Why is Ava a woman in Ex-Machina? The way cyborgs and robots, when represented in some humanly form, always heavily relies on gender roles. Ava is created in the absolute standard of a female’s gender role — she is supposed to be “weak” and sensitive and sweet and domestic. The narrative would not have had the same impact if the robot were a man. Especially since the bot is usually created for combat, when it comes to a male bot. The male in question: think Terminator, Tony Stark… super heroes, action-packed. If these bots have no gender or sex, then why give them one? Aren’t robots technically and literally all non-binary?

Take a moment and think about how many assistant-type chat bots are “female.”

The deeper we enter the realms of art and technology, the more that the idea of gender dissolves.