---
title: "AI Researchers Hate The “Terminator” Movies With a Passion"
description: "Many AI researchers are not fans of the \"Terminator\" movies as they worry the films misrepresent the abilities — and dangers — of artificial intelligences."
date: "2019-10-25"
modified: "2019-10-25"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-terminator-researchers-hate-movies"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
tags:
  - "film"
  - "science fiction"
  - "terminator"
  - "the digest"
---

# AI Researchers Hate The “Terminator” Movies With a Passion

![Many AI researchers are not fans of the "Terminator" movies as they worry the films misrepresent the abilities — and dangers — of artificial intelligences.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ai-terminator-researchers-hate-movies.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Orion Pictures\</em\>*

## Science Fiction

There's a new "Terminator" movie coming out — and artificial intelligence researchers really hope you don't see it.

The issue lies in the films' misrepresentation of AI, several experts told *BBC News* in a fascinating new [story](<https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50166357>), which they worry could stir up irrational fears about the tech the same way "Jaws" once made moviegoers afraid to go in the water.

"\[The films\] paint a picture which is really not coherent with the current understanding of how AI systems are built today and in the foreseeable future," AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio told the outlet.

## Dumbed Down

The reality is that today's AI systems are hyper-specialized, with programmers often designing an AI to excel at just one task, such as playing a board game. Researchers haven't come close to creating a Terminator-level artificial general intelligence capable of acting beyond the control of its creator.

"We are very far from super-intelligent AI systems," Bengio told *BBC News*, "and there may even be fundamental obstacles to get much beyond human intelligence."

## I'll Be Back

Still, while today's AI systems may not resemble those of the "Terminator" films, that doesn't mean the public shouldn't consider the harm AI is already inflicting upon society — and the [dangers lurking ahead](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/relatively-easy-killer-robots-2021>).

"AI is already helping us destroy our democracies and corrupt our economies and the rule of law," Joanna Bryson, an AI expert at the University of Bath, told *BBC News*, adding that "it is good to get people thinking about the problems of autonomous weapons systems."

**READ MORE:** [Why Terminator: Dark Fate is sending a shudder through AI labs](<https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50166357>) \[*BBC News*\]

**More on autonomous weapons:** *[Experts: It’d Be “Relatively Easy” to Deploy Killer Robots by 2021](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/relatively-easy-killer-robots-2021>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)