Viewpoints
Opinion

The AI Threat SciFi Predicted Is Right on Our Doorstep

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
The AI Threat SciFi Predicted Is Right on Our Doorstep
A robot powered by artificial intelligence is displayed at a stand during a conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 30, 2024. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Mike Fredenburg
|Updated:
0:00
Commentary
Science Fiction has long predicted the threats and challenges posed by AI. In the Star Trek universe, particularly in the original series, Season Two, Episode 24, “The Ultimate Computer,” Dr. Leonard McCoy delivers this haunting line: “Compassion: that’s the one thing no machine ever had. Maybe it’s the one thing that keeps men ahead of them.” The line comes in the aftermath of a revolutionary new AI computer, the M5, using its soulless AI logic to turn a training exercise into a deadly massacre. In another Star Trek episode, we meet Nomad, a genocidal AI cleansing the universe of biological imperfections.  
Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Mike Fredenburg
Mike Fredenburg
Author
Mike Fredenburg writes on military technology and defense matters with an emphasis on defense reform. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degree in production operations management.