James Cameron, the creator of Skynet, Terminator and Skynet, joins a board of an AI company

The Terminator, an AI defense network Skynet-directed science fiction horror film from 1984, was the first movie to make James Cameron famous. In it, a cyborg sent back in time to eliminate its only threat is sent by Skynet. In this case, that means assassinating John Connor's mother, the man who would one day lead the resistance.

The Terminator is a classic blockbuster, and it's largely because of how it conveys the terror of a machine that has a purpose. Kyle Reese explains Sarah Connor, after the first encounter, that "it can't be bargained." It can't reason with. It doesn't have a sense of pity or regret or fear. The Terminator is an expression of Skynet, a computer program designed to protect humankind. Skynet has long concluded that humans are the problem.

Cameron would expand on Skynet's backstory in Terminator 2 : Judgement Day. Thanks to the unsurpassed quality and commercial success both films have enjoyed, it is not an exaggeration that Skynet has become synonymous with rogue AI in the popular imagination. It's almost like Cameron was warning us about something.

James Cameron is now the director of AI firm Stability. Stability does not develop an AI defense matrix that has nuclear capability. We know this. Instead, they focus on AI visual tools, and video. Stable Diffusion is the firm's most well-known product, which is an AI image generator. The newer Stable Video Diffusion is also a popular product.

Cameron's role revolves around the use of AI in special effects. Fans will note that this role is logical, given his pioneering works in computer-generated images and how his films continue pushing boundaries in this field. This is absolutely true. But the guy who invented Skynet is now the man in the boardroom of a major AI company.

Cameron pondered whether he should first line up a blade metaphor before committing to it. "I was on the cutting-edge of CGI more than three decades ago and I've been on the cutting-edge since."

Big Jim believes that "the intersection between generative AI and CGI is the next big wave" in this field. I suppose he would know. His work in visual effects demonstrates not only a pioneering attitude but also an aptitude for selecting the right collaborators. While some may question the man's later-day works, there is no arguing his box office sense. I thought Avatar a total snoozefest but it used 3D technology to create some amazing moments in the cinema and is still the highest-grossing movie ever made. Cameron used AI for special effects in Avatar: the Way of Water 2022, the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. Titanic, the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time, is a special effects extravaganza that uses real effects, but is still a love story.

It's no wonder that AI experts want Cameron to join their team: it would be nice to have someone who knows the industry and has a clue about how to make money from these things. The current AI's creation abilities can be impressive on the surface, but the consumer products they produce are far from the super-polished production Cameron is known for. This is one of special effects' major directions and I doubt anyone in the field knows more than our Skynet-creating buddy.

Rashik Parmar, of The Chartered Institute for IT, told the BBC that "we watch Terminator and form the idea that AI is malicious towards humanity and will destroy us in a near future." "Cameron is in a great position to change the narrative about AI and create a positive image of it. We're happy to work with Cameron on that."

Not sure if my inner Kyle Reese ever dies but, if it does, I'd give James Cameron credit for changing the narrative yet again.