Is the robot Atom self aware?

Question

When they examine the robot in the morning (after the kid dragged it out of the mud) Bailey makes the comment that it is unlike anything she has ever seen before. (The next day she suddenly declares him to be a sparring robot).

When Max is out playing with Atom he has the robot lift him up and he asked the robot if he can understand him. He then tells the robot he will keep his secret.

Later in the movie before a fight Max is working on Atom in the staging room. Max and Charlie are invited to the box office. When they leave Atom is left and he turns and looks at himself in the mirror.

Was Atom more than just a simple sparring robot?

Answer 1

We don't know for sure, and it's intentional : here an quote from Interview: ‘Real Steel’ Director Shawn Levy

SR: The idea of Atom’s sentience is introduced in the film, but is never fully explored, was that a conscious decision?

I had three versions of the movie. One Atom is alive, confirmed, a soulful, sentient being. Two, we confirm that Atom is just a machine regardless of what this boy believes, and three, maybe. Maybe the boy is right, but maybe he isn’t and we will never know and obviously I went with version three. Because when I confirmed or denied Atom’s consciousness the movie lost a certain magic. I think it’s epitomized in the scene where Atom is alone in the locker room and he’s looking at himself in the mirror. Some people think they see him move, and some people don’t.