Arnold Schwarzenegger: James Cameron’s ‘Terminator’ Predicted the Rise of A.I.

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Arnold Schwarzenegger is crediting James Cameron with seeing the future.

During a recent Q&A with Arnold Schwarzenegger (via People magazine), he applauded Cameron’s 1984 film “Terminator” for predicting the rise of artificial intelligence. The actor shared that the plot of “Terminator” has essentially “become a reality” thanks to modern technology.

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“Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is going to go,” Schwarzenegger said. “And in this movie, in ‘Terminator,’ we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over.”

The “Fubar” star continued, “Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality. So it’s not any more fantasy or kind of futuristic. It is here today. And so this is the extraordinary writing of Jim Cameron.”

Schwarzenegger added of the “Titanic” Oscar winner, “He’s just such an extraordinary writer and he’s such an unbelievable director, this is again, one of those things that I wish I could take credit for this movie. I can only take credit of the character that I played and the way I played it. But I mean, he has created this character. He has written it so well, he’s written the movie so well, and that’s why he is, you know, the number one director in the world.”

Schwarzenegger, who has appeared in six of the “Terminator” franchise films, revealed earlier this year that he will not be back as the titular assassin. His final appearance in the role was for 2019’s “Terminator: Dark Fate.”

“The franchise is not done. I’m done,” Schwarzenegger said. “I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to ‘The Terminator.’ Someone has to come up with a great idea…The first three movies were great. Number four [‘Salvation’] I was not in because I was governor. Then five [‘Genisys’] and six [‘Dark Fate’] didn’t close the deal as far as I’m concerned. We knew that ahead of time because they were just not well-written.”

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