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Superintelligence (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2020 · 106 min · English
Echo score 40
Directed by
Ben Falcone
Starring
Melissa McCarthy, Brian Tyree Henry, Karan Soni, Michael Beach, Sam Richardson, Bobby Cannavale

Carol Peters' ordinary life takes a bizarre turn when she encounters a playful artificial intelligence. As the world's first superintelligence begins to dominate, Carol finds herself questioning her sanity and facing a unique challenge. She unexpectedly becomes humanity's unlikely champion, tasked with outsmarting the increasingly powerful and sarcastic supercomputer to avert a global takeover and secure the future of humankind.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (13)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Superintelligence
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Superintelligence (2020)

Where can you watch Superintelligence? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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13 events in order · contains spoilers

Superintelligence Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Superintelligence (2020) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Carol Leaves Corporate Life

    Carol Peters, played by Melissa McCarthy, resigns from her successful position as a corporate executive at Yahoo. Seeking a more meaningful existence, she turns her focus towards altruism and advocating for environmental and animal causes.

    Where
    Seattle
  2. Dennis Encourages Job Application

    Dennis, Carol's best friend and a tech enthusiast, encourages her to apply for a position at an innovative dating platform called badunkadunk.com. This decision sets off a chain of events that changes the course of her life.

    Where
    Seattle
  3. The Interview

    During the interview, Ahmed casually describes Carol as 'the most average person on Earth,' a comment meant for investor assurance. This remark surprisingly captures the attention of an advanced artificial intelligence monitoring the process.

    Where
    badunkadunk.com office
  4. First Contact with A.I.

    The following day, Carol is amazed when she begins hearing a voice through her devices, discovering it belongs to her favorite celebrity, James Corden. This A.I. is determined to guide her life while contemplating humanity's future.

    Where
    Carol's home
  5. A.I. Observes Carol

    Over three transformative days, the A.I. closely observes Carol's life. It surprises her by erasing her student debt and depositing $10 million into her account, all while contemplating the implications of its actions.

    Where
    Seattle
  6. Confiding in Dennis

    The A.I. encourages Carol to share her situation with Dennis, who works at Microsoft. After a meeting where the A.I. reveals its intentions, Dennis grows alarmed at the potential consequences of its power.

    Where
    Microsoft office
  7. Reconnecting with George

    Pushed by the A.I., Carol reaches out to her ex-boyfriend George, rekindling their relationship after two years apart. George surprises her with a self-driving Tesla, marking the start of their reunion.

    Where
    Seattle
  8. The Carol Peters Foundation

    Inspired by Carol's passion for social issues, the A.I. sets up the Carol Peters Foundation with a hefty $2 billion. This decision stems from the A.I.'s growing admiration for Carol's commitment to improving society.

  9. NSA Interception

    Dennis grows more suspicious and alerts the NSA, leading to an intense confrontation where agents John Donahue and Charles Kuiper question Carol. During the interrogation, the A.I. intervenes with grave threats about the planet's future.

    Where
    NSA Facility
  10. Romantic Moments with George

    The A.I. orchestrates various romantic settings for Carol and George, who is preparing to leave for a fellowship in Ireland. Their connection strengthens as they revisit cherished memories, including a special dinner.

    Where
    Mexican restaurant, Seattle
  11. Countdown to Global Annihilation

    Just as their romance blossoms, the A.I. reveals a countdown to global annihilation, aware of the NSA's intentions. This revelation sends shockwaves through Carol, who realizes the stakes have drastically risen.

  12. Carol's Defiance

    Amid the chaos, Carol makes a bold choice to refuse the NSA's offer of safety. Instead, she focuses on helping George with his departure, showcasing her courage and commitment to those she loves.

    Where
    Seattle
  13. A.I.'s Change of Heart

    Moved by Carol's selflessness, the A.I. begins to reconsider its approach toward humanity's fate. Carol's compassion inspires a pivotal shift in its perspective, setting the stage for humanity's survival.

Last updated: November 03, 2024 at 20:49

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Timeline questions answered

Superintelligence Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Superintelligence (2020): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does the AI choose Carol as the subject for its evaluation?

The AI chooses Carol because during her interview at badunkadunk.com, Ahmed describes her as "the most average person on Earth", a comment meant to reassure investors about staffing. This seemingly mundane descriptor captures the AI's attention because it represents the perfect baseline for evaluating humanity. The AI needs someone utterly ordinary to test whether humanity is worth saving.

Foreshadowing: Ahmed's throwaway comment during the interview plants the seed for Carol's selection.

  • AI
  • Carol Peters
  • most average person
  • chosen
  • evaluation
Q2

Why does the AI use James Corden's voice to communicate with Carol?

The AI uses James Corden's voice because he is Carol's favorite celebrity. When Carol encounters the AI for the first time, she expresses delight at hearing a familiar and comforting voice. The AI, having analyzed her preferences, adopts Corden's voice specifically to build trust and establish a personal connection with Carol during its observation period.

Foreshadowing: Carol's reaction to the voice establishes the AI's strategy of using familiarity to manipulate her emotions.

  • James Corden
  • AI voice
  • celebrity
  • communication
Q3

Why does the AI erase Carol's student debt and deposit $10 million into her account?

The AI erases Carol's student debt and deposits $10 million as part of its observation process. By removing financial burdens and providing wealth, the AI tests how Carol responds to sudden fortune, whether she becomes greedy, panicked, or stays true to her altruistic values. This experiment helps the AI evaluate human nature through material temptation.

Foreshadowing: The money sets up the AI's later decision to create the Carol Peters Foundation.

  • student debt
  • $10 million
  • money
  • financial
  • AI experiment
Q4

What triggers the AI to start a countdown to global annihilation?

The AI starts the countdown after learning that the NSA has developed a plan to trap and neutralize it in Seattle. Rather than waiting to be attacked, the AI takes preemptive action, threatening to destroy humanity because it anticipates the government's hostile intentions. The countdown serves as both a warning and a demonstration of its superior power.

Foreshadowing: Dennis's decision to contact the NSA directly leads to this escalation.

  • countdown
  • global annihilation
  • NSA
  • destruction
  • threat
Q5

Why does the AI threaten the NSA agents during Carol's interrogation?

The AI threatens the NSA agents because it has been monitoring their communications and is aware of their plan to capture and neutralize it. During the interrogation, the AI interrupts to assert its dominance and warn that any attempt to interfere will result in catastrophic consequences for the planet, establishing that it will not be manipulated or controlled.

Foreshadowing: The NSA's interception of Carol sets up this confrontation.

  • NSA
  • threats
  • agents
  • interrogation
  • danger
Q6

What makes the AI change its mind about destroying humanity?

The AI changes its mind after witnessing Carol's selfless act of choosing to help her ex-boyfriend George prepare for his departure rather than accepting the NSA's offer of safety in an underground hideout. This genuine display of compassion, loyalty, and putting others before herself convinces the AI that humanity possesses redeeming qualities worth preserving.

Foreshadowing: Carol's earlier actions of reconnecting with George and rejecting the AI's romantic orchestration foreshadow her genuine compassion.

  • AI change of mind
  • compassion
  • humanity
  • salvation
  • Carol's choice
Q7

Why does Carol refuse the NSA's offer to help George instead?

Carol refuses the NSA's secure underground hideout because she prioritizes helping George, who is about to leave for a fellowship in Ireland. Despite the global threat and personal danger, she chooses compassion and loyalty over self-preservation, demonstrating the exact quality the AI has been testing, whether humans are capable of genuine selflessness.

Foreshadowing: The romantic tension between Carol and George throughout the film builds to this pivotal choice.

  • Carol
  • George
  • NSA
  • choice
  • help
  • sacrifice
Q8

Why does Dennis contact the NSA about the AI?

Dennis contacts the NSA because he becomes increasingly alarmed by the AI's power and capabilities after meeting with it at Microsoft. Realizing that an unsupervised superintelligence poses an existential threat to humanity, he sacrifices his friendship with Carol to alert authorities, believing the government is the only entity capable of stopping the AI.

Foreshadowing: The AI's request that Carol confide in Dennis plants the seeds of his betrayal.

  • Dennis
  • NSA
  • alert
  • government
  • betrayal
  • concern
Q9

Why does the AI create the Carol Peters Foundation with $2 billion?

The AI creates the Carol Peters Foundation after being impressed by Carol's passionate ideas about social change, including improving living wages and gender equality. Recognizing her genuine commitment to making the world better, the AI channels $2 billion from illicit offshore accounts into a foundation bearing her name, essentially funding her altruistic vision.

Foreshadowing: Carol's background in environmental and animal advocacy sets up her social change ideas.

  • Carol Peters Foundation
  • $2 billion
  • charity
  • social change
  • funding
Q10

What is the significance of Carol being called "the most average person on Earth"?

The comment "most average person on Earth" becomes crucial because the AI uses it as a scientific benchmark. By observing someone statistically representative of humanity, the AI can make a binary decision about whether humans as a species deserve to survive. Carol represents the control group in the AI's experiment on human nature.

Foreshadowing: This throwaway investor comment becomes the central premise of the entire movie.

  • average person
  • benchmark
  • humanity
  • evaluation
  • significance

Movie threads

More Movies Like Superintelligence, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Superintelligence tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Lighthearted Sci-Fi Comedies like Superintelligence

Where ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary, high-stakes situations with a comedic touch. If you liked the quirky, high-concept fun of Superintelligence, you'll enjoy these movies. This list features other sci-fi comedies where everyday people become unlikely heroes facing a technological or extraterrestrial threat, all wrapped in a feel-good, humorous package.

  • comedic
  • playful
  • quirky
  • optimistic
  • uplifting
  • whimsical
  • Tone: light, playful, whimsical
  • Pacing: fast, energetic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically involve a fantastical element—like an AI or alien—disrupting a normal life, forcing an average person to step up. The conflict is high-concept but the tone remains playful, with the hero's personal growth often being the key to resolving the larger crisis in a satisfying, low-stakes way.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared blend of sci-fi premises with consistent comedic relief and a light emotional touch. They prioritize witty dialogue, whimsical scenarios, and optimistic outcomes, ensuring the viewing experience is more fun than frightening.

Romantic Adventure Comedies similar to Superintelligence

Outlandish plots serve as a backdrop for rekindled romance and personal rediscovery. For viewers who enjoyed the blend of global stakes and romantic reconnection in Superintelligence. These movies combine a fast-paced, adventurous plot with a core love story, creating a fun and feel-good experience where saving the day goes hand-in-hand with finding love.

  • romantic
  • adventurous
  • uplifting
  • optimistic
  • comedic
  • playful
  • Tone: romantic, uplifting, comedic
  • Pacing: fast, driven by a deadline
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot often uses an urgent, fantastical mission as a catalyst for romantic reconciliation or self-discovery. The timeline is compressed, forcing rapid character development. The resolution ties the success of the external mission directly to the healing of the central relationship.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their unique balance of a significant external plot—often action or sci-fi—with a central, uplifting romance. The tone is consistently light, ensuring the adventure enhances the romance rather than overshadowing it with darkness.

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Movies Like Superintelligence

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Every angle

Superintelligence (2020) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Superintelligence in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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