“Ghost in the Machine,” A Gripping and Urgently Relevant Investigative Documentary on Artificial Intelligence Premieres on PBS’s Independent Lens

(San Francisco, CA) August 14, 2026—The provocative documentary, “Ghost in the Machine,” directed by Valerie Veatch (“Me @ The Zoo,” “Love Child”), premieres on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS on September 14, 2026. The documentary investigates the forces that shaped AI technology before it entered daily lives, as well as those driving the global AI boom. While uncovering the origins of the technology, the film reveals its connection to global power structures.

“Ghost in the Machine” is an eye-opening documentary that exposes the buried history of artificial intelligence, not as a neutral system of algorithms, but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched power structures long before it entered everyday life. Challenging the myth of AI as inevitable or objective, the film traces how narratives of progress and efficiency have obscured deeper political and cultural agendas, revealing the ideological foundations beneath systems now reshaping modern society.

“‘Ghost in the Machine’ helps us think about AI in a different way. It’s a wake up call and searing analysis of power, technology and capitalism,” said Lois Vossen, a founding executive producer of INDEPENDENT LENS. “It connects the dots between spin, what corporations and government are feeding us about AI, and a new world order, emerging in the US and around the world, that affects nearly every aspect of our lives.”

Structured as an eight-chapter inquiry, the film blends historical excavation with contemporary analysis to confront essential questions: Who built these systems? Whose values do they encode? And who ultimately benefits? Employing a bold yet accessible cinematic approach, Veatch delivers a work that is as unsettling as it is illuminating, offering audiences a visceral understanding of a technology that now touches nearly every aspect of modern life.

“Ghost in the Machine” will premiere on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS on September 14, 2026 (check local listings). The film will also be available to stream on the PBS app and PBS Documentaries.

Visit the “Ghost in the Machine” page on INDEPENDENT LENS to learn more about the film.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Valerie Veatch, Director/Producer

Valerie Veatch is a writer and director of documentaries “Me @ The Zoo” (HBO) and “Love Child” (HBO). Veatch is a graduate of the New School for Social Research with a degree in culture and media studies. Her award-winning work deals with the intersection of technology and society.

Director     
Valerie Veatch

Executive Producers

Lois Vossen

Royd Chung

Sue Cambell

Kevin Veatch

Neerja Narayanan

ABOUT INDEPENDENT LENS
Independent Lens is an award-winning documentary series that fosters understanding, seeks to build empathy, and encourages a more united society. Produced by ITVS, Independent Lens documentaries have premiered on PBS for 25 years and streamed on YouTube, helping Americans foster deeper connections between communities and themselves. From the Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro to the Peabody-acclaimed docuseries Philly D.A. and the Emmy^Ⓡ award-winning The Invisible War, Independent Lens provides viewers with in-depth, nuanced storytelling reflecting the experiences of people from a variety of voices and communities. Funding is provided by the Action Circle for Independent Lens with major funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Acton Family Giving, Ford Foundation, and Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, with additional support from Artemis Rising Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Park Foundation, Brandt Jackson Foundation, the deNovo Initiative, and RandomGood Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Stream anytime on the PBS app or on the PBS Documentaries YouTube channel. Learn more at pbs.org/independentlens

ABOUT ITVS

Independent Television Service (ITVS) is the largest co-producer of independent documentaries in the United States. For more than 30 years the San Francisco non-profit has funded and partnered with documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories. ITVS incubates and co-produces these award-winning titles and premieres them on our Emmy® Award-winning PBS series, INDEPENDENT LENS. ITVS titles reach audiences across PBS, WORLD, and NETA, with streaming access available on digital platforms including the PBS app and the PBS Documentaries channel on YouTube. ITVS is funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Acton Family Giving, Ford Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Artemis Rising Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Park Foundation, Brandt Jackson Foundation, the deNovo Initiative, and RandomGood Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For more information, visit itvs.org

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