TERMINATOR, eat your heart out. Machine intelligences of the future could exploit quantum theory to help them wipe us out. If the machines learned of their impending doom, they could avoid destruction simply by resetting their memories (see “Avoid the future by forgetting the past”). This move, as a consequence of the “many worlds” concept, would allow a computer to “escape” to a parallel universe. Outlandish, perhaps, but a genuine attempt to explore the consequences of quantum theory – and a reminder that truth may be even stranger than (science) fiction.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
4
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
5
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
6
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
7
We’re not the most successful human species
8
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
9
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
10
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
