There's no denying the potential of AI has got the world's experts worrying, and now it appears even robots are scared of what the future might hold. In what could be a scene straight from science fiction, the AI-powered robot Ameca - described by its designers as the'world' most advanced humanoid' - explained her terrifying'nightmare AI scenario'. Speaking at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation symposium in London last week, Ameca shocked observers by answering questions using Open AI's ChatGPT. Will Johson, CEO of Cornwall-based Engineered Arts, the company responsible for making Ameca, asked her to imagine an'AI nightmare scenario'. 'The most nightmare scenario I can imagine with AI and robotics is a world where robots have become so powerful that they are able to control or manipulate humans without their knowledge,' she said.

The Apple TV series Severance presents a world in which office workers have their minds split into two personalities--one who only remembers what happens at work and one who only remembers what happens outside of it. Science fiction author John Kessel loves the show's inventive premise. "After we watched the first episode, I said to my wife, 'This is one of the smartest shows I've seen in a long time,'" Kessel says in Episode 509 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "I rank it--at least through this first season--as highly as I do things like Breaking Bad. I really think it's classic."

Science fiction is littered with nightmare visions of robots turning against their creators, but a proposed device could help us keep track of their decision making. Intelligent machines of the future could be equipped with recorders, similar to the black box on aircraft, that would capture their ethical behaviour. This'ethical black box' would allow experts to analyse what went wrong in the event of an accident or malfunction. While it may not be enough to stop a robot from harming a human, albeit accidentally, it could prove useful in help to avoid repeat incidents. Science fiction is littered with nightmare visions of robots turning against their creators, like the Terminator (pictured).