In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Miles Dyson is the Cyberdyne researcher whose work leads to Skynet’s creation.
Dyson serves as Cyberdyne Systems’ director of special projects. He is developing a revolutionary microprocessor based on the technology recovered from the destroyed Terminator in the first film. Although Dyson does not personally “become” Skynet or create the entire artificial intelligence alone, his research provides the technological breakthrough that makes Skynet possible.
Sarah Connor initially believes that killing Dyson will prevent the future nuclear war. After attacking his home, she learns that John Connor and the reprogrammed T-800 can persuade him to help destroy his research instead. Dyson ultimately cooperates, leading the group into Cyberdyne’s laboratory and helping them destroy the prototype processor and the original Terminator arm.
A common mix-up is confusing Dyson with Skynet itself, Dr. Silberman, or John Connor. Dyson is the human engineer whose reverse-engineering work sets the chain of events in motion; Skynet is the later military artificial intelligence that launches Judgment Day.