The Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) has long enjoyed an impressive track record for premiering movies that go on to win Oscars. But this year the most eye-catching addition isn’t a movie but the festival’s new chatbot robot film critic.
TIFFBOT, created by Canadian digital product agency TWG in partnership with communications agency 88 Creative, aims to help select movies playing at TIFF for you via Facebook Messenger.
Movie critics, notably Rolling Stone Film Editor David Fear, seem nervous about the innovation.
“Meet The Robot Film Critic That Will Help You Decide What to Watch at the Toronto Film Festival.” So now we’ve been replaced by robots too?
— David Fear (@davidlfear) August 24, 2016
Kyle Smith, Film Critic for the New York Post, told Heat Street: “I suppose robots have put out of business more useful people than film critics. I just hope the robots are properly programmed, as film critics are, to randomly spit out phrases like ‘dark vision,’ ‘the result is’ and ‘formal rigor.'”
Veteran film and theater critic John Simon said, “I don’t think this is a particularly worthwhile invention but then quite a few critics are already robots.”
Heat Street tried TIFFBOT and have to say we prefer good old-fashioned humans when it comes to movie recommendations.
I started out by telling TIFFBOT my preference for period drama and thrillers. TIFFBOT sent me in the direction of Nate Parker’s slave epic The Birth of a Nation: “This one is bound to blow you away… What’s more badass than taking the title of one of the most (in)famous classics in film history as an act of protest?”
But on the subject of protest, I brought up with TIFFBOT Nate Parker’s rape controversy that has engulfed the movie? TIFFBOT responded, “This one is bound to blow you away… What’s more badass than taking the title of one of the most (in)famous classics in film history as an act of protest?”
I tried another approach with my new chatbot pal. “I love romcoms,” I asked TIFFBOT. “Can you help?”
“I’m sorry Tom, I didn’t understand that. I’m just a simple, film-loving robot… 
”
“I like romantic comedies,” I explained. Can you help?” Tiffbot suggested German comedy Toni Erdman, provocatively making no secret it was out to get film reviewers: “Reportedly this film has a ‘very funny’ nude scene — well if you say so, stuffy critics! 
”
If you say so, TIFFBOT…
If you want good recommendations for your nearby film festival, try local cinephiles not a heartless BOT https://t.co/P38Qse1ozu
— Kendra (@halifaxfilmgal) August 24, 2016
