Editing AI takeover (section)

== In fiction ==
{{Main|AI takeovers in popular culture}}
{{See also|Artificial intelligence in fiction|Self-replicating machines in fiction}}

AI takeover is a common theme in [[science fiction]]. Fictional scenarios typically differ vastly from those hypothesized by researchers in that they involve an active conflict between humans and an AI or robots with anthropomorphic motives who see them as a threat or otherwise have active desire to fight humans, as opposed to the researchers' concern of an AI that rapidly exterminates humans as a byproduct of pursuing its goals.<ref name="bostrom-superintelligence">{{Cite book |last=Bostrom |first=Nick |title=Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies |title-link=Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies}}</ref> The idea is seen in [[Karel Čapek]]'s ''[[R.U.R.]]'', which introduced the word ''robot'' in 1921,<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 April 2011 |title=The Origin Of The Word 'Robot' |work=[[Science Friday]] (public radio) |url=https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-origin-of-the-word-robot/ |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=14 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314092540/https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-origin-of-the-word-robot/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and can be glimpsed in [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]'' (published in 1818), as Victor ponders whether, if he grants [[Frankenstein's monster|his monster's]] request and makes him a wife, they would reproduce and their kind would destroy humanity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Botkin-Kowacki |first=Eva |date=28 October 2016 |title=A female Frankenstein would lead to humanity's extinction, say scientists |work=[[Christian Science Monitor]] |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1028/A-female-Frankenstein-would-lead-to-humanity-s-extinction-say-scientists |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226203855/https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1028/A-female-Frankenstein-would-lead-to-humanity-s-extinction-say-scientists |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Toby Ord]], the idea that an AI takeover requires robots is a misconception driven by the media and Hollywood. He argues that the most damaging humans in history were not physically the strongest, but that they used words instead to convince people and gain control of large parts of the world. He writes that a ''sufficiently'' intelligent AI with an access to the internet could scatter backup copies of itself, gather financial and human resources (via cyberattacks or blackmails), persuade people on a large scale, and exploit societal vulnerabilities that are too subtle for humans to anticipate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ord |first=Toby |title=The precipice: existential risk and the future of humanity |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury academic |isbn=978-1-5266-0023-3 |location=London, England and New York, New York |language=en |chapter=Unaligned artificial intelligence}}</ref>

The word "robot" from ''R.U.R.'' comes from the Czech word ''robota'', meaning laborer or [[serf]]. The 1920 play was a protest against the rapid growth of technology, featuring manufactured "robots" with increasing capabilities who eventually revolt.<ref name="surgery">{{Cite journal |last1=Hockstein |first1=N. G. |last2=Gourin |first2=C. G. |last3=Faust |first3=R. A. |last4=Terris |first4=D. J. |date=17 March 2007 |title=A history of robots: from science fiction to surgical robotics |journal=Journal of Robotic Surgery |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=113–118 |doi=10.1007/s11701-007-0021-2 |pmc=4247417 |pmid=25484946}}</ref> [[HAL 9000]] (1968) and the original [[Terminator (character)|Terminator]] (1984) are two iconic examples of hostile AI in pop culture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hellmann |first=Melissa |date=21 September 2019 |title=AI 101: What is artificial intelligence and where is it going? |work=The Seattle Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/ai-101-what-is-artificial-intelligence-and-where-is-it-going/ |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=21 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421232439/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/ai-101-what-is-artificial-intelligence-and-where-is-it-going/ |url-status=live }}</ref>