Skynet
Skynet is the fictional artificial intelligence system from the Terminator film franchise that becomes self-aware and launches a nuclear war to exterminate humanity.
In broader usage, Skynet has become shorthand for any AI system perceived as potentially dangerous or autonomous: Every time they announce a new military drone program, someone jokes about Skynet.
The name evokes fears about machine intelligence turning against its creators.
Organic-mechanical hybrid entity
- neural interfaceSystem connecting minds to machines
- biomechanicalBody-as-mechanism study
- synthetic skinManufactured tissue replacement
- infiltratorOne who enters covertly
Machines mimicking human thought
- machine learningAlgorithms that improve from data
- superintelligenceHypothetical beyond-human cognition
- singularityPoint where values explode
- algorithmFinite problem-solving procedure
deep learning · emergent behavior · goal-seeking · optimization · existential risk
Conscious of own existence
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- self-preservationInstinct to survive danger
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
Prophesied world's end
- machine uprisingTechnological rebellion against humanity
- civilization collapseCatastrophic failure of complex society
- end-timesProphesied concluding era
- cataclysmViolent, large-scale disaster
decimation · obliteration · wasteland · survival · post-apocalyptic · fallout · scorched earth · last stand
Time-traveling android assassin
- T-1000Liquid metal android
- ResistanceOrganized anti-occupation movement
- LegionRoman army division
Sarah Connor · John Connor · James Cameron · Arnold Schwarzenegger
Integrated launch and guidance apparatus
- strategic commandMilitary leadership directing operations
- drone swarmGroup of autonomous aircraft
- nuclear arsenalStockpile of atomic bombs
- global surveillanceWorldwide tracking of communications
targeting system · NORAD · military AI · defense grid · first strike
cyborg
Organic-mechanical hybrid entity
- neural interfaceSystem connecting minds to machines
- biomechanicalBody-as-mechanism study
- synthetic skinManufactured tissue replacement
artificial intelligence
Machines mimicking human thought
- machine learningAlgorithms that improve from data
- superintelligenceHypothetical beyond-human cognition
- singularityPoint where values explode
algorithm · deep learning · emergent behavior · goal-seeking · optimization · existential risk
self-aware
Conscious of own existence
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- self-preservationInstinct to survive danger
doomsday
Prophesied world's end
- machine uprisingTechnological rebellion against humanity
- civilization collapseCatastrophic failure of complex society
- end-timesProphesied concluding era
cataclysm · decimation · obliteration · wasteland · survival · post-apocalyptic · fallout · scorched earth · last stand
T-800
Time-traveling android assassin
- T-1000Liquid metal android
- ResistanceOrganized anti-occupation movement
- LegionRoman army division
Sarah Connor · John Connor · James Cameron · Arnold Schwarzenegger
missile system
Integrated launch and guidance apparatus
- strategic commandMilitary leadership directing operations
- drone swarmGroup of autonomous aircraft
- nuclear arsenalStockpile of atomic bombs
global surveillance · targeting system · NORAD · military AI · defense grid · first strike
- Sci-Fi AIHAL 9000, Cortana, GLaDOS, Data, KITT
- sci-fiscience fiction, Star Wars, sci-fi, Blade Runner 2049, aliens
- 80s sci-fiBlade Runner, E.T., The Terminator, Back to the Future, Aliens
- James CameronTitanic, Avatar, Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss
- villainsvillain, antagonists, Darth Vader, evil characters, Joker
- Fictional BrandsAcme, Acme Corporation, Duff Beer, Kwik-E-Mart, Soylent Green
Skynethuman agency
Capacity for autonomous action
human oversight · kill switch · democratic governance · manual control · Luddism
sky, net, internet, network, nets, networks, Ethernet, networking, networked