Artificial intelligence has always fascinated fans of fiction and has shown up in all forms of entertainment, from Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey to James Cameron's famous Terminator series. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, AIs have appeared in different ways, many of them invented by Tony Stark, others unrelated to him.
With the most recent appearance of Ultron in the Disney+ series What If...?, the potential for artificial intelligence in the MCU has become clearer than ever. As heroes, villains, or reluctant allies, AIs can become determining factors in the fight between good and evil.
11 DUM-E And U Are Tony Stark's Most Rudimentary AIs And Robots
Despite being a genius, Tony Stark isn't magically born with the ability to code complex AIs. It's all a process. He invents his first robot at the age of 16, naming it DUM-E. The AI it uses is rather rudimentary, highly inferior to Tony's future inventions. Even so, Tony keeps DUM-E and his later sibling U as his personal lab assistants. This proves to be extremely useful, as it is DUM-E who gives Tony his old arc reactor in Iron Man after his new one is stolen by Obadiah Stane.
10 Karen Is Gifted To Spider-Man By Tony Stark
Installed in the Spider-Man suit by Tony Stark, the AI Karen is activated when Peter Parker disables the Training Wheels Protocol. She assists him during the Vulture's attack on the ferry, though Tony takes her and the suit away after that. Peter is back to using Karen in Infinity War, but the AI is destroyed during Mysterio's attacks on London in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Karen is highly efficient as an AI, capable of determining weak points in the ferry, identifying Peter's enemies, and monitoring the most lethal functions of the suit. Despite her high specs and performance, she isn't quite as discerning and aware as other AIs invented by Tony.
9 FRIDAY Is The New User Interface Installed On The Iron Man Suits
The second AI installed by Tony on his Iron Man suits, FRIDAY joins the team after JARVIS's destruction in Age of Ultron. She assists Tony up until his death in Avengers: Endgame. She is capable of giving Tony highly detailed information and advice, providing him with input on the workings of Ultron's device after he uses it to raise Novi Grad.
Tony also uses her in the fight with Steve Rogers in Siberia to analyze his fighting patterns. FRIDAY is his assistant in creating the Mark L Armor he uses in the battle on Titan, as well as most notably the Time-Space GPS.
8 Arnim Zola Is Far More Dangerous Than His Outdated Look Suggests
Arnim Zola first appears as a human being in Captain America: The First Avenger. Winter Soldier reveals that the scientist transforms his mind into a powerful AI. Using the Zola algorithm, Hydra is able to identify the threats they need to take out through Project Insight.
Zola is apparently destroyed at Camp Lehigh, but episode eight of Marvel's What If...? reveals a copy of him may have survived in Siberia. Natasha and Clint recruit Zola in their quest to defeat the rampaging AI Ultron. While they are not immediately successful, it is clear that Zola is far more dangerous than his look suggests.
7 Miss Minutes Was Invented By He Who Remains To Promote TVA Propaganda
An AI invented by He Who Remains, Miss Minutes appears in the form of a holographic clock speaking with a strong Southern Accent. Despite her deceptively cute and polite facade, she is actually quite manipulative and twisted. Her true abilities are unclear, but she controls the dissemination of information at the TVA, which gives her far more reach than a mascot is supposed to have. As the aide of He Who Remains, Miss Minutes is likely far more powerful than she seems.
6 EDITH Has Control Over All Stark Satellites After Tony's Death
Installed in a pair of sunglasses, the AI EDITH is given to Peter by Nick Fury, as per Tony's wishes. EDITH is capable of accessing the highly extensive Stark Industries global satellite network, allowing it to hack into most devices. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, wearing the glasses allows Peter to see everything his classmates are texting, but also delete an incriminating photo Brad Davis had taken of him.
These are only two of the more benign abilities EDITH has, as the AI also controls the Stark Industries Combat Drones. Peter accidentally orders a kill hit on Brad and narrowly manages to avoid disaster. Distraught and insecure, he passes control of EDITH over to Quentin Beck, who uses her to amplify his Mysterio illusions.
5 JARVIS Is Tony Stark's Most Advanced AI
Named after Tony Stark's old butler, JARVIS is Iron Man's original computerized interface. Throughout the many years he spends with Tony, he receives many upgrades and progresses into a highly advanced AI, one possessing the ability to tell right from wrong and make his own decisions, independent of those of his creator.
When the rogue AI Ultron first awakens, he viciously attacks JARVIS, but JARVIS manages to survive, scattering his remaining code throughout the Internet to prevent detection. He continues to aid the Avengers in the background, keeping Ultron from finding the nuclear codes. After the Avengers manage to hijack the Cradle with Ultron's new physical form in it, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner upload his consciousness into the android's body.
4 Ultron Is A Rogue AI Created From Tony Stark's Program And The Mind Stone
Envisioning a suit of armor around the world, Tony Stark comes up with the idea of Ultron. He is unable to perfect the program, and after he is assaulted by Wanda Maximoff, he decides to try using Loki's scepter in a last-ditch attempt to make it work. After experimenting on the scepter, he and Bruce Banner deem the project a lost cause – only for the AI to turn itself on after they are gone.
It's unclear how much of the AI is truly Tony's invention, and how much has been corrupted by the Mind Stone's influence, but the end result is a murderous robot who believes the only way to accomplish peace is through eradicating humanity. Ultron's advanced code allows him to download information straight into his consciousness at great speed. He controls a hive mind of additional units, all of which fight without direct input from him.
3 Vision Is An Android Who Manages To Foil Ultron's Plans
A new life form created out of JARVIS, the Mind Stone, and the power of Mjolnir, Vision succeeds in incapacitating Ultron during the Battle of Sokovia by cutting him off from the Internet. JARVIS's original abilities are enhanced by Vision's access to the Mind Stone. While Vision is still very young and doesn't understand the full scope of his own powers, he is nonetheless the most dangerous opponent Ultron could ever face.
The recreated version of Vision also successfully divines something is wrong when he is trapped in Wanda's Westview Anomaly. While fighting White Vision, he manages to persuade his alternate self to leave by using the Ship of Theseus thought experiment.
2 The Supreme Intelligence Is The Leader Of The Kree Empire
The ruler of the Kree Empire, The Supreme Intelligence is able to channel the collective knowledge of all Kree, living or dead. In the comics, the Supreme Intelligence's form is that of a big green head, but in the MCU, it creates avatars, mimicking the forms of people its visitors most respect. Yon Rogg describes the Supreme Intelligence as so vast regular minds cannot begin to comprehend it. By 2014, the Supreme Intelligence is replaced by a Kree Emperor, although it's unclear how this happens.
1 Ultron/Vision Is The Most Nightmarish AI Possible
In What If... Ultron Won?, the MCU explores a very glum possibility – the idea that Ultron could have actually claimed Vision's body and the Mind Stone if he hadn't been stopped in time. It's unclear what caused the big difference between the universes, but the end result is an even more advanced Ultron who easily takes out Thanos when the Mad Titan arrives to claim his prize.
With the Infinity Stones at his disposal, Ultron proceeds to lay waste to the universe. His consciousness advances so much he is even able to detect the Watcher, who is hiding in the Nexus of All Realities. After defeating the Watcher, Ultron continues his campaign of destruction in other universes, as seen in What If... Thor Were An Only Child?