As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, there is an ever-growing risk of a nuclear war or Chernobyl-like catastrophe breaking out. Similarly, as artificial intelligence technology (AI) grows more sophisticated, critics warn that it could lead to a nuclear mishap akin to the plot of the "Terminator" film series. In fact, the growing threat of nuclear calamity is such that director James Cameron, who made the first two "Terminator" movies, has already given his version of an "I told you so." Fellow movie director Christopher Nolan has done Cameron one better: He made a film about J. Robert Oppenheimer (in theaters now and titled, simply, "Oppenheimer"), the brilliant scientist widely regarded as the father of nuclear weapons.
Oppenheimer's story is relevant on its own merits simply because of the man's most famous invention, which changed history. His story is all the more important, though, because Oppenheimer spent his remaining years opposing the militarization of the very weapons he invented. In the process, he destroyed himself.
