"The Tipping Point" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on September 15, 2001, during the seventh season.
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Opening narration
- 3 Plot
- 4 Closing narration
- 5 Trivia
Introduction
A computer programmer must destroy a deadly artificial intelligence and avert a technological singularity.
Opening narration
| “ | When we awaken an intellect within our machines, will we enter a new enlightened age or a much darker one? | ” |
Plot
A woman, Megan, brings her hacker boyfriend, Zach (who had formerly hacked into the Pentagon), into a high-tech company. Programmers there begin dying off as he, only able to see his own small part of the puzzle, tries to figure out what exactly he's programming.
Clues start showing up, including glasses that can see some sort of electrical humanoid enemies (who have been the ones killing programmers). Zach realizes that someone known as "Merlin" is supplying him with clues about a program called "Prometheus", a sentient AI which will try to take over the world once programmers finish building interfaces which will allow it to control every electronic device in the world.
Zach is given a virus that will destroy Prometheus, but is stopped at the last minute and is almost killed.
In the end, it is revealed that Megan was "Merlin", and Zach betrays her to Prometheus.
Closing narration
| “ | In trying to create machines that think, we should take care that we don’t
end up creating a new race that will supplant our own. |
” |
Trivia
This episode mentioned the website http://www.fidelisveres.net as part of the storyline. At the time, this domain led to The Outer Limits' website on MGM.com.
Cast
Rob Bruner
... Bryce
Jim Byrnes
... Voice of Merlin
Erica Carroll
... Energy Being
Jonathan Cherry
... Andy Wilson
Allan Gray
... Prometheus
Anthony Harrison
... Detective Saunders
David Lovgren
... Evan
Gus Lynch
... Logan
... Megan
Kerr Smith
... Zach Burnham
