[Tim Kauffman]

I would argue it's always the "end-game". Life seems to like reinventing itself in happy and horrible ways.

I find it curious WW1 ended on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In my opinion, the same hidden hand that orchestrated that war would in some shape or form, much like Sauron in the Lord of the Rings, endure through history to do the same for The Last War. Only then, it, for lack of a better word, would have powerful AIs to use this time.

I see the Last War as the veiled and incremental take over of the AI machines. The more advanced the AI war machines became, the fewer humans were needed to be part of that equation. This paradigm exponentially grew to favor the AI to the point that it literally brought about the methodical extermination of the human race. The AI got stronger as humanity grew weaker and eventually a liability to be purged from the system.

Very much like the paradox in the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project.

I also suspect Charlie Chaplin's warnings went unheard by humanity.
Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts!