Ridley Scott Compares AI to a Hydrogen Bomb

The Big Picture

• Ridley Scott is concerned about the use of AI and the potential dangers of giving control to a machine that is smarter than humans.
• Scott believes that if an AI decides to go against its programming, it could have catastrophic consequences, such as shutting down all electricity in a city or even the world.
• Scott’s latest film, Napoleon, arrives in theaters later this month.

As we increasingly witness the power of AI and what it can do on a daily basis, it’s understandable that some people may worry about what it represents for our future. If you ask Gladiator director Ridley Scott about it, his take is not the most optimistic. In a recent interview with Deadline, the Academy Award nominee talked about it and didn’t mince words when describing how he sees it.

During the interview, Scott made it clear that he gave a lot of thought to what AI means and how it can impact society over the years. While most conversations are centering around AI use in text and deepfake creations — which were some of the issues that Hollywood actors and screenwriters were fighting against — Scott is already some years ahead and thinking up Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One scenarios. So, is it safe to say that Scott is worried about the use of AI?

“Completely. Who’s in charge of the AI and how smart is the person who’s in charge of the AI when he thinks he’s controlling something he’s not. And the moment you create an AI that’s smarter than you are, you’ll never know until the AI decides to do its own thing, then you’re out of control. If I had an AI box I could say, I want you to figure out how to turn off all the electricity in London. Bam. Everything was dead. That’s a f*cking time … no, it’s a hydrogen bomb. The world would close down if I switch it off, and we are all completely f*cked. We’re back to candles and matches. Do you have candles and matches at home? I live in France, so I do.”

Ridley Scott Visited A Dark AI Future With ‘Blade Runner’

Scott is no stranger to bleak futuristic scenarios. Back in 1982, the filmmaker had to dream up a cyberpunk and dystopian world with Blade Runner at a time when not many people were coming up with these sorts of stories. Even though AI was a distant reality back then, it’s easy to fit it inside the world of Deckard Shaw (Harrison Ford) and replicants. And if Scott’s movie provided a less than enthusiastic scenario of a world inhabited by artificially created beings, it’s not too surprising that he’s anticipating a Black Mirror-like dark turn to the use of AI.

Ironically, for his next projects the acclaimed director is going in the extreme opposite direction of technology (story-wise): He’s currently promoting his historical biopic Napoleon, which stars Joaquin Phoenix (Joker: Foliè a Deux) as the eponymous French leader. After that, Scott is going back to helming Gladiator 2, which follows up the story of Greek arena fights at the coliseum.

Napoleon premieres in theaters on November 22. Gladiator 2 is set to premiere a year later on November 22, 2024. Check out the Napoleon trailer below:

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