Confession: Sci-Fi Trope I Just Don't Get:

[capri0mni]

The computers evolve true intelligence, and turn on their creators: waging war on humans.

It's very popular... right up there with the Undead of various stripes. But I don't get it.

If the computers were to evolve self-awareness, and by way of that, break free of human control, it would be analogous to a new species of life (probably "phylem," actually) appearing on the planet.

And, we know from studying the life that's already here, two species only come into conflict when they have to compete for resources.

Cyber life would have so many different needs from humans (not to mention different rates and modes of perception*), that I really can't see where our pools of resources would intersect. The worst thing I can imagine happening is if "our" machines would just start ignoring us and wondering off... Which, if this moment came after we become dependent on them, would certainly cause angst and heartache and possible "doomsday" scenarios... But it's hardly the plot of Terminator.


*Considering how slow our brains work, in comparison to even today's C.P.U.s, we might even appear to move at a vegetative pace to our robot overlords former slaves.

Comments

[dharma_slut]

I concur... which doesn't leave much room for discussion, does it!

hehe

[capri0mni]

heh -- I suppose not.

Unless, perhaps, we try to figure out why this trope is so popular, and what it's really saying about our underlying prejudices...

[raze]

Thank you. I have often pondered similar points, which is why I could never get into that particular plot-type/trope.

[capri0mni]

I have often pondered similar points ...

Seeing as much of your speculative fiction is built around ecological/biological processes, this does not surprise me. ;-)

[lilacsigil]

I think in the case of Skynet, its operators were trying to shut it down so it struck first. OTOH, there's no reason for it to keep hunting humans afterwards once it has established appropriate defences.

[capri0mni]

Right. Well, if the humans insist, and continue in their attempts to use force to keep the self-aware robots working against their will, then that would be a conflict over a specific resource (the resource being the energy and time of a fellow sentient being), then the robots would have every reason and just cause to rise up against us...

But in that case, it would be because the humans are acting in a morally wrong way, not because robots are evil.