Skynet

Skynet · proper noun¹

sky + net. From sky and network. The first satellite, Skynet 1A, was launched on 22 November 1969.

Skynet · proper noun²

From the Terminator film series, the first of which, The Terminator, premiered in 1984. Coined by Canadian filmmaker and explorer James Cameron, who also directed the first two Terminator films he wrote.

First known use, by meaning

• from 1980s A distributed artificial intelligence system that is aware of the physical world and acts autonomously through cyborgs and computer control systems; (by extension) an uncontrollable AI that threatens humanity.