Cameron discusses AI threats: Terminator warned you but you didn't listen

Renowned filmmaker James Cameron agrees with warnings from artificial intelligence (AI) experts about the potential dangers posed by advances in artificial intelligence. In an interview with Canadian television (CTV), Cameron echoed the concerns raised by the "godfather of AI" that AI needs to be regulated before it becomes a major threat to humanity.

"I warned you in 1984 (with The Terminator), but you didn't listen," Cameron said. "I think the weaponization of AI is the biggest danger... I think we're going to get into the equivalent of a nuclear arms race in AI, and if we don't build it, somebody else will, and then things will escalate."

Meanwhile, the ongoing writers and actors strike in the US has also highlighted the need to regulate AI. Cameron told CTV that his philosophy boils down to "it's never a question of who wrote it, it's a question of 'is it a good story?'" Cameron added: "I personally don't believe in a disembodied mind just repeating what other embodied minds say - about the life they have, about love, about lies, about fear, about death - and just putting it all in a word salad and retelling it... I don't believe that moves the audience."

Cameron also urged caution but was willing to "wait another 20 years, and if an AI wins an Oscar for Best Screenplay, I think we have to take them seriously."