--- title: "James Cameron Says He Tried to Warn Us About AI" description: "James Cameron has some choice words about artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry and the world at large." date: "2023-07-19" modified: "2023-07-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/james-cameron-ai-warning" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai writing" - "hollywood" - "james cameron" - "the digest" --- # James Cameron Says He Tried to Warn Us About AI ![James Cameron has some choice words about artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry and the world at large.]() *HOLLYWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 15: Director James Cameron arrives for "The Terminator" 30th Anniversary Screening held at the Egyptian Theatre on October 15, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage) \Image: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Fair Warning Fresh on the heels of his [lamentations about the imploded submersible](), "Titanic" director James Cameron is going for the "I told you so" one-two punch with his repeated warnings about artificial intelligence. In an [interview with *CTV*](), the Canada-born director said that he attempted to bring his fears about AI to the forefront nearly 40 years ago with his first "Terminator" film, to no avail. "I warned you guys in 1984," Cameron said, "and you didn't listen." The director told *CTV* that he "absolutely" shares [concerns]() with [AI experts]() about the technology's [vast potential for harm](). "I think the weaponization of AI is the biggest danger," Cameron told the Canadian broadcaster. "I think that we will get into the equivalent of a nuclear arms race with AI, and if we don't build it, the other guys are for sure going to build it, and so then it'll escalate." https://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1681672303438884870 ## Give Me 20 Cameron identified two equally-dangerous schools of AI thought: those who are "teaching greed" and using the technology for unfettered profit, and those who are "teaching paranoia" and want to use it in the interest of national or self-defense. "You could imagine an AI in a combat theatre," he continued, "the whole thing just being fought by the computers at a speed humans can no longer intercede, and you have no ability to de-escalate." It's clear that the director has AI on the brain, given that the latest installment in the "Terminator" franchise that [he's currently working on]() centers around the kinds of real-world algorithms currently deployed by companies like OpenAI. ChatGPT as a tool of dystopian fiction isn't the only use case he's worried about, though he admits that the tech isn't nearly up to snuff to replace human creatives anytime soon. "Let's wait 20 years," he quipped, "and if an AI wins an Oscar for Best Screenplay, I think we've got to take them seriously." **More on Hollywood's AI concerns:** [*Tom Cruise Secretly Warned Movie Studios About AI Use*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()