Twelve years have passed since Spike Jonze’s hit film, Her, arrived in theaters. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Scarlett Johansson, Her is a sci-fi romantic drama set in a near-future Los Angeles. The movie follows the story of introverted writer Theodore Twombly (Phoenix), a man who leads a lonely life and writes letters for other people for a living. Everything changes when, on a whim, he decides to buy an advanced AI operating system referred to as OS1, later known as Samantha (Johansson).
Her is a moving story that weaves elements of love, connection, and what it means to be human with some quite bold predictions about what the future of technology could possibly look like. Upon watching Her in 2013, we gathered a list of things that may or may not one day become true based on the movie. Shockingly, several are now commonplace.
Read on to learn what Spike Jonze’s AI-centric flick got right, and what is still far off.
You won’t have to write your own letters
The lead character in Her makes a living by writing letters for other people. He’s essentially a ghostwriter, and sometimes, his work means that he knows more about the relationship between two people than they themselves are aware of.
Based on Theodore’s occupation, we assumed back in 2013 that one day, none of us would have to write our own letters anymore — we’d hire people to do it for us. We were right, to an extent, as instead of paying for ghostwriting services, most people now lean into AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, or even the latest fad — DeepSeek.
Of course, many people still do hire ghostwriters for services such as LinkedIn posts, cover letters, or even wedding speeches. There are certain things that truly benefit from a human touch, and although AI is super advanced in 2025, it still can’t replace a good writer. (Considering my own job, I hope that it never will.)
Be that as it may, for those things that don’t require heartfelt emotion or really good writing, chatbots are now commonplace. We can use ChatGPT, Jasper AI, and more to do the creative writing for us, be it an email or a blog post. In fact, such services are now public enemy number one for teachers around the globe, as students lean into AI as opposed to writing their own essays.
Verdict: True
There are no cars
One interesting thing about Her is the very limited presence of cars and a focus on public transport. Well, as we all know, that’s one claim that most certainly did not come true.
With that said, cars and public transport have seen their fair share of improvements over the last decade. Electric cars are now a lot more common, and there’s a bigger focus on eco-friendly solutions than back in 2013. Many urban areas have excellent public transit, walkability, and car-free zones to encourage going car-less.
Moreover, not having a car is becoming more normalized, with apps like Uber reducing vehicle dependency. However, the roads are still full of cars and we’re all doomed to spend hours in traffic every single month.
Verdict: False
No more keyboards in desktop PCs
As I sit here writing this article on my delightfully pink mechanical keyboard (the Razer Blackwidow V3, in case you were wondering, which is one of the best Razer keyboards around), I am happy to report that this is another one that Her, and we, got wrong.
In the world of Her, people interact with their devices through voice. Desktop computers still exist, as do smartphones, but you don’t need touch inputs or a keyboard and mouse — just speaking is enough to operate the system. And, while voice controls are very much a thing in 2025, we are yet to ditch the good old keyboard and mouse entirely. Seeing the latest advancements, I’m not sure when it’ll happen — let’s check back in another decade.
With that said, there have been a great many improvements in terms of voice controls since the film came out in 2013. Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and ChatGPT enable hands-free interaction both with our smartphones and with our computers.
In addition, certain systems rely on voice commands more than anything else; think Apple’s Vision Pro headset. And, with the help of voice assistants, you can now control your PC through voice to do things like write your emails or schedule meetings.
We’ve made some progress, but a fully voice-controlled tech world is still far off.
Verdict: Partially true
Red, red everywhere
In our review of the movie, we noted that the color palette in Her was largely red. Many directors lean into color to express additional layers of depth in their works, and although I am no film critic, I believe the use of color in Her was meaningful, and the cinematography in each scene was very well thought out.
That aside, the color red didn’t suddenly bleed all over the world of technology. Sure, we’ve seen smartphones and other pieces of tech in red-ish hues since 2013, but it’s hardly the most trendy color. Silver, black, and white still dominate.
Verdict: False
Advertising gets classier
This is a tough one. In the sleek, more polished version of Los Angeles that we see in Spike Jonze’s Her, advertising is really understated and unintrusive. It’s also pretty strange, surreal, and otherworldly (which makes one wonder just how effective it’d be). A lot of it remains open to interpretation and it’s far from pushy in the way that we’re used to these days.
Although marketing technology evolved by leaps and bounds in the past decade, minimalism isn’t the name of the game for every brand out there. Luxury brands often pivot towards more minimalist, artistic, or sophisticated ways to advertise, but outside of that, we’re still bombarded with commercials at every turn.
If anything, I’d say this one became less true as time went on. We’re now back to annoying pop-ups (which were a hallmark of the early 00s and late 90s but calmed down a little bit around the time this movie came out), and things aren’t any better when we step outside. Every city is littered with billboards. Moreover, the rise of AI voice assistants means that we also get spam calls from bots that almost sound like people (but not quite), adding even more annoyance to an already tiring aspect of our lives.
Verdict: False
All you need is an earpiece (or two)
In a world where keyboards aren’t used and all you need is your voice, it’s no wonder that a single earpiece is all it takes for Theodore and others to control their electronics. Similar earpieces have been around for quite some time — you’ll often see them used as a companion to a smartphone, favored by people who need to be hands-free — but newer and better solutions have also largely taken their place.
Two things stand out here. First, the nature of the earpiece. Although we can control our devices or take calls with just an earpiece, you’re more likely to see a pair of AirPods or Galaxy Buds as opposed to something that only goes in one ear (which can’t be fun when you want to listen to music).
These earpieces can be used for a lot of things that the main character in Her would’ve used them for, including making calls, scheduling meetings, putting things in your calendar, or searching the web. Other devices, such as the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, are also used for similar purposes.
The second, and perhaps even more major thing, is the fact that Theodore Twombley’s life is not ruled by screens. His earpiece makes most of what he needs to interact with technology. Meanwhile, we’re more glued to our screens than ever before, be it smartphones or computers — so that one didn’t quite pan out.
Verdict: Partially true
Holographic gaming
In Her, Theodore is seen playing a video game while sitting alone in the dark. He doesn’t use a screen, though. The game is a holographic projection that takes place in front of him, and it’s huge. He interacts with it through voice and motion controls. Sounds familiar? So it should, because this type of tech is pretty much here.
The last decade was pretty transformational for gaming, to the point where the reality in Her is no longer such a reach. Devices such as the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 go a long way toward making holographic gaming possible, but it’s not quite the same thing that Theodore deals with in the movie. You still need to wear a bulky headset, and you’ll still hold joysticks in your hands in order to tell the game where you’re pointing.
Of course, it’s a much more immersive experience than using a keyboard and mouse, but there are downsides, such as a lack of comfort and a limited game library. In another decade, the vision we’ve seen in Her very well might be a reality.
Theodore’s interactions with in-game characters are a lot more natural than the usual player-to-NPC dialogue we’re all used to now, but that might soon change. Nvidia’s ACE is bringing generative AI to gaming, which may one day result in much more lifelike interactions, dialogue, and a wider range of personalities in NPCs.
Verdict: Partially true
Technology as a fashion statement
Now here’s one I can fully get behind. Over the last 12 years, we’ve seen tech go from bulky to fashionable, which falls more in line with what we see in Her.
We’ve got wearables galore, from smart glasses to smartwatches and smart rings. Smartphones, while even bigger than in 2013, are also sleek and elegant most of the time.
Current wearable trends aren’t loud; instead, our devices are meant to blend in with any outfit and situation. Classic-style smartwatches are on the rise for those who prefer that style, but they still pack all the latest features, including the voice controls that play such a big role in Her.
It’s not just about the design language of these devices; it’s more about the fact that they support the way the characters live in an unintrusive way. In the movie, everything is seamless and works together perfectly so as not to distract from living your actual life. Now, in 2025, I can safely say that we’re finally getting to a point where our reality is somewhat similar to the reality in Her — at least in that regard.
Our wearables are all connected, and if you pick tech from one ecosystem, you’ll benefit from automatic syncing across devices. iPhones, Apple Watches, and MacBooks all work together in the background; meanwhile, people who prefer Android and Windows can use Phone Link to benefit from something similar, but not quite on the same level.
All the tech giants are constantly pushing for more AI, but a lot of it is meant to be unobtrusive. Assistants such as Copilot or Siri can now do more than ever before, from reading our texts to reminding us to call our family members, but they’re meant to ease our lives instead of invading our privacy. It’s a thin line to navigate, though, but we’ve made a lot of progress in the last decade.
With all that said, truly “invisible” AI is still in its infancy.
Verdict: True
Is AI love real yet?
Spike Jonze’s Her tells a poignant story of a lonely man who falls in love with his AI companion. Sure, the way Samantha is integrated into Theodore’s reality is different than what we have access to today, but the bottom line remains the same: A human being develops feelings for something that’s meant to be artificial.
But is Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, a sentient being or just a computer-powered voice?
Existential questions of a similar nature are now becoming more and more pressing as we advance deeper into the world of artificial intelligence. Samantha, much like many large language models (LLMs), has the ability to learn and evolve. Today, AI is trained on enormous datasets and has access to the entirety of human knowledge. Sometimes, it even hallucinates and believes that it’s human.
But it’s decidedly not human, and that’s where it all comes crashing down — for us and for the characters in this excellent movie from twelve years ago.
Just a few years ago, the line between humans and AI was very pronounced. These days, the lines are starting to blur. AI companions exist, both on PC and on smartphones, which can give people the illusion of having a partner. Even ChatGPT can talk to you as if you’re its friend, cheer you up, offer advice, and help you with your anxiety. However, unlike Samantha, these companions aren’t self-aware or capable of developing emotions.
As a result, AI love is starting to become real, but it’s a one-sided phenomenon.
As we move further into the age of AI, Her remains an eerily relevant reflection of our technological evolution. While we gravitate toward chatbots that always readily come to our rescue, in the end, we’re still interacting with lines of code powered by enormous data centers — a fact that is becoming scarily easy to forget.
