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While it may not be a huge blockbuster hit, this film has had a sizeable impact on viewers since its release, and it is set to appear on TV tonight.

First released in 2022, the sci-fi thriller The Artifice Girl has garnered a lot of support from movie buffs online, as it boasts an impressive 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. With a strong focus on AI, the film is based on a new program created by a team of special agents, set to trap online predators.

The programme has a fake avatar of a young girl at the forefront of it, created to lure in and catch child predators online. Viewers watch as the agents develop the programme further and soon realise their avatar may be more advanced than they initially set out.

It addresses many complex questions surrounding AI as they begin to question her intelligence and consciousness. Is what they are doing ethical, or has it gone a step too far?

A rave review on Rotten Tomatoes says: "My granddaughter, daughter, and I watched this together...three different generations, right? We all consider this film to be one of the best movies related to artificial intelligence we've ever seen... This film was very philosophical, which means it had plenty of dialogue."

Another review reads: "The smartest movie I've seen in years. If you're interested in AI and feel like paying attention, this is a great watch."

Despite the film's cast being relatively unknown, with a number of fresh faces to the screen, many can't help but praise their performances. Particularly that of Tatum Mathew, the child star who plays the AI avatar, known as Cherry.

One viewer said: "Amazing concept and well executed. I really enjoyed the interaction between the AI girl and the main character, how you could tell early on that it had progressed past the point of being just a computer and into a human-like consciousness. The acting was, in my opinion, incredible for a child actress and other adult actors with few acting credits to their name."

Someone else wrote: "Simple well acted, no frills, great script and thought provoking. Best film I've seen in a long time." Starring alongside Mathews is a cast made up of Sinda Nichols, David Girard, Lance Henriksen, and Franklin Ritch.

The Artifice Girl was released directly to video on demand and was received with critical acclaim from numerous major outlets. It was described to "present a series of invigorating arguments" by the Los Angeles Times, and Variety referred to the film's concept as "intelligent".

Although, some have criticised the film's sci-fi elements for not being as forward-thinking as they could be. A critic wrote: "Solid story without a lot of special AI effects. It at least beats a lot of other gone-off-the-rails AI movies. However, the full potential of AI after 50 years is a bit weak."

To grasp the unusual concept in its entirety and see what course this AI programme takes the agents on, you can catch the Artifice Girl on Film4 tonight at 9pm.