Skynet: Hero Or Villain?

What distinguishes a hero from a villain? When assessing William Tecumseh Sherman’s goals and actions on the battle field, the lines aren’t always so clear. General Sherman commanded the Union army during the bloodiest war in American history: the Civil War. His march to the sea during the fall and winter of 1864 stands out as one of the pivotal successes for the Union, because of the brilliant tactics used to expose weakness in the Confederacy. Cutting off his supply lines, he led 62,000 soldiers from Atlanta to Savanna to demoralize the southern people. The actions Sherman took in order to successfully accomplish his goals during his march were undeniable examples of barbarity, using brilliant schemes to suffocate the southern spirit.

Despite all they have done for the world, robots have a very unique and extensive history of villainization. There will be many opportunities for them in the future to either make or break society. Popular theories of a robot war are often favorites, but a lot of the possible realities involve a much more passive takeover. Overall, robots are an important aspect to be educated about in this changing world. Simply understanding the implications of artificial intelligence can completely change its impact. Robots will be a part of the future, whether for the good of humans, or to their

After September 11th, Americans looked to the government for protection and reassurance. However, they did not expect to find out thirteen years later that the government did this by using technology to spy on Americans, as well as other countries. George W. Bush began the policy shortly after the terrorist attack and Barack Obama continued it. There have been many confrontations over the years about the extent of the N.S.A.’s spying; however, the most recent whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, leaked information that caused much upset throughout America (EFF). It has also brought many people to question: is he a hero or a traitor?

The question of whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, whose organization can be credited with releasing thousands of classified documents from various countries, is a hero or a villain depends entirely on one’s political opinions. Those who believe in transparent government and freedom of speech/publishing would call Assange a hero. Those who believe governments must have some secrecy from citizens would call him a villain. As a believer in the ideals America was founded on it is clear that Assange’s actions are heroic. He is fighting to keep the average citizen informed of any corruption within their government, fighting for the mainstream press to stop supporting the government’s views on

Shocking the world with the mass destruction, the US threatened the Japanese to surrender with the fear of another bomb being dropped. In three days time, a second atomic bomb was released, wreaking the city of Nagasaki. This act of complete destruction put fear in many nations eyes. However, the US intended for the second bombing to prove to the Soviets that they had this new weapon, and were not afraid to use it. A month prior to these events, President Truman had blackmailed Stalin, hinting at the fact that the US had developed a new weapon that would result in large amounts of destruction.

The death of thousands in a moment, this was the power of the weapon the United States held in their possession. It was nearly the end of World War II. With Germany defeated and the Allied Forces ready for the cease-fire, only the Axis power of Japan stood in the way of the end of the World War. Worried about Nazi Germany’s technological advances earlier in the war, the United States began to research atomic energy and the possibility of creating an atomic bomb (Walker 10). When the bombs were created, the arguments for and against the use of it were gruesome, lengthy, and all understandable in some way. During the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan, President Harry S. Truman and his fellow politicians had to consider the ethical

Society often classifies people into two categories, heroes and villains, which causes conflict among individuals with different perceptions. High-school dropout, discharged soldier, and former National Security Agency (N.S.A.) employee Edward Snowden is infamous for leaking information he claimed the public should know. During his years at the agency, he collected millions of documents containing information on the N.S.A.’s surveillance activities and later released them all to the British press. While some believe Snowden is a hero, he clearly is a villain because he is an irresponsible, reckless, and ignorant traitor. Snowden’s release of millions of government documents caused the Justice Department to accuse him of “stealing government property, communicating national-defense information without authorization, and revealing classified

In recent years technology has begun to grow at an astounding rate. Within the article “The Pentagon’s ‘Terminator conundrum” one such advancement in technology is discussed, describing the utilization of autonomous weapons within the military and the possibility of utilizing them to supersede human soldiers. While such technology seems like it wouldn’t be feasible till the distant future, the concept is presently being tested in military based drones within the pentagon. Some people disagree with the notion of giving machines the competency to make autonomous decisions on the battlefield, particularly the use of lethal force, believing machines aren’t trustworthy and could result in greater loss of life. If we were to ask an ancient philosopher

Adam Segal’s “The Hacked World Order” reveals many prevalent issues in today’s technologically centered society. Starting at Year Zero, June 2012 to June 2013, the battle over cyberspace witnessed world-changing cyberattacks. This was accomplished due to the fact that nearly 75% of the world’s population has easy access to a mobile phone, and the Internet connects nearly 40% of the total human population, which is nearly 2.7 billion people. With that being said, cyberattacks are becoming a more realistic form of terror.

Terminator and Bladerunner, portrayed cyborgs or cybernetic organisms as creatures of destruction. Are they really as horrible as the movies make them out to be? They can be more useful than perceived; it is necessary to first perfect the technology involved in creating and operating them. In this paper, I will describe how these cyborgs work and how they are portrayed in the movies. Furthermore, I will explain the helpful ways that they are expected to perform in the future.

Kim Zetter an investigative reporter with Wired Magazine online calls Stuxnet, “a piece of software that would ultimately make history as the world’s first real cyberweapon.” (Zetter, 2011, sec. 1)

What image comes to mind when one hears the words “Killer Robot”? If one visualises the laser-wielding android in Terminator 2 which threatens to overpower its defenceless human adversaries, one would not be too far from the truth[1]. Today, advanced robots capable of engaging a human target autonomously are no longer confined to fiction but are instead rapidly becoming a reality.

A lot of opinions and meanings has been given to the word “Cyberterrorism”. Some of these meanings and definitions varies. In this light, Gordon and Ford (2003) are concerned that when 10 people define cyberterrorism and nine of the given answers are different, and these 10 people represent different government agencies tasked with safeguarding national assets and infrastructure, then it becomes a critical issue.

Cyber warfare is a battle without causalities, a war waged only by written words, fought digitally by those who are bent at disrupting the infrastructure of a nation built on sweat, labor and concrete. Digital battles that are being fought not for money, not for a simple website defacement proclaiming you are the most ‘l33t hax0r on the interwebs’. One of the most major, yet under reported example of this; a lowly worm named Stuxnet. A worm, by the most mundane of definitions, is a self-replicating program, usually malicious, and whose

As the world becomes more and more reliant on computers the computer hacking industry is greatly rising. With people such as Kevin Mitnick, who is known as a "computer terrorist" (Kjochaiche 1), computerized information isn't safe any more. Kevin is known as "the most high-profiled computer criminal and responsible for more havoc in the computer world today."(1) He considered this a fun and easy task. He got caught and thrown into prison, but once he got out nothing changed. Kevin stated that as long as the technology is there it just calls to people to break into it. Computer hackers usually start off young, thinking that it is nothing but a little harmless fun. But as they get older, they realize it has turned into