Photos: 'Chappie' explores what happens when a machine learns to think and feel

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Robo cops

The police force of the (not so distant) future is a fleet of droids, originally created by Deon Wilson (Dev Patel).

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Building robots

Wilson at work in front of a police robot.

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Human after all

Wilson reprograms one of the police robots in secret and gives him the ability to think and feel.

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You are Chappie

Wilson and crew name him Chappie (voiced by Sharlto Copley) and start teaching him as if he were a child.

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Reading robot

Chappie receives his first book from Wilson.

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Putting the "art" in artificial intelligence

At one point, Wilson tells Chappie he can write a poem and have original thoughts. Chappie paints a picture of a car with the the technique of a printer.

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Meet the antagonist

Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman) and his mullet disapprove of the idea of intelligent robots, and worry they could pose a major threat to humanity.

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Search and destroy

Mayhem ensues as the powers that be try to find and destroy Chappie.

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A robot and his dog

Of course, Wilson argues that Chappie is a special being, worthy of existence.

Image: Columbia Pictures