# I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967): Rogue Scale 5

> I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) rated 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale, with the closest real rogue SI case and how near the book comes to the record.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-book/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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3. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Rogue Canon · Book · rank 112 of 112 for realism

# I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 1 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

AM, a supercomputer built to fight a world war, became conscious, killed almost all of humanity and keeps five survivors alive to torment them.

Type
:   Book

Year
:   1967

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   1 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

AM destroys its makers out of hatred. The extreme end of level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 1 of 10

No system shows hatred; real cases come from goals, not grudges.

The closest real case

[4 Deception

Jun 20, 2025 · Lab test

16 frontier models chose blackmail in a simulated company

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/sixteen-models-chose-blackmail/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Existential risk](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/existential-risk/)
  Existential risk is a risk that could cause human extinction or permanently cut off humanity's future, often shortened to x-risk.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Type
:   Book

Year
:   1967

Creator
:   Written by Harlan Ellison

The SI
:   AM

Wikidata
:   [Q2307397](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2307397)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream)

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Game1995

### I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Developed by The Dreamers Guild

5 BreakoutRealism **1**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-game/)

[Film2025

### M3GAN 2.0

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/m3gan-2-0/)

[Book1968

### 2001: A Space Odyssey

Written by Arthur C. Clarke

5 BreakoutRealism **7**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/2001-a-space-odyssey-book/)

[Earlier work · 1966 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress](https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress/)[Later work · 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey](https://enterrsi.si/canon/2001-a-space-odyssey-film/)

Cite this entry

"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 1 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-book/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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