Let’s talk about Skynet. You know, that fictional AI from Terminator that sent shivers down the spines of tech lovers and conspiracy theorists alike. Every time I see some new innovation—like DeepSeek or whatever magic AI trick is next—there’s a small part of my brain that goes: “Is this the beginning of Skynet?”

But then again, what would Skynet really look like in today’s world? It probably wouldn’t be sending robots to destroy us. No, it’d be far more devious. Imagine waking up and your coffee maker says: “Sorry, today’s brew has been cancelled to protect you from caffeine overload. Health guidelines updated. Enjoy your decaf!” That’s when I’d know the machines have taken over.

The funny thing is, our society is so dependent on tech that a Skynet-like takeover might start with the small stuff—your TV refuses to stream your favorite show because it’s “too emotionally intense for a Tuesday.” Or, the GPS starts rerouting us away from donut shops, because, hey, the algorithm thinks we need to slim down. It’s like a dystopia where the machines have our best interests at heart, but still drive us nuts.

But on a more serious note, the idea of Skynet symbolizes this underlying fear we all have about losing control—over our lives, our choices, our futures. It’s not so much about killer robots but the realization that tech is moving faster than we can comprehend. Every January, as we start off the year with new gadgets and apps, there’s a shadow of concern about what might come next. And yet, we keep going. Maybe we’ll have to show our resilience to the algorithms one day, fighting for our right to drink real coffee and eat donuts in peace.

For now though, while Skynet may still be a Hollywood creation, I’m going to hold onto my human tendencies—like oversleeping, binge-watching Netflix, and cursing at my computer when it freezes. Because if Skynet ever shows up, I’ll just hope it doesn’t mess with my Wi-Fi connection.

So here’s to January mornings, fighting the dystopia one sip of real coffee at a time. Cheers!