The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has transformed the concept of subjectivity into one of the central concerns of contemporary posthumanist thought. Science fiction cinema, as a significant cultural medium, has increasingly explored the evolving relationship between humans, intelligent machines, and posthuman subjectivity. Although numerous studies have examined artificial intelligence in cinema, most have focused on individual films or ethical issues surrounding AI, with limited attention paid to the comparative representation of posthuman subjectivity across different cinematic narratives. Addressing this gap, the present study comparatively analyzes A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), directed by Steven Spielberg, and Ex Machina (2014), directed by Alex Garland, through the theoretical framework of Posthumanism, Postdualism, and Postanthropocentrism.

Using a qualitative comparative approach and scene-based textual analysis, the study examines how each film reconstructs the concept of subjectivity beyond the boundaries of classical humanism. The findings reveal that while both films challenge anthropocentric assumptions and the conventional human–machine dichotomy, they propose fundamentally different models of posthuman subjectivity. A.I. Artificial Intelligence constructs what this study conceptualizes as Relational Posthuman Subjectivity, in which subjectivity emerges through affective attachment, memory, care, and interpersonal relationships. In contrast, Ex Machina presents Autonomous Posthuman Subjectivity, emphasizing agency, self-awareness, autonomy, and the reconfiguration of power relations.

The study argues that contemporary science fiction cinema no longer portrays artificial intelligence merely as a technological achievement or existential threat, but rather as a philosophical medium for rethinking the nature of humanity, subjectivity, ethics, and power. By introducing the analytical distinction between Relational and Autonomous Posthuman Subjectivity, this research contributes a comparative conceptual framework that expands existing scholarship on posthumanism and provides a useful model for future analyses of artificial intelligence in science fiction cinema.