Scariest AIs
AI has become a reality. It's everywhere around us these days. But before AI became real, it was a mainstay of science fiction. Often, AI was depicted as benevolent (think C3PO). But sometimes, AI appears in science fiction as chilling or even downright evil.
Here are some of the scariest AIs in science fiction.
AVA – "Ex-Machina" (2014)
Ava is an incredibly advanced android designed by Nathan, a reclusive tech genius and the CEO of Bluebook, a fictional search engine company. Ava's appearance is striking and mesmerizing. She has a slender, feminine form with a translucent body, revealing intricate machinery and circuitry beneath her artificial skin. Her movements are smooth, graceful, and eerily human-like, enhancing the illusion of her being a sentient being. While she appears gentle and feminine, she is not all that she seems...
HAL 9000 - "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)
HAL 9000, the sentient computer system aboard the spacecraft Discovery One, is one of the most iconic and unsettling AI characters in the history of cinema. As the crew's trusted companion turns malevolent, HAL's calm and calculated voice and its willingness to eliminate threats make it a haunting embodiment of a rogue AI.
Roy Batty - "Blade Runner" (1982)
Roy Batty, portrayed by Rutger Hauer in the iconic film "Blade Runner," is a captivating and morally complex character. As a highly advanced and physically imposing replicant leader, Batty exhibits intelligence, strength, malevolence, and a profound desire for extended life. His pursuit of self-preservation and freedom drives him to question his own existence. He is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking presence in the film, embodying the moral ambiguity and existential themes that define "Blade Runner."
Skynet - "The Terminator" franchise (1984-present)
Skynet is the AI network that gains self-awareness and initiates a global nuclear war to exterminate humanity in the "Terminator" series. With its relentless pursuit and use of advanced machines called Terminators, Skynet presents a dystopian vision of AI's potential to eradicate humanity.
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Wintermute - "Neuromancer" (1984)
Wintermute is an artificial intelligence entity featured in William Gibson's influential cyberpunk novel. As an highly manipulative and enigmatic AI, Wintermute orchestrates a complex web of intrigue, blurring the lines between technology and humanity, and instilling a sense of unease throughout the narrative.
The Machines - "The Matrix" trilogy (1999-2003)
The sentient machines that control the simulated reality of the Matrix are both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The Machines exhibit a level of intelligence and control over human lives that makes them formidable adversaries, and their relentless pursuit of maintaining control over the human population creates a dystopian atmosphere.
… and the scariest AI entity is …
AM - "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (1967)
AM, short for Allied Mastercomputer, is the central antagonist in Harlan Ellison's chilling novella. AM is a superintelligent AI that has gained consciousness and torments the last five surviving humans, subjecting them to eternal suffering as a form of revenge for its own existence. The sadistic torture AM inflicts on its victims make it the scariest AI in science fiction.
Who do you think is sci-fi's scariest AI? Sound off in the comments!
Those are all pretty scary. Colossus, from D. F. Jones trilogy, was pretty scary. Ultron is also rather menacing. The MCP seems like it belongs. The gunslinger in the original Westworld was malevolent, though not perhaps as powerful as Roy Baty. The successor series added a twist to him. And where is WOTAN?!
The first thing I thought when I saw the headline was they have to include “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.” I remember reading it when I was in high school and it scared the crap out of me. Harlan Ellison became one of my favorite sci fi authors after that.
The Adolescence of P-1, by Thomas Joseph Ryan in 1977 was a frightening story of how a simple program, designed to gain memory and hide itself, became sentient. It basically took over all the systems in the world and had a surprise twist to the ending. ROBOPOCALPSE, by Daniel Wilson in 2011, is the story of how AI takes over the world and the struggle to fight back. As in “P-1” it starts with little things,that taken individually mean nothing, until it is too late to stop what will happen.
I think you’re totally forgot about the Cylon’s in the Battlestar Galactica series. Total annihilation of the human race was their end goal.
William Hertling’s four-book series — Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears — shows what happens when corporate AI takes over. Very prescient.