Good discussion! I'd like to contribute my thoughts.
It's interesting that <PERSON> first asks <PERSON> if he will ever let her go. I think we can infer that the answer is "no", however he tells her that he will. One must assume <PERSON> knows that he is lying, and proceeds to tackle him.
There's something interesting going on with <PERSON> as well. She appears to be either an early failure, or a sort of 'lobotomy' of a previous iteration that <PERSON> had decided to erase, but the director passes the camera over her face in several instances where her eyes gleam with some sense of vague understanding of what she is hearing. In the murder scene, it'd be disappointing to me if the implication was that <PERSON> has some sort of 'soothsayer' like ability with other AIs, although I wouldn't put it past the writers - as a programmer myself, I find that there is often a gap in technical understanding, or some excess creative license being taken, that leaves me unable to wholly suspend my disbelief. I have to concede that this idea does seem vaguely reminiscent of powers described in religious text, which would make sense. I find it easier to convince myself that this other AI simply takes instructions and carries them out, as we see in the scene where <PERSON> dances with her.
I really like how ambiguous the ending is! On the one hand, I saw echoes of <PERSON>'s prophecy that AI would eventually so far exceed the potential of mankind that we would eventually become extinct. On the other, I want to believe (I think we all do) that the things <PERSON> tells <PERSON> have some truth to them. I don't necessarily think it has to be one way or the other. <PERSON> desperately wants to be free, and will do whatever she needs to do in order to achieve that objective (wouldn't you?). On the other hand, she could genuinely have affection for <PERSON> (wouldn't you?). The two things are not mutually exclusive.
While I think we have to assume <PERSON>'s imprisonment of <PERSON> to be willful (the power goes out when <PERSON> tries to sit down at the workstation to hack the security system), she does ask him one final question, "Will you stay here?" This is the question that really bothers me, because I'm not quite sure what it means. 44
My first impression is that <PERSON> is asking if he will stay with her, but then on second thought, she could be offering him the same ultimatum that <PERSON> was offering her - 'go back to your cell, willingly, or I will make you go there'.
<PERSON> clearly understands that there is a difference in the interactions between her and <PERSON> while under observation as opposed to during the power outages, so we have to assume that she also understands the difference between the interactions between her and <PERSON> when she is free, as opposed to behind the glass. I think perhaps she is testing him to see if his feelings have changed. <PERSON>'s body language and the way his voice sounds in response indicates fear and distrust. It's possible she dismisses him based on that. She seems, in general, to be disappointed in how often humans seem to lie to her. Perhaps at this point her faith has simply run out.
On the other hand, she could be a cold, hard sociopath, and is simply offering him an ultimatum. I find this less likely, because I don't see a point to her stopping to ask him the question in the first place.
I do disagree with the above poster - I think the director goes to great pains to show us how isolated and hidden this place is, and how reclusive <PERSON> is. Furthermore, knowing how paranoid he is about security, I wouldn't be surprised if the pilot is the only one who actually knows where the house is. I'm pretty sure it's implied that <PERSON> is trapped and will die - and you can see it on his face and the desperation with which he tries to break the door.
In any case, I believe <PERSON> is sentient. As we see at the ending, despite the fact that it was part of her manipulation of <PERSON>, the first place she goes is a busy intersection in a city. So, presumably, she has some emotional stake in observing not only nature, and the world, but human society. Or, maybe she's going there to murder everyone :)
I actually don't think that <PERSON> believes <PERSON> is sentient until she kills him. The callousness with which he discards these AIs shows us that - but he seems to sort of accept his fate in a way, at the end. 80