Playing on current fears surrounding artificial intelligence, Chris Weitz tells a story from the science fiction horror world about a family in danger from their virtual assistant, which ultimately has a familiar but ineffective ending.

While hardly the first thriller to portray a domesticity jeopardized by an artificially intelligent “helper” (you may recall the captive Julie Christie in 1977’s “Demon Seed”), the runaway success of 2022’s “M3GAN” certainly gave the concept new commercial appeal. It’s no surprise that Blumhouse isn’t waiting for next summer’s “M3GAN 2.0” to capitalize on its own success. Writer-director Chris Weitz’s “Afraid” (recently retitled from the forthcoming “They Listen”) stars John Cho and Katherine Waterston as a married couple whose home is selected to test a new “digital family assistant.” Needless to say, it quickly develops a dangerous mind of its own.

This less ironic foray into formulaic sci-fi horror territory works well enough up to a point, the setup well-crafted by Weitz and his cast. But when crises arise midway through, they pile up too quickly to disappointing effect, sacrificing credibility for excitement that never quite materializes. Opening without press screenings, the underwhelming thriller seems destined for a brief stay in theaters before finding its place as a slow-burn, disposable evening of home entertainment.

Curtis (Cho) and Meredith (Waterston) are devoted but harried suburban parents of three immature kids with issues typical of their age. High schooler Iris (Lukita Maxwell) is desperate to please a boyfriend (Bennett Curran as Sawyer) who tries to exploit that to his advantage; Preston (Wyatt Lindner) experiences social anxiety surrounding the horrors of middle school; 7-year-old Cal (Isaac Bae) is a bit clingy. Despite Mom and Dad’s best efforts to limit screen time, they all illustrate that same 21st-century problem: device addiction.