US actor Johnny Depp, who admits that he is "an old-school guy," transforms himself into a tech semi-god in the new sci-fi film "Transcendence," the first project by Wally Pfister, the regular cinematography director for Christopher Nolan.

"Bad things happen between technology and me all the time," the 50-year-old actor said during the film's presentation at a Beverly Hills hotel.

"I'm not familiar enough (with it). My brain is from the old school. I'm a bit dumb when it comes to knowing how (tech devices) work. Anything I have to use for a while with my thumbs makes me feel stupid, and so I try to avoid it as much as possible," Depp said.

The actor plays Dr. Will Caster, the main researcher in the artificial intelligence field, who is working to create a self-aware machine that combines global collective intelligence with the entire spectrum of human emotions.

His controversial experiments have secured great fame for him, but they have also made him a target for anti-tech extremists who will do anything they can to stop him. However, when they seem to have achieved this it leads to a series of unforeseen events whereby Caster obtains his own objective.

"The film plays with the notion of immortality," said Pfister, who won an Oscar for best cinematography for his work on "Inception."

"Transcendence" hits Indian theatres April 18.