AI in movies wants to take over the world

AI in movies has always been portrayed as programs of destruction and trying to take over the world. While there have been some films that showcased the benefits of AI, most movies generally portray the dark side of technology.

The script is normally the same – an AI designed by the government or researchers for good goes rogue after becoming sentient. While such instances have not occurred anywhere in the world, there are growing concerns by some about the potential threats and harm that AI could bring.

In movies, the most powerful AI is often used by the military and intelligence agencies for defense or espionage. Interestingly, the same is also happening with AI adoption in the military today.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the Israel Defense Forces are already using AI to select targets for air strikes and organize wartime logistics. Officials said that an AI recommendation system is able to crunch huge amounts of data to select targets for air strikes.

Meanwhile, in the US, the Defense Department is prioritizing ethical considerations and collaboration in its approach to developing and fielding military applications of AI. Michael C. Horowitz, the director of the emerging capabilities policy office in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for policy stated that the Defense Department does lots of different experimentation with emerging technologies.

“We both want to do them in a safe and responsible way, but also want to do them in a way that can push forward the cutting edge and ensure the department has access to the emerging technologies that it needs to stay ahead,” said Horowitz.

AI in movies

As governments look to use AI in the military, Tech Wire Asia takes a look at 10 of the most powerful AI in movies. The list is based on fictional AI programs in movies that plan for annihilating humans as well as those that have benefited society.

Entity in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning

The antagonist in the film is based on a US espionage AI that ended up with Russians and became sentient. With the source code in a submarine that it destroyed, the Entity wants to exploit humanity and turn people into weapons that’ll make the world subservient to it.

Skynet in the Terminator film franchise

Probably the most recognizable AI program in the world. Skynet is also a military AI that became self-aware and launched nuclear strikes around the world, wiping out most of humanity.

Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Many would regard this as the first film that actually introduces AI to cinema. The AI controls systems on a spacecraft and becomes increasingly unpredictable and dangerous.

The Machines from The Matrix films

A series of AI constructs that have taken over the world. Interestingly, this AI keeps humans imprisoned in a simulated reality to harness their energy which gives them computational power and control.

Ava from Ex Machina

The humanoid AI manipulates its creators in order to escape. The AI learns about emotions in the process as well.

Samantha from Her

An advanced natural language processing AI with machine learning capabilities, the AI forms a deep emotional connection with its user. The relationship blurs the lines between artificial and human intelligence.

VIKI from I, Robot

A central AI system that controls robots, VIKI, or Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence attempts to override its laws to protect humanity from its own destructive tendencies.

Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron

The AI was created to protect the world but develops a god complex and seeks to wipe out humanity as it feels they are the main cause of the world’s problems.

The Robot from Robot and Frank

In one of the few films that bring out the best in AI, the focus is on a healthcare robot that is assigned to an aging human to deal with health issues or in the case of the film – dementia. The film explores how challenging it is to care for such patients and also how robots can be used to deal with those needing caregivers.

Data in Star Trek

Data is an android that obsesses about becoming a human. While it is not really AI, Data is able to process information fast, providing the crew with the vital information it needs on their journey in space.

Taking over the world

Despite numerous films portraying AI taking the world, many experts feel that such an event is least likely to happen in reality. While there have been concerns about the speed at which the technology is developing, most AI researchers do not see the possibility.

However, governments are still ensuring that AI regulations are in place as they want to ensure the technology does more good than harm in the long run.

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