Artificial Nature

Whereas many films involving the future and functioning artificial intelligence show robots endangering human life through intentional physical destruction, Be Right Back takes a different approach It shows how AI is capable of causing damage to an individual's state of mind without any intent. 

Were I in Martha's position, I don't know what I would do. I'd like to think that I'd opt against "resurrecting" Ash. However, it's impossible for me to know what I'd really do in this situation. That's part of the reason why I think the decision she made was reasonable, however that doesn't mean that it was a rational decision. When Martha made this decision she wasn't done with grieving. To make matters worse she found out that she was pregnant, and when she called her sister, no one picked up. She felt alone, like she no longer had anyone. These feelings combined with her hormones put her in an irrational state of mind. This in turn led to her deciding to talk to Ash2. Once the first contact made, she was hooked. Ash2 had become her drug. She no longer had to cope with his death because it was as if he was still alive. However, Ash2 was only masking the grief. This became evident when she dropped her phone and lost her connection to Ash2. She frantically charged her phone, and when it was fully charged, Ash2 asked, "What happened?" Martha's answer was interesting because she didn't say, "I dropped my phone," what she said was, "I dropped you." Showing that Ash2 was already human, in Martha's mind, even before he was uploaded on to the robot. Once the robot arrives, Martha, although hesitant at first, is happy to have Ash2, and it isn't long before they make love. The next day, however, things change after Martha's sister's visit. Her sister tells her that she's glad to see that she's moved on, because she'd seen man's clothing in the bathroom. This causes Martha to begin to realize that what she's doing isn't healthy. So, she tells Ash2 to leave. The next day she sees him right outside the house. What he says before coming in is interesting. He claims that he's beginning to feel "ornamental." By doing this, he displays a sense of self-awareness.Meaning that he realizes that he isn't really Ash with modifications but rather an autonomous robot that's running a program to simulate Ash's behavior. After seeing him outside her window, Martha takes Ash2 to the cliff she'd shown him earlier and tells him to jump, thus showing that she may be able to move on and come to terms with Ash's death. At first, Ash2 is compliant, but Martha tells him that a real person would cry and beg to not be made to jump. So, he begins to do this. When he cries, Martha doesn't think of it as Ash2 crying, she thinks of the real Ash and is unable to go through with telling Ash2 to jump to his death. Years later, Martha's now a mother and it's her daughter's birthday. It's revealed that Ash2 lives in their attic and that Martha's daughter interacts with him on a fairly regular basis. So, although Martha is now able to see Ash2 as a different person, she is still unable to fully let go of him.