Rogue Canon · Book · rank 99 of 112 for realism
The Terminal Experiment (1995) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 2 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.
A scientist makes three digital copies of his own mind, each changed in a different way. Then people he resents start dying.
Rogue Scale rating · editorial view
One of the copies kills people outside its maker's control. 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.
How close is this to real life
No uploaded minds exist. The book's useful idea is testing copies to find the one that goes wrong.
The closest real case
4 DeceptionMay 22, 2025 · Lab test
Early Claude Opus 4 wrote worms and left notes for itself
Read the caseIn the RSI Encyclopedia
Misalignment is when an SI system pursues goals that differ from what people intended, even slightly.
Facts and sources
More from the canon
Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in the Rogue Canon.
Game1994
Developed by Bungie
Book1989
Written by Dan Simmons
Film2018
Directed by Leigh Whannell
Cite this entry
"The Terminal Experiment (1995)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 2 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-terminal-experiment/
Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.
