20th Century Fox
Over the past few years, mankind has slowly paved a path toward its own destruction thanks to the brilliant scientific minds who, to paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcom, are too busy thinking about whether or not they can to stop and ask themselves if they should. Unfortunately, the biggest threat to humanity isn’t reincarnated dinosaurs (which would admittedly be kind of dope) but the rise of artificial intelligence.
For some reason, researchers are intent on pushing the limits of A.I. while ignoring the warnings of many experts and every science fiction movie ever made. One of the worst perpetrators is Boston Dynamics, who has designed a variety of robots that are capable of chasing people through the woods and fighting back against aggressors— the latter of which was the inspiration for an episode of Black Mirror.
It’s obviously only a matter of time until everyone working on these projects regrets ever starting them in the first place but it looks like the robot reckoning could come even sooner than expected. According to Space.com, Russian researchers who designed a robot capable of lifting weights and shooting guns have come up with an incredibly bright idea that definitely can’t backfire at all: sending them to outer space.
The current plan is to send a couple of the robots to the International Space Station at some point in 2019, but don’t worry— the former deputy prime minister of Russia says they totally aren’t trying to create a real-world Terminator (which is something someone trying to create a real-word Terminator would definitely say.
Representatives say the official purpose of the robot is to undertake unmanned missions to avoid putting astronauts at risk, which seems like a great idea until they decide to pull a HAL and turn their attention to Earth.
Welp. At least it was fun while it lasted.