“Machines can become self-aware and take over, making the Terminator a frightening reality” — Arnold Schwarzenegger has recently uttered this with a sense of foreboding while speaking about the current state of artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking at a press event in Los Angeles on June 30, Schwarzenegger said the James Cameron-helmed 1984 blockbusterThe Terminator has become a reality. The sci-fi action movie, starring Schwarzenegger in a career-defining role of a cyborg, was set in a world in which an AI defence network became self-aware and took over the planet.

“Today, everyone is frightened of AI and wonder where it would go. The Terminator talks about machines becoming self-aware and taking over… Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality — it’s not fantasy or futuristic anymore. It’s here today,” said Schwarzenegger, who has recently made his OTT debut in Netflix’s action comedy series FUBAR.

Praising James Cameron for his vision and foresight, the veteran actor said he was also an extraordinary writer and an unbelievable director. “I wish I could take credit for that movie. I can only take credit for the character that I played and the way I played it. But James Cameron created this character. He wrote it so well and that’s why he is, you know, the number one director in the world,” he added.

Watch the full event here

The 75-year-old actor recently opened up more about the film in his three-part Netflix documentary series Arnold, where He admitted that he had originally thought The Terminator’s iconic “I’ll be back” line would be sounding “funny” and that it had taken some time for him to understand the perfect machine-like response that is embedded in that epic one-liner from the film.