"The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptomist" REVIEW

Published on 3/30/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell 

Cast: ... 

Plot: A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity. 

REVIEW 

This film is overwhelming, to put it bluntly. Artificial Intelligence is the next big step in the human race's evolution, realistically one day it might be looked back on as THE biggest step in human history for better or for worse- if you haven't come to terms with realizing that, you will. In only the past five years it's already taken over almost every aspect of life in one way or another. Its speed and growth is difficult to fully comprehend. There's so much happening globally, so much that built up to it, and so so so much more to come not only in the coming decades but hundreds of years to come- so, it makes an abundance of sense that the medium of filmmaking is catching up to documenting the fascinating "beginning of AI" times that we're immersed in. At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, two documentaires about A.I. premiered- "Ghost in the Machine" which I intend to watch/review in the coming weeks and this film. When it comes to A.I. there are far too many questions that can only be answered with time, which means being curious about its consquences and its effect on the future will only lead to anxiety- something that this film encapsulates very well. Talking with (an impressive amount of) leading experts on A.I, developers, risk advisors, historians, and even three of the five main current billionaire AI company CEOs- three sides of the matter are conveyed; those that share the inevitably of A.I. ending the human race, those that share promises of a bright future unlike humanity has ever known where humanity's problems have been solved, and a third conclusion that the filmmakers come to on their own where both of the previous sides coexist. All three sides are not only very possible, but each based in truth even if imagination and speculation are in play- each truth existing at the same time, left unanswered and remaining so until the near or distant future fills in an answer. If that isn't truly scary, I don't know what is. There is so much inevitability when it comes to A.I. and that is terrifying. This film communicates the often feared, often embraced, and often ignored fact that major changes are a-comin' and the way humans have lived for thousands of years is going to change drastically- and its up to us to choose how we handle the changes to come. Making the birth of the couple behind the film's baby a focus of the film alongside a hyperactive style of playful animation & humor, the messages that the film concludes on are all the more emotionally charged as this film with such a wide scope of perspectives and possibilities is rooted in an intimate story of Daniel Roher and Kari Teicher's entry into parenthood and wanting the world to be a better place for their child. I found this film to be as profound as it was intriguing. An important call to action documentary, that's for sure. I suspect I'll be revisiting this film one day many years from now, a future that will surely be very different from today. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• The direction. Some may say that this film's sense of style is too "cutesy" or "trying too hard to be quirky" and they may not be entirely wrong, but I thought the varied-animation heavy and tonally humorous style brought a ton of much welcomed personality. The amount of creativity and personality this film adopts adds a great level of charm to the intimately rooted elements of the film as well as the talking head interviews side of the film. 

• It's timeliness. On the top of this film's poster it includes a quote that reads "the most urgent movie of our time". Usually, that's a hyperbolic marketing touch to get conversations started and more importantly get butts into theater seats, but after watching this film I kind of have to agree with that statement. This film feels urgent, and what it has to say is urgent. That's one of its biggest strengths, how it approaches and conveys its urgency and timeliness. 

• The editing. With documentaries such as these that cover so many interviews, tones,  and stylistic flourishes such as several forms of animation like in this film- I'm always amazed at how much work was put into editing it all together in a cohesive way. This film's editing is insane. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• Sometimes the film's balance of Daniel Roher's personal motivations and the general insight into A.I. felt lopsided. 

RATING

8/10

It's a must see, buddy!