Garland was writer/director of Ex Machina, a sci-fi film that screened at SXSW Film and delved into the implications of artificial intelligence, specifically whether machines can ever pass for humans. In this way, it effectively bridged both film and technology topics. Garland was joined on the panel by actor Oscar Isaac and others involved with the film. In addition, as part of the film’s promotion, a marketing ploy tricked actual users of the Tinder dating app into conversing with Ava, the robot from the film.