The world is currently gripped by something between panic and frustration over the AI revolution, with the technology evolving at a rate so rapid it feels like it’s been ripped right out of a sci-fi movie. With that in mind, hearing Arnold Schwarzenegger speak out on the situation is definitely worth listening to, and not just because of his most iconic role.
As well as being one of the biggest action stars in the history of cinema and the figurehead of the Terminator franchise for almost 40 years, the Austrian Oak has always kept his finger on the pulse of society, with his foray into politics as the Governor of California seguing into his current status as a staunch environmentalist with an unwavering focus on humanity.
So, hearing him admit that AI is no longer in the realms of the fantastical (via People) while still finding the time to praise his longtime friend and collaborator James Cameron indicates that if Schwarzenegger is getting concerned, then maybe you should be too – at least, if you aren’t already.
“Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is gonna go. And in this movie, in Terminator, we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over. At that time we scratched the surface of AI, artificial intelligence. Think about that. Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality. So it’s not any more fantasy or kind of futuristic. It is here today. And so this is the extraordinary writing of Jim Cameron.”
If Arnold is getting ominous overtones from the current state of the technological world, then you’d be foolish not to share those opinions. He’s pretty much seen and done it all at this stage, but who could have guessed The Terminator would become decreasingly far-fetched given its out-there central concept?