**James Cameron Warns of an Ominous Future with Artificial General Intelligence**

James Cameron, the acclaimed writer and director of "The Terminator," has expressed significant concerns regarding the future of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Despite his film released in 1984 depicting a dystopian future where an AI network developed by the US Defense Department gains self-awareness and turns on humanity, Cameron believes the reality could be even more alarming.

In a virtual address for the Special Competitive Studies Project's AI+Robotics Summit, Cameron highlighted his apprehensions about the emergence of AGI. Contrary to the government-funded programs seen in his movies, Cameron predicts that AGI will stem from the tech giants currently investing billions into research. "You'll be living in a world that you didn’t agree to, didn’t vote for, inhabited by a super-intelligent alien species that answers to the goals and rules of a corporation," Cameron cautioned. Such an entity would have unrestricted access to personal data, communications, and the whereabouts of everyone.

Cameron also noted the dangers of surveillance capitalism, where consumer data is commodified and sold for profit, quickly turning into digital totalitarianism. He warned that placing faith in tech giants as arbiters of human good is akin to "the fox guarding the hen house." This scenario, according to Cameron, is even more frightening than what he depicted in "The Terminator," because it is no longer science fiction; it is becoming reality.

Cameron’s skepticism towards AGI stems from his belief that it will merely reflect humanity's nature. "AGI will just be a mirror of us," he remarked, "Good to the extent that we are good, and evil to the extent that we are evil." Given the prevalent evil in the human world and the lack of consensus on what constitutes good, Cameron sees numerous potential pitfalls.

Despite his critique, Cameron remains actively engaged with advancements in AI and technology. He co-founded Digital Domain, a visual effects studio, in 1993 and has incorporated cutting-edge technology in his films, notably the "Avatar" franchise. However, he acknowledged the increasing difficulty of writing science fiction as AI technologies advance, a sentiment he shared in a conversation with Bill Gates during the Netflix series "What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates."

Cameron is also concerned that as society becomes more reliant on machines, the human sense of purpose might diminish. He voiced his worries about the growing trend of placing trust in machines over human intervention. "As we take people out of the loop, what are we replacing their sense of purpose and meaning with?" he questioned.

Interestingly, Cameron has joined the board of directors for Stability AI, a company specializing in generative AI, as of September. Stability AI’s CEO remarked that Cameron "lives in the future and waits for the rest of us to catch up," highlighting his continued involvement in the ever-evolving field of technology.