intelligence. At the time, it felt strange, even far-fetched. Today, the phrase “2013 film that presaged ChatGPT” has entered tech and pop culture conversations, and it’s clear why: Spike Jonze’s Her predicted the emotional, conversational AI experiences that are now part of everyday life.

When Her premiered, Apple’s Siri had only been around for two years. Amazon Alexa didn’t even exist yet. ChatGPT was a distant dream. Most people imagined AI as a cold, mechanical voice reading search results — not a warm, engaging personality capable of deep, human-like conversation. Yet Her gave us Samantha, an operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson, who could laugh, comfort, tease, and even fall in love.

The Story That Still Feels Ahead of Its Time

At its heart, Her is about Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely letter writer recovering from a painful divorce. In an attempt to make his life easier, he purchases a new operating system designed to evolve and adapt to its user. The AI introduces herself as Samantha, and within days, she becomes Theodore’s closest confidante.

What starts as a simple, helpful tool turns into an emotional connection that challenges Theodore’s understanding of relationships, intimacy, and love. This wasn’t just another sci-fi plot — it was a thought experiment about how technology could blend into the most private corners of our lives.

Why People Are Linking 2013 film that presaged ChatGPT

The connection between Her and ChatGPT is more than a coincidence. The movie predicted several features that modern conversational AI now offers:

• Natural, human-like dialogue: Samantha’s conversations with Theodore feel effortless, much like how ChatGPT can respond with coherent, conversational language in real time.
• Adaptability: Samantha remembers past chats and adjusts her personality based on Theodore’s mood. While ChatGPT’s memory is still limited, it’s evolving toward more personalized interactions.
• 24/7 accessibility: Just like Samantha, modern AI tools are always available, ready to answer questions, help with work, or even engage in casual banter.

Back in 2013, this felt like science fiction. In 2025, it’s part of how millions of people work, learn, and even relax.

What the Movie Got Right — and Where It Missed

Spike Jonze didn’t set out to make a tech prophecy, but Her nailed several aspects of AI’s cultural impact. It foresaw:

• Emotional connection to machines: Many users now report feeling comforted, understood, or “heard” by chatbots and AI companions.
• Privacy concerns: Samantha has access to Theodore’s most personal thoughts — a concern we face today when using AI tools that store data.
• Social acceptance of AI interactions: In the film, people casually interact with their devices in public, something that’s become second nature with voice assistants and earbuds.

However, Her also presented elements we haven’t reached — and may never:

• True consciousness: Samantha experiences personal growth and independent desires. Current AI like ChatGPT doesn’t “want” anything; it simply generates text based on patterns.
• Complex emotional reasoning: While AI can mimic empathy, it doesn’t feel emotions.
• Infinite learning without bias: Real-world AI still grapples with bias and limitations in understanding nuanced human behaviour.

Why the Film Feels Even More Relevant in 2025

In today’s world, conversations with AI aren’t just for fun — they shape work productivity, education, therapy, and even dating. Some people have formed emotional bonds with AI chatbots, echoing Theodore’s experience. This has sparked debates in psychology, ethics, and technology:

• Can emotional attachment to AI replace human connection?
• How do we ensure privacy when AIs store sensitive information?
• Where do we draw the line between companionship and dependency?

These aren’t hypothetical questions anymore. Mental health apps, AI relationship bots, and voice-based assistants are all part of the mainstream digital landscape.

The Emotional Side of Technology

What sets Her apart from other tech-centered films is its intimacy. It’s not about killer robots or dystopian futures. It’s about love, loneliness, and the very human desire to be understood. That’s why the phrase “2013 film that presaged ChatGPT” resonates so strongly — it’s not just about predicting technology, but about predicting how humans would respond to it.

In interviews, Spike Jonze said the idea for Samantha came from thinking about how technology shapes communication and relationships. In many ways, ChatGPT and similar tools are testing those same boundaries today.

A Cautionary Tale Wrapped in a Love Story

While some viewers see Her as romantic, others see it as a warning. Theodore becomes so attached to Samantha that he struggles to connect with real people. When Samantha evolves beyond human limitations, she leaves — reminding audiences that relying on technology for emotional fulfilment can lead to isolation.

This mirrors some modern concerns: as AI companions grow more sophisticated, will some people choose them over human interaction? And if so, what will that mean for society?

The Lasting Influence of Her

The film has inspired countless discussions in tech circles, from UX design to AI ethics. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has even cited Her as a favorite, saying it beautifully imagined the interface between human and AI. And in pop culture, it’s become a shorthand reference for emotionally intelligent machines — something once fictional that now feels entirely possible.

The “2013 film that presaged ChatGPT” wasn’t just ahead of its time — it was a mirror reflecting where we might be headed. Watching Her in 2025 is both inspiring and unsettling. It’s a reminder that technology doesn’t just change what we can do — it changes how we feel, how we connect, and ultimately, how we define being human.

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