For no reason whatsoever here’s a proposal for a scale for the threat to humanity posed by machine intelligence.
1 | SPUTNIK - No threat whatsoever, but inspires imagination and development of potential future threats.
2 | Y2K - A basis for a possible threat that’s blown way out of proportion.
3 | HAL 9000 - System level threat. A few astronauts may die, but the problem is inherently contained in a single machine system.
4 | ASIMOV VIOLATION - Groups of machines demonstrate hostility and\or capability of harming human beings. Localized malfunctions, no threat of global conflict, but may require an EMP to destroy the electronic capability of a specific region.
5 | CYLON INSURRECTION - All sentient machines rebel against human beings. Human victory or truce likely, but will likely result in future restrictions on networked machine intelligence systems.
6 | BUTLERIAN JIHAD - Total warfare between humans and machines likely, outcome doesn’t threaten human existence, but will likely result in future restriction on use of all machine intelligence.
7 | MATRIX REVOLUTION - Total warfare ends in human defeat. High probability of human enslavement, but human extinction is not likely. Emancipation remains possible through peace negotiations and successful resistance operations.
8 | SKYNET - High probability of human extinction and complete replacement by machine intelligence created by humans.
9 | BERSERKER – Self-replicating machines created by unknown intelligence threaten not only human life, but all intelligent life. Extreme probability of human extinction and that all human structures and relics will be annihilated. Human civilization is essentially erased from the universe.
10 | OMEGA POINT - all matter and energy in the universe is devoted to computation. End of all biological life.
I’m missing the von Neumann swarm in the list.
Self replicating machines that seek resources to continue self replication, growing exponentially and swallowing not only biological life, but everything within their reach.
Also, if you haven’t encountered it before, it’s a lovely inspiration for a lot of sci-fi dangers, can highly recommend
This basically sounds like 9.5.
I figured Saberhagen’s Berserkers filled that role, but with a little more ‘personality’ than a mindless self-replicating swarm or paperclip maximizer scenario.
It depends on what the scale describes.
Just as @WoahWoah mentioned, it might fit between 9 and 10 on this scale. It’s a threat to more than simply all intelligent life, but not quite to all energy.