In the 12 years since Spike Jonze’s sci-fi film Her was released, we’ve seen emerging technologies change and morph into something many of us could never have imagined

Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi romance Her sparked some of my first reflections about whether tech innovation is inherently good or bad for society.

Her was written, directed, and produced by Jonze , and stars Joaquin Phoenix as the attractive but marred protagonist named Theodore who falls in love with a sophisticated and personalized A.I. operating system called Samantha .

The great tension in the movie—and arguably in our current society—happens when Samantha hires an actress to embody her so that she and Theo can engage in “real” sex and intimacy.

Theo , tortured by his own confusion and shame around dating an A.I. and still longing for his ex, is turned off by Samantha ’s desperation to connect.