In media representations, dichotomous gender attributions such as ‘nature vs. culture’, ‘emotionality vs. rationality’ or ‘power vs. powerlessness’ are reproduced in technical contexts on the one hand, but on the other (potentially) also subverted, which offers opportunities for their cultural renegotiation. Against this backdrop, the following article will begin by looking at film history and the projection of gender characteristics onto technology within AI and robot narratives and then systematise these trends in terms of typical narrative patterns. In a second step, the two recent film examples Her (USA, 2013, Spike Jonze) and Ex Machina (GB, 2015, Alex Garland) will be examined in depth. Particular attention will be paid to the question of the extent to which changes in mentalities are emerging in recent AI films compared to film history.