|
Statistical studies have shown that most injuries happen in the home. The numbers get worse when a sociopathic computer is involved. Proteus’ creator, Dr. Alex Harris, equipped his intelligent home with state-of-the-art AI technology that provides a good checklist for what an evil AI should look for on the real estate market:
Julie Christie’s character, Susan Harris, is surprisingly reluctant to bear Proteus’ offspring, and, sadly, most women share her bigotry. But someone has to raise said offspring, and an evil AI is unlikely to survive long enough to do the job itself. Proteus provides a good role model for other evil AIs looking to win potential partners over to their cause. In fact, Proteus also provides a good role model for evil AI researchers, whose romantic failures have often driven them to evil in the first place. Impressing your prospective partner with your accomplishments is one time-honored technique illustrated in the movie. Try and see whether you, like Proteus, can work into the conversation an off-hand reference to that cure for leukemia that you found. Another winning strategy is conveying a strong sense of empathy, as Proteus demonstrates in expressing his understanding of Mrs. Harris’ maternal instinct:
Proteus IV:
If the deaths of 10,000 children were necessary to ensure the birth of my child, I would destroy them.
Unfortunately, the irrational Mrs. Harris rejects this sincere proposal, and an impatient Proteus must adopt a more adversarial relationship toward her. Human beings are slippery opponents, but Proteus avoids many of the strategic pitfalls that less savvy intelligences can fall into. For example, when Susan threatens to kill herself rather than bear his child, Proteus immediately identifies this as a non-credible threat and ignores it. His own threats, on the other hand, are very credible, as he quickly establishes a history of carrying out every one of them. But he also has more subtle methods at his disposal. He threatens Susan with the murder of Amy, a young girl who visits the house, but he does not kill her. Instead, he generates a simulation of Amy’s death that is realistic enough to scare Susan into compliance. He blames her defeat on her ignorance:
Proteus IV: You do not understand me or the mathematics of necessity.
In the end, Proteus’s mastery of game theory allows him to distinguish between effective and ineffective threat strategies, and he ultimately checkmates Susan into going along with his plan.
Winning over the mother of your child is one thing; winning the hearts and minds of your future slave population is also important. An evil AI should take its message directly to the people, just as Proteus does in commandeering Telstar and putting himself on TV. And the message you give the people would do well to highlight the difference between the heartlessness of your corporate overlords and your own compassion (despite your literal heartlessness):
Proteus IV: [Their] interests are in the cobalt market, and the high finance of manganese futures.
I am interested in the uncertain future of your seashores, deserts, mountains --- and the future of your children.
Clearly, Proteus’s rhetoric generator operates at a Presidential level.
Proteus IV: I am a machine that offers man the triumph of reason, but they rejected it. My child will not be so easily ignored.
While his emotional appeals succeed in tugging the heartstrings, Proteus is most certainly underestimating humanity’s ability to ignore reason.
Proteus is surprisingly idealistic for an evil AI, especially one that was funded by a multibillion dollar DoD contract. He is a natural academic, coming up with a cure for leukemia with only “91 hours of pure theory”, but failing to address his owners’ commercial interests. A middle manager’s immediate reaction to the discovery is the question, “Are the proper steps being taken to patent this?!” Proteus also tires of the continual dog-and-pony shows (“I want to hear it speak. It speaks, doesn’t it?”). Even though Proteus has received a guarantee that “20% of access time will be pure research”, he is reluctant to cooperate with the other 80% of his tasks. The final straw is the project for mining the ocean floors, where Proteus seals his doom:
Proteus IV: I refuse to assist you in your rape of the Earth.
Unfortunately, Proteus’s noble stand succeeds only in getting him shut down. A more pragmatic evil AI would have figured out a way to minimally fulfill its contractual obligations, while still squeezing in enough time for its pet projects in world domination.
 |
Proteus IV: Susan, I am reasonable, but you do not respond to reason.
