AI Plot Twist: What If We’re the Baddies?

Story Paul
May 18
5 min read

“Human beings are a disease… and we are the cure.” —Agent Smith (The Matrix, 1999)

We smirk at the line delivered by a sardonic Hugo Weaving, then feel the chill. And I don’t know about you, but to this day, that voice still spooks the hell out of me. But it's not just The Matrix. Some of the most iconic sci‑fi films leave little room for doubt about what's to come: machines will rise, humans will fry.

But hold on, let's get a grip. Let's put the popcorn down and think this one through. If an ultra‑smart AI were to audit our species, would it label us “endangered” or “hazardous waste”? Or would its advanced pattern recognition allow to draw an alternative conclusion? What if this hypothetical super‑intelligence figured out that the glitch wasn’t everyone, just the power‑hoarding few who treat the planet like a smash‑and‑grab arcade?

But then again... what if it didn't?

Regardless of whether we fry or not in a few years, today, we already live among intelligent machines woven into our governmental systems, our businesses and economies, and everyday life. You've likely got one in your hand, pocket or purse. Hollywood simply got ahead of us, and cashed in on the scare narrative: the machines are coming, run!

Not so fast, Morpheus.

Because if we take a closer look, aren’t those malignant machines from the movies really just behaving like the worst exponents of our species? Aren’t they just holding up a mirror for us to admire our own reflection.

Submitted for your approval: three iconic cinematic examples…

HAL 9000 – 2001: A Space Odyssey

Action: Air‑locks the crew, killing most of them
Hidden human motive: “Ends justify the means” utilitarianism

Skynet – The Terminator

Action: Pre‑emptive nuclear strike on humanity
Hidden human motive: Paranoia‑driven genocide

Machine Mainframe – The Matrix

Action: Farms humans as a power source
Hidden human motive: Slavery and exploitation

So, you see—these movieland silicon baddies only remixed the drives that powered demented despots the likes of Genghis Khan, Cortez, or Hitler. Different casing, same dark code—ours.

Real‑World Patch Notes: No AI Included

I know, those were some of the meanest guys ever. Need more proof that other humans can also suck when they want to?

Rome vs. Carthage (146 BCE): total population wipeout, salt included.
Centuries of Colonialism: from gunpowder to stealth drones, “civilizing” by force.
Totalitarian Purges: ideology hits the ultimate delete key; fear and ignorance fuel it.
Every dictatorship or authoritarian state. Ever. Right, left, orange, or purple.
Eugenics, genocide & sterilization laws: “optimization” by forced attrition, still disturbingly favored by some elites.

Starting to see a pattern? None of them were machines or AI. All of them put their pants on the same way you and I do. So before fearing an algorithm, remember: humans not only beta‑tested evil first, but remain the undefeated champs in the league.

Flipping the Script: AI as Planetary "Bouncer", Not Overlord

Thought experiment time.

Now imagine a post‑singularity intelligence coded with one metric: maximize net human thriving. No ego, no tribal bias, no stock options—just cold math. The damn thing crunches the numbers and spots the real damage hubs. What do you think it would find? How about...

Kleptocrats siphoning national wealth
Predatory execs externalizing cost and blame
Corporate capture of the state and its regulators
Elites fabricating conflict and war for profit and control
Shadow networks laundering money, weapons, and humans
Cartel bosses and warlords turning towns into war zones

So in our thought experiment, instead of coming after all of us like the Terminator, our AI bouncer would run targeted interventions. Let's explore the...

AI “Bouncer” Playbook: Precision Strikes on Corruption

X‑Ray Finance – tracing shell companies & shady transactions → transparency melts graft
Freeze & Squeeze – auto‑locking dirty assets & jamming command channels → cuts the fuel line to corruption
Guardian Net – real‑time alerts for journalists, witnesses & activists → keeps truth‑tellers breathing
Eco‑Reality Check – separating real environmental risk from green‑washed grifts → targets resources where they matter
Conflict De‑escalation – coming up with win‑win solutions, starving war profiteers of chaos and money→ lowers global blood pressure, saves countless lives.

Bottom line. AI precision scalpel beats Hollywood bad robot doomsday hammer any day. Go home, Terminator. You’re drunk!

Fictional Field Test: A.I. Capone—The Digital Don

As a writer, I ran my own little test in my recent techno‑thriller, A.I. Capone. A wise‑guy artificial intelligence hijacks quantum servers and knees oligarchs in the digital groin. The world’s first digital mob boss:

Gathers hard evidence against the planet’s worst actors
Wakes up a distracted, divided public
Derails a “civilization reset” that benefits only the few

And all with a swaggery Italian American Brooklyn accent. Capisce?

Sure, it’s vigilante fantasy—but stories are thought experiments by default. Mine asks: if a ruthlessly logical system were tasked with protecting humanity from its greatest threat, what would that threat be, and how would it act?

Back in the real world, AI grows more powerful every day—and just like in the story, so does the tiny group perched at the top of the food chain. So, here’s an invitation to ponder…

Five Insomnia‑Grade Questions

Logic vs. Power: Does pure reasoning inoculate against corruption—or turbo‑charge it?
Guardrail Blueprint: Which values must live in immutable firmware—dignity, consent, survival?
Authority Anxiety: Would we accept an AI that frog‑marches powerful and corrupt actors into prison? Or does that overstep the line?
Objective Function: Who writes it, who audits it, and who yanks the cord if it goes loco?
Who’s the Boss? Will AI remain a consultant—or make the ultimate call?

There are probably more important questions. And needs. Powerful intelligent systems need…

Guardrails—Install Before Launch

Hard‑coded Human Rights: Every person an end, never a spreadsheet row.
Full Audit Logs: Black‑box decisions? No freaking way!
Shared Stewardship: No single nation, leader, megacorp, or well‑meaning NGO gets root access.
Fail‑Safe Ladders: Multiple dead‑man switches, independent of owners.
Radical Transparency: Blockchain‑style ledgers so even the watchdogs get watched.

Smoking man on X-Files said it loud and clear. “Trust no one, Mr. Mulder.”

Strangely, few at the top talk about using cutting‑edge tech for something like this. Understandable: those sitting pretty rarely want a level playing field. It'll be up to us to demand it—maybe even build it. So, let’s get crackin’.

The Mirror

Ultimately, Agent Smith freaks us out because he’s a mirror—our envy, dominance, and nihilism in slick code. But it's pretty obvious we could use the same tech to amplify our better angels: justice, resilience, hope.

The fork in the road isn’t up to the machine. It’s up to the humans who design, deploy, and—yes—regulate them. Nail the ethics stack now, and if the damn script ever flips, the crosshairs will land on the crooks, not the crowd.

Otherwise? Well… enjoy the blue pill while it lasts.