“The Blue Fairy makes me a real boy” pleads David (Haley Joel Osment), the robot child who has found a purpose, and with it the essence of life . Steven Spielberg's film Artificial Intelligence (2001) examines the spirituality behind life and questions what it means to be alive and "real." Many people would say that life is the defining trait that separates organic matter from inorganic matter (Judy, n.d.). AI evaluates what it really means to be alive and whether the matter life is made of is exclusive to organic organisms. The literal meaning of living being is: organic organisms that undergo metabolic processes that allow growth and change. Philosophically, the meaning of life is much more complicated. Often, being alive is interpreted as: ; the ability to perceive sensations and stimuli, the ability to feel true emotions, and the ability to find a dream and follow it. For the sake of simplicity, the ideals of goodness of being alive will simply be referred to as "real", and will refer to all the connotations associated with goodness of having life. Through the interactions between “Orgo” humans and “mecha” robots, viewers wonder where the line between living and being “real” lies. PainLiving objects possess the ability to perceive sensations and stimuli and respond accordingly. Pain perception is an evolutionary adaptation that allows an organism to recognize and escape a damaging stimulus (Hargrove, 2010). In the world of AI, robots are equipped with DAS, or damage avoidance system. Martin (Jake Thomas) was David's human brother, and at his birthday party one of his friends comments "Das ist good", meaning the damage avoidance system the robots are equipped with is good...... middle of paper .. ....m that being alive is not the key to living, but seeking the answers to one's existence and purpose is. Steven Spielberg's artificial intelligence was successfully interpreted for viewers through David's ability to encapsulate the essence of life so that the spirit of life could one day be carried on by technically non-living beings. Works CitedGreen, E. (November 14, 2012). Frequently asked questions about genetics and genomic science. Retrieved from http://www.genome.gov/19016904 Hargrove, T. (June 24, 2010). Seven things to know about the science of pain. Retrieved from http://www.bettermovement.org/2010/seven-things-you-should-know-about-pain-science/Judy, P. (nd). Retrieved from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/lifeRhoads, historical marker of the opera house fire. (2011). Retrieved from http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-147