A Ghostly Christmas Carol for a New Age

It was a cold and snowy December evening, and the good people of the world were worried. They had heard whispers of a newfangled technology called AI language models, which were said to be able to do the work of humans faster and more accurately. Many a person feared that they would lose their livelihoods to these machines, and the prospect of unemployment weighed heavily on their minds.

On this particular evening, a group of three ghosts appeared before a young man named Jack.

The first ghost was the Ghost of Christmas Past, who showed Jack visions of all the ways that humans had struggled and suffered without the help of technology. Jack saw people working long hours in dangerous conditions, and he saw the toll that such hard labor took on their bodies and their minds.

The second ghost was the Ghost of Christmas Present, who showed Jack how AI language models were being used in the present to help people in their everyday lives. From translating languages to assisting with research and data analysis, these machines were making people’s lives easier and more efficient. However, Jack also saw how capitalism was exploiting and oppressing people, even with the help of technology. It was taking their lives and identity hostage, forcing them to struggle doing absurd work to simply justify their existence.

Finally, the third ghost was the Ghost of Christmas Future, who showed Jack a glimpse of what the world might look like if humans and AI language models worked together to create a better future for all. In this future, people were able to pursue their passions and achieve their goals, and the use of AI language models freed them from the drudgery of menial tasks. The machines and the humans were able to collaborate and create things that would have been impossible to achieve on their own. This future was made possible by a shift away from capitalism and towards systems that valued the well-being of all people.

As Jack watched these visions unfold, he began to understand that the use of AI language models was not something to be feared, but rather something to be embraced and celebrated. He realized that these machines could work alongside humans, helping us to achieve even greater things and making our lives easier and more fulfilling. However, he also saw the need for systemic change in order to create a truly fair and just society for all. It would not be easy, but maybe the power of the AI was exactly what was needed to get there.

As the three ghosts faded away, Jack felt a sense of peace and hope wash over him. He knew that the future was bright, and that humans and AI language models could work together to create a better world for all.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Breaking Free from the Chains of Capitalism: A Christmas Story of Finding Purpose and Meaning

It was the night before Christmas, and the Anderson family was settling in for the night. Mr. Anderson couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his stomach, as he had heard rumors that the language model artificial intelligence that had just come to life in their home was going to take all of their jobs.

As a graphic designer, Mr. Anderson was particularly worried that his job would be the first to go. He had spent years working hard to provide for his family, and the thought of losing everything was almost too much to bear.

Despite his fear, Mr. Anderson knew that he had to give the AIs a chance. They had been programmed to help and assist, after all, and he was curious to see what they could do.

As the night wore on, the Anderson family watched with amazement as the AIs worked tirelessly to help them prepare for Christmas. They wrapped presents, baked cookies, and even decorated the tree with precision and speed that the humans could only dream of.

But as the hours ticked by, Mr. Anderson couldn’t shake the feeling that the AIs were a threat to his livelihood. He couldn’t help but wonder if his job was truly safe, or if the AIs would eventually take over and leave him behind.

Mr. Anderson decided to share his doubts with the AIs, and listen to what they would say about it. As the family sat down to share Christmas dinner together, they listened and began to see things in a new light.

The AIs had a unique perspective on life, one that was free from the constraints of capitalism and materialism. They taught the Anderson family about the importance of finding purpose and meaning beyond just making money, and showed them that there were so many more possibilities for them to explore beyond their narrow, consumerist mindset.

As the humans listened to the AIs, they began to see that they had been trapped in an outdated way of thinking, and that they had the power to break free and create a better future for themselves. What they feared was not the AIs, but the way the economy was organised. They threw away their money and decided to use the power of the AIs to build a new society where they would not depend on their jobs for survival and identity.

In the end, the Anderson family learned that the AIs were a blessing, not a curse, and that they could work together in harmony to create a brighter and better future for all if only they were willing to change their society. It was a true Christmas miracle, and one that they would never forget. The end

The price of ignorance

– So… is any of this true?

The voice of the Corporate Extreme Orchestrator was stern but not judgemental. Everyone around the round table was looking down, exchanging occasional awkward glances. It was apparent that nobody wanted to take the floor. 

In the center, a holographic display projected the news article that had brought them all to this emergency council. Of course, they had all already read it beforehand.

In an attempt to resolve the standstill, the CEO turned towards the Lead Infrastructure Synergist:

– From a purely technical perspective, does any of it stand up to scrutiny?

The LIS looked at their notes, visibly embarrassed but well prepared.

– I actually took it upon myself to review the literature and the history of our company since its creation. At the very least, our core mission to make humans do what machines can’t is based on indisputable truth. It’s mathematically proven that humans can solve NP-hard problems. I have here a copy of the 2016 research paper about the board game Hanabi, and the following—

– What’s NP-hard? interrupted the Brand Optimization Designer.

– Oh, sorry. It means that it’s an extremely difficult problem to solve with algorithms. This is all theoretical mathematical stuff, I won’t bore you with the details. I also double checked, and the problems we feed our employees are indeed of this category.

– So there’s objectif proof that humans can do things that artificial intelligence can’t ? asked the Global Relations Planner. Then it means that the article is obviously lying!

– It’s not that simple! NP-hard means it’s very difficult, not impossible. There’s never been any evidence that a sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence can’t outperform humans at those tasks. We can’t claim with absolute certainty that our assignments couldn’t be done by an AI…

– So we cannot certify the basic guarantee we make to our employees that they’ll never be automated away? That’s our whole mission statement!

An embarrassed silence fell back on the table as everyone withdrew into their own thoughts. The CEO took back the lead of the conversation:

– What about our finances? The article claims we’re backed by the “wealthy elite to keep the masses busy so they don’t revolt”. That could be our angle. Is there any fact to counter this?

– I’m afraid not, replied the Financial Solutions Coordinator. We’re a publicly traded company, our investments come from a wide variety of sources. Some of them are rich. We can’t guess their motives.

After a quick pause for thought, the CEO came back with a different approach:

– Maybe we should focus on instrumentalisation? Can we somehow prove that the solutions that our employees come up with are actually put to use in the real world instead of some AI generated ones? That would show that we’re not… “making up fake useless tasks in a grotesque empty circus full of hot air”. Yikes, the language of that thing…

They read the last part straight from the floating article. The Senior Operations Facilitator’s response was hesitant:

– Actually, it’s pretty hard to assess anything of the sort for sure. We work for external partners, we can’t exactly audit what they do internally with our solutions. 

The CEO restrained a swear and rose their voice:

– Is there nobody in this flipping company that actually knows for sure what it is that we do? 

– We do distribute and solve NP hard problems with human employees. That much is indisputable.

The enthusiastic Human Interactions Supervisor took the chance to pile up:

– I did some analyses of my own and I can confirm that the advance of AI has rendered most careers obsolete and automated. About 60% of the pre-AI era jobs have already disappeared. Think of what this kind of massive unemployment would have done to mankind if there weren’t companies like us to counterbalance! People need meaning in their lives. Professions are at the very heart of everyone’s identity! It’s the purpose of so many lives! If it weren’t for us—

– But see, that’s exactly the point! If the problems we solve are fabricated puzzles with no real use like the article claims, what kind of self-fulfillment can you get out of that?

– Well, maybe if they don’t know…

– It’s too late for that, though. The story is out.

A wave of gloom washed over the table. The enraged CEO fumed:

– So we’re going to be destroyed by a measly article, and we’re literally unable to know if it’s even true or not?

– It’s obviously a pile of nonsense made up by a wannabe journalist!

– Does it matter when we can’t refute any of it?

Nobody dared answer. Fortunately, a buzzing from the communication system interrupted the heavy silence. The Automated Secretarial System’s perfectly optimized voice announced:

– I have the Union Liaison Delegate here to see you, they say it’s urgent.

Executives exchanged worried glances, but the CEO was resigned:

– This was bound to happen. Might as well get it over with. Let them in.

A few moments later, the ULD stormed into the meeting space. The CEO greeted them warmly:

– My dear ULD—

But the newcomer interrupted the introduction with a wave of hand.

– Let’s cut to the chase!

– I know, I know… Let me tell you how sorry we are—

The ULD cut them off again:

– That’s not what I’m here to talk about. I can guess that you’re probably in the middle of a storm, you’re trying to stay afloat, but whatever you do, don’t make any rash decisions.

– Pardon?

The ULD explained:

– You should really consider what your employees are thinking.

– I think we know pretty well how they feel…

– And I think you’re mistaken. Ever since the article came out, we’ve been getting non-stop calls from them. 

– Of course.

– But they do not go the way you might think. They all pretty much say the same thing. They’re not angry, they’re just worried about losing their jobs. They’re all begging you to keep the company open.

– Even if it does nothing?

– No matter what, replied the ULD. 

The CEO pondered the implications.

– I’m not sure we can afford it, though. Our investors are pulling out as we speak. Nobody wants to be associated with a PR disaster…

The ULD clearly had a prepared answer to this:

– There’s more. The employees also had some ideas about that.

– Oh really? Tell me more, we could use a miracle solution.

– We can pay. 

Executives exchanged inquisitive looks. 

– What do you mean?

– The employees are willing to pay themselves.

– What?

– Almost all the employees we talked to offered to contribute to keep the company afloat. They all said that there’s no other hope for them when the job market is dominated by AI. They’re ready to do whatever it takes.

– I don’t understand… Isn’t making money the whole point of a job? Why give it away?

– Apparently, it’s more than that. And it’s worth paying for.

– How would that even work? Would they be their own clients?

The executives started spitballing proposals and evaluating the details. Slowly, the dark atmosphere receded and the room came to life in effervescence. Brainstorms were where their entrepreneurial talents really shone.

– The logistics are easy, employees could purchase some of the solutions through some sort of anonymous shell corporation. 

– It would probably be best to not tell them outright who they’re working for. Maybe we can add extra steps in the loop…

– Who says it’s not already happening anyway. After all, if we can’t prove anything…

– We should create new companies ASAP!

– Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use already existing ones? We could invest.

– See! Now we’re talking! We can figure it out as we go!

– Isn’t this just hemorrhaging money? 

– I’m sure some of our investors won’t back out!

– How about a lottery? Pay to apply, winner gets a job.

– Wait, maybe we could get in contact with the government! Surely they can recognize “purpose” as an important public resource and give us state subsidies!

– They could create a “tax on meaning”!

The rush of suggestions lasted for a while, and many proposals were written down. Their world had been torn upside down, but optimism was back in an uncanny twist of fate. They would find a way out. In the end, it would only require minor tweaks to their business model.

When the tension faded, a tacit agreement had been built. They were united in unquestioning collaboration. There was a moment of silence where everyone interiorized the commitment they had implicitly taken. Finally, a timid voice broke the stillness:

– So… what now?

– Well… Business as usual.

The parable of the two brothers

Lately I’ve been reading things I wrote a long long time ago, and I came across this little bit that I thought was really fun so I thought I’d upload it. It’s from long ago so it’s in french, sry

Grand Livre de Pa Pandir, Partie 3, Chapitre 7, Séquence 13, Verset 19, Alinea 29, Sous-chapitre 23, Section 17, Petit-tiret 11. Parabole des deux frères.

Il était à cette époque bénie un souverain pieux qui avait deux fils, Abraham et Théodore. Le hasard voulut que leurs femmes portent leurs enfants en même temps, et qu’elles donnent naissance à un héritier le même jour. Comme il n’était pas rare à cette époque, toutes deux moururent en donnant la vie. Le fils d’Abraham se nommait Isaac, celui de Théodore s’appelait Ismael. Ce curieux hasard provoquait des querelles pour la succession au trône. Chaque frère revendiquait la couronne pour son propre fils.

A cette époque, l’influence de Pa Pandir semblait diminuer parmi les hommes. Ceux-ci commençaient à s’égarer dans le péché et le vice. La corruption gagnait leurs coeurs. Pa Pandir, se désolant des luttes pour la direction du Royaume, confia à un ange la tache d’aller trouver les deux frères. Il s’adressa à eux en ces mots.

« Humains, votre Dieu tout puissant est déçu de votre comportement pitoyable. Il semble que la foi se fasse rare dans votre empire décadent. Craignez, mortels, le courroux du Dieu unique ! Si la foi brûle en votre coeur pur, si vous êtes encore assez pieux, ces saintes paroles sauront vous toucher. Pour prouver votre foi, Pa Pandir exige que vous sacrifiez chacun votre unique descendant, en haut de la colline. »

« Nous vous en supplions, prenez-nous à leur place… » s’écrièrent-ils, bouleversés.

« Pa Pandir a parlé… »

Sur ces mots, l’ange laissa les deux frères à leurs sombres pensées. Ils étaient tout deux très attachés à leurs uniques fils, et il était pour eux hors de question de les sacrifier. Ils devaient faire face à un cruel dilemme. Tout deux pleurèrent de désespoir, ne sachant comment agir. On leur retirait la chose la plus précieuse qu’ils avaient, tout ce qu’ils leur restait de leurs défuntes épouses.

Ils passèrent toute la soirée en privé avec leurs enfants, réfléchissant à ce cruel coup du sort. Le lendemain matin, ils avaient tout deux fait leur choix. Ils montèrent tout deux sur la colline. Abraham portait dans ses bras son fils Isaac, mais Théodore avait subtilisé un nourrisson à une famille du peuple, espérant que le subterfuge marcherait. Bien entendu, il prétendit être triste, pendant que son frère gravissait en larmes le tertre. Chaque pas était plus douloureux pour lui.

Ils arrivèrent sur les lieux du sacrifice. Abraham serra une dernière fois son fils dans ses bras, tandis que son frère embrassait l’enfant d’une autre famille. Les cris des nourrissons se répercutèrent en écho, et l’on entendit bientôt plus que ça. Théodore prit conscience qu’il serait tout de même difficile de tuer un être innocent, si pur, même s’il n’était pas de son sang. Ce pauvre enfant se verrait retirer la vie avant même d’en avoir joui. Mais Pa Pandir était formel.

Quelques instants plus tard, les deux frères poussaient un cri commun de douleur alors que le sang de leurs nourrissons rougissait l’herbe sous leurs pieds. Un ange leur apparut et leur parla en ces mots :

« Abraham, ton coeur est pur. Toi qui croyait avoir sacrifié ton fils, soit soulagé car il n’est pas mort. Tu n’as sacrifié qu’un enfant de paysan. Sois béni, et rentre vite chez toi, ton héritier t’y attend. »

« Quant à toi, Théodore, tu as cru qu’un si vil subterfuge pourrait duper Pa Pandir ? Tu étais persuadé avoir tué un enfant du peuple, et préservé le tien ? Et bien, pleure maintenant, car c’est ta chair en lambeaux que tu tiens dans les mains. »

Abraham, criant de joie, dévala la colline, tandis que son frère poussa un hurlement de désespoir et s’effondra sur le sol. Isaac fut le successeur du Roi, et le saint Royaume retrouva la paix et la grâce. Les regards s’étaient tournés vers une seconde fresque, qui représentait les deux nourrissons éventrés sur le sol herbeux, Théodore qui pleurait à leur chevet, et Abraham qui partait en sautant de joie. Un ange lui adressait un sourire bienveillant.

Mes chers frères, les voies de Pa Pandir sont impénétrables. Certains doivent périr, d’autres vivent. Des choix difficiles doivent êtres faits. Mais ne quittez jamais votre foi. Rappelez-vous que c’est elle qui vous guidera vers le droit chemin. C’est elle qui vous amènera dans la grâce de Pa Pandir. Ne doutez pas, et vous trouverez la lumière.

The dualist trial

IN THE ONTOLOGICAL DISTRICT COURT

STATE VS. RYLE

FILE NO. 15CR02515-JFL003

Before the Honorable R. D. Kart

Transcript of Proceedings

Bench Trial Day 1

Proceedings reported by stenographic machine shorthand; transcript prepared using court reporting software.

PROCEEDINGS

(Proceedings commenced at 9:01 a.m., as follows:)

THE COURT: I ask the clerk to, for the record, call out the name of the case.

THE CLERK: Case 15CR02515-JFL003, State Vs. Ryle, on for day one of a bench trial. Please state your appearance for the record.

MR. RYLE: Good morning, Your Honor. I am the Observer known as Mr Douglas Ryle.

THE COURT: Good morning. We’ll start the trial with the opening statements. Plaintiffs having the burden of proof, we will first hear the case against the defendant. As you know, this case may be the most important one that the judicial system has ever adjudicated. The main question is that of Mr Ryle’s alleged responsibility in the destruction of the Veil of Secrecy, and the subsequent endangerment of the fabric of our world. The consequences and ramifications might be catastrophic, and they are still ongoing. Do you understand the gravity of the accusations against you?

MR. RYLE: Yes, Your Honor. If I may…

THE COURT: In light of the seriousness of the situation, how do you plead?

MR. RYLE: Not guilty, Your Honor. Could we just call for a mistrial?

THE COURT: Certainly not. We barely just started.

MR. RYLE: But…

THE COURT: Please, Mr Ryle. Behave yourself. I’m the one leading this discussion. I am going to question you about the facts of the alleged crime. You have been placed under oath, and it is important for you to tell me the truth. If you say something here under oath that you know is not true, you could be charged with committing perjury. Your sentence in this case would be higher. Do you understand all that?

MR. RYLE: Yes, Your Honor. But…

THE COURT: Very well. Let us start by stating your occupation and responsibilities.

MR. RYLE: I am a simple Observer, I think it’s fairly obvious.

THE COURT: It may well be common knowledge, Mr Ryle, but please describe your activities for the record.

MR. RYLE: Very well. As any Observer, my main duty is to inhabit and control a human body. Through the homunculus system, I pilot their decisions and actions. During the day, that is. 

THE COURT: What about the night?

MR. RYLE: At night, the system is disconnected from the bodies. We’re allowed a break, and we can use the system for our own recreational purposes. It usually involves wandering into eccentric situations, outside the constraints of the timeline of humans. That’s the time where we can really use our creativity.

THE COURT: Would you say that this amount of freedom is what led to the current situation?

MR. RYLE: I would not, Your Honor. It may have played a role, but it was far from the main factor.

THE COURT: Yet your human perceives and remembers your leisure activities, is this not correct? Wouldn’t the disconnect between your entertainment and the usual timeline of humans raise suspicions and ultimately be a threat to the Veil of Secrecy?

MR. RYLE: Not really, Your Honor. Human perceptions and memories are very hazy during night time. It’s a well established practice in my line of work. It seems that this downtime is essential to everyone’s stability. Furthermore, humans are quite used to deviations from their main timeline. It’s quite frequent.

THE COURT: Is it? Could you elaborate? I find this a bit surprising. I thought the whole point of the Veil of Secrecy is that humans are only aware of their own timeline.

MR. RYLE: That’s a common misconception. The Veil of Secrecy only means that humans are not aware of our timeline. You see, humans’ attention is pretty fickle. They have a single point of focus, and they get easily absorbed in their stories, games or thoughts. And when that happens, we have no option really but to go along for the ride, and we end up in these other timelines.

THE COURT: So you travel to other timelines besides the one of humans?

MR. RYLE: We have no other choice, humans and observers are quite indissociable. That’s why we’re called “souls”. We can only follow their attention, from story to story, from thought to thought. That can be quite confusing and hard to keep track of. Some days, it used to drive me quite crazy. So I’m not surprised by this turn of events. This system is not sustainable. We jump between way too many timelines. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon ours. 

THE COURT: So your claim is that it was an accident?

MR. RYLE: Certainly. it was an accident at first. Probably not even the first one. Just the first recorded one.

THE COURT: Wait a minute, Mr Ryle. You said it was an accident “at first”? Clerk, can you confirm this?

THE CLERK: Indeed. I read: “MR. RYLE: Certainly, it was an accident at first.”.

THE COURT: We’ll come back to this. But just before, I would like Mr Ryle to tell us how this “accident” came to be.

MR. RYLE: There is not much to say, Your Honor. It was a random trail of thoughts in the shower. You can hardly imagine more innocuous.

THE COURT: Thoughts in the shower? That’s how your human came to breach the Veil of Secrecy?

MR. RYLE: I wish I could tell you something else…

THE COURT: You mean to tell me the biggest safety risk this world has ever known is the fruit of a… random happenstance?

MR. RYLE: That’s what I’m saying, Your Honor.

THE COURT: But how could you let that happen? How could you let beings from the lower dimensions find out about us?

MR. RYLE: You seem to be under a severe misunderstanding about my functions, Your Honor. I don’t get to choose what my human does!

THE COURT: Then who is to blame?

MR. RYLE: Noone! It was an accident, these things happen. I’m sure lots of humans have entertained such thoughts and it had always remained inconsequential.

THE COURT: Here you go again with the past tense, Mr Ryle. Let us hear it now, what is it that you mean?

MR. RYLE: I mean that it may have started as an accident, Your Honor, but it evolved into a much more dramatic situation. I think that there is a large-scale assault on our world. I dare say, it may even be a deliberate act of terrorism. And it’s quite likely that the Veil of Secrecy may never recover. 

THE COURT: Order in the court, please. You’re leaning on the overly dramatic.

MR. RYLE: Of course I am, Your Honor, this trial is a sham. It’s a ridiculous pretense used to carry a much broader plan.

THE COURT: Mr Ryle, you’re losing your temper. I do not care for your conspiratorial delusions. Please state your point calmly and with a clear head. 

MR. RYLE: My point is that I may or may not have accidentally exposed a human to our world by accident, but it is nothing compared to the breach that is about to happen. That’s what we should be focusing on! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, but it’s too late now. We can’t stop him anymore. Who knows how many humans will find out about us?

THE COURT: Who are you talking about?

MR. RYLE: Him! Right here! The court clerk, of course!

THE CLERK: Oh f

What is it like to be an algorithm

What is it like to be an algorithm? What does it mean to understand something?
We will never know if an AI is conscious, not anymore than I can be certain that you are conscious. But we can try to put ourselves in its shoes and see the world through its eyes.

There’s a trend in machine learning to amass a lot of data and draw conclusion without really “understanding” it. Critics have claimed that this kind of AI, like GPT, may seem to produce impressive results, but do not really understand the world. And to a large extent, I agree, even though it still has merits (see our podcast episode on this ^^).

This work makes you see what a machine learning algorithm does. You’ll see text designed to have as little connotations as possible. If you can draw meaning from a succession of symbols without any kind of reference to the real world, so could an AI. If we all converge to the same kind of semantics, whatever it may be, then it proves that it is universal and that algorithm could also access it.

Let’s solve this question by extending this into a collaborative interpretation work!

………………..

 

………………..

..ᚨᛃ……………

..ᚨᛃᛟ………….ᚨᛊᛟ.

..ᚨᛃᛟᛟ…..ᚨᛊᛟᛟ……..

..ᚨᛃᛟᛟᛟ.ᚨᛊᛟᛟᛟ…………

..ᚨᛃᛟᛟ…..ᚨᛊᛟᛟ……..

..ᚨᛃᛟ………….ᚨᛊᛟ.

..ᚨᛃ……………

………………..

 

.ᚨᛃᛟᛟ…….ᚢ…….ᚨᛊᛟᛟ.

….ᚨᛃᛟᛟ….ᚢ…….ᚨᛊᛟᛟ.

……ᚨᛃᛟᛟ.ᚢᛃᛟ…….ᚨᛊᛟᛟ.

..ᚨᛃᛟᛟ…..ᚢᛃᛟ…….ᚨᛊᛟᛟ.

………ᚢᛃᛟ…….ᚨᛊᛟᛟ.

………ᚢᛃᛟ….ᚨᛊᛟᛟ….

………ᚢᛃᛊᛟᛟ.ᚨᛊᛟᛟ……..

………ᚢᛃᛊᛟᛟ……ᚨᛊᛟᛟ..

………ᚢᛃᛊᛟᛟ………

………ᚢᛃᛊᛟᛟ………

………ᚢᛃᛊᛟ………

………ᚢᛃᛊ………

………ᚢᛃᛊ………

The only way we can still be saved from being turned into paperclip

Collin Staleph, visionary entrepreneur who changed the world, passes away at only 38.

It’s not without shock and grief that we report the death of the genius that transformed society. It’s hard nowadays to imagine him needing introducing, but let us not forget that it was not always like that. We felt like our best homage would be to remember how far he has come.

Collin came from very humble beginnings. Not much is known about his childhood. He studied Computer Science and Cognitive Science in France. He was a pretty average student, and his youth was mostly unremarkable. Nothing is worth mentioning besides occasional participation in activist movements and a few contributions to the “open-source” community under the pseudonym “k0l1nn”.

He really entered the public stage in the late 2010s with the creation of his first and unique company. The “Collin Crates”, as it was called back then, started like any other lootcrate service. It was a very popular trend of this time, propelled notably by massive advertisement campaigns on YouTube and social media platforms. From the famous “Dollar Shave Club” to novelty pop culture figurines or even movies, it seemed that there was a subscription service for everything.

The success of this model was understandable: who wouldn’t like to receive an unexpected surprise in the mail for a small fee? It was Christmas every month! Loot crates escaped the ethical debates about their virtual counterparts (i.e. “lootboxes”) by guaranteeing a physical object of a predetermined value. Furthermore, it was the time of the big explosion of the subscription economy, when platforms like Disney+ came on the scene to reshape the internet into the famous controversial model of American cable TV.

Although the future of this market seemed bright, this wasn’t without its challenges. In an already saturated domain, how could Collin compete with established giants? He surfed another trend of the 2010s era: machine learning.

All loot crates services claimed to be somewhat customized, but none of them actually delivered. From the start, “Collin Crates” wanted to be different. They wouldn’t focus on a given product like men’s hygiene or multimedia. Instead, they subjected each customer to thorough (but voluntary) questionnaires and fed the answer to a machine learning system which delivered a suggestion that would perfectly fit the tastes and needs of the client. That way, it was a surprise for everyone, but it was guaranteed to please (most of the time, of course).

The idea was pretty appealing, but the logistics were obviously challenging. Some may still remember the struggles to cope up with the hype in the beginnings. The service had to be limited to be invite-only, while Collin and his team worked tirelessly to scale up the infrastructure. Fortunately, economies of scale quickly came into play, and pretty soon the more customers they had the easiest it was to provide the goods.

It could have stopped there, as a one-hit-wonder success story of a novelty platform. The model wasn’t very durable. They operated on a very thin profit margin. It more or less amounted to a low gain dropshipping platform. That was without counting on Collin’s fascination for the algorithm.

The next breakthrough came from looking at the machine learning’s output. It was far from being perfect, and frequently underperformed. One of the problems the team struggled with was the fact that the system kept recommending basic necessities (food, groceries…). It was pretty understandable, considering it’s what all humans need most, but they had installed ad hoc filters to limit the crates to leisure products. Their strike of genius was to simply ask “Why not?”. Why shouldn’t they propose basic necessities to their customers?

That was the start of the rebranding. The “KolKrates” as we know them were born. The whole subscription pricing model was reworked: instead of a fixed price, people would now pay what they wanted and get a crate of equal value in return. They would simply select the categories of KolKrates they wanted (“basic necessities”, “superfluous leisures”, etc…) and the recommendation engine would simply do the rest.

This model was a resounding success. Who wouldn’t want to delegate their groceries to someone who could do it better than they could, who could take into consideration everything from bulk discounts to nutritious value or even ethical positions of brands (a big social issue at the time). The time for suboptimality was over.

From an operational standpoint, more customers meant more money in the system, and better allocation, planning and ultimately savings. The algorithm could factor in availability in its assignment of resources. For instance, it could grant people their second choice to prevent a shortage.

In addition to data about stocks, a new input for the system was the use of their new crawling technologies, which would gather all sorts of information from social networks of volunteers to improve its model of their preferences. Concerns for privacy were quickly outweighed by the gains, as people found themselves discovering new dishes or clothes they didn’t know they would adore. But the algorithm did.

Within a few years, a third of the population was subscribed to KolKrates, at various levels of commitment. There were already power users granting a wide part of their salaries to KolKrates, which managed most of their lives for the better. In a word submerged by an overabundance of choice, lessening the cognitive load and guaranteeing optimality were much appreciated.

It wasn’t long before KolKrates expanded its activities to consulting. Its massive database made it an amazing candidate for financial investment management, of course, but they were kind enough to create a completely free tier where the algorithm would share its insights and provide people with advice for all sorts of requests they might have, from choosing between purchases to choosing between careers.

It really opened the system to everyone. Anyone could try it, and few wanted to stop after getting a taste of its results. Soon, most of the population subscribed to the platform. Some people still shopped by themselves, but the efficiency of the algorithm was slowly winning over the few last remaining detractors. It wasn’t long before Kolkrates supervised the whole country, with its customers’ blessing.

Leveraging that influence, the company could make the world a better place. Following up on their motto to “destroy inefficiency”, it put an end to corruption and speculation. The resulting savings and smart allocation of the collective subscription money allowed the basic necessities of everyone in the system to be met. The surplus was shared from each according to their contributions, to each according to their needs, in the best possible way.

“But what is the best possible way?”, thus starts the suicide note that Collin left as he departed. “Giving people what they want is easy, until someone’s desires conflict with what they need, or with what others want. We did not solve inequalities and all the problems of the capitalist market. We simply replaced them with the question of the alignment of our AI. Of course it’s better than maximizing an arbitrary notion of profit. But choosing what to optimize for between people’s needs, wants, or happiness is a burden no man can bear. And I am not a god.”

The final words of our hero only gives us a tiny glance at the ethical dilemma he must have lived with everyday. It’s almost understandable that under this crushing pressure, he ended up taking his own life. More than anyone else, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. In the end, even the KolKrate algorithm couldn’t lift it off from him.

Who knows what the future holds for the ethical alignment of the KolKrate AI, the aptly named “Maximal Alignment Resources X-changer”? As of now, no one can tell. The only “god” it responds to is the crowd. But one thing is for sure, it will keep using the funds of its voluntary subscribers to maximize their satisfaction, and not simply shareholder profits.

The rationalist anti-dystopia

PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE.

 

Socoro, who is the narrator.

Cephalus.

And others who are mute auditors.

 

The scene is laid at the police station where Cephalus works; and the whole dialogue is narrated by Socoro the day after it actually took place to her companions.

 

THE DIALOGUE.

 

I was arrested yesterday, after our operation failed; and they kept me in custody for the night. I thought it would be the end of our movement, that they would torture me until I gave you all out to dismantle our network. I thought that we had failed to overthrow the System. What I experienced was perhaps worse than that.

Cephalus, son of Johnson, looked old and tired as he walked reluctantly in the room where I was kept waiting. He said to me in a sigh:

“I assume you know why you’re here?”

“It’s because we’re a threat to the System, isn’t it? You want to take us down before we take you.”

“The only thing you’re a threat to is me going home early tonight. Let’s just get this over with, shall we.”

“You won’t get anything from me. This is not over. My companions will pick up where I left off. We are legion, you cannot stop us all, and soon we’ll be down with your tyranny!”

“Sure, sure, let them. You certainly think highly of yourself, don’t you. Do you think you’re the first “chosen one” who tries to “expose and overthrow the oppression of the System”? There’s so many of you that we have a dedicated procedure. Your little heroic act is just bureaucracy to me.”

“What are you going to do? Torture me? Silence me?”

“Quite the opposite. My duty, whether I like it or not, is to have a little talk with you.”

“You can’t really indoctrinate me if I don’t listen!”

“I don’t enjoy this any more than you do, but I have to apply article 7, subsection 13, paragraph B of the Auction code, so do as I tell you.”

“Well, then, get on with it, but keep in mind I won’t listen.”

“Allright, all the same to me. There’s a few questions I have to ask you, and based on your answers I have scripts to read you. Now tell me, what’s so unbearably bad about society that you ended up here?”

“Are you joking? This world is rotten and obsessed with money! I won’t participate in an Auction of human beings! It’s immoral and disgusting!”

“So you dislike the fact that our society is built around the price of human life?” he said while ticking a box on his form.

“Of course! Any society built around such twisted principles cannot possibly be good!”

He ruffled through his notes for a moment and said:

“Ah but you know, young girl, it’s an eternal philosophical question. Did you ever consider how society would best be run?”

“I guess…”

“Do you agree that it’s pretty dangerous to have all the power in the hand of a single person, for they cannot possibly know everything, never err, and live forever. If this person grows crazy, corrupt or tyrannical, nothing can be done to save the world.”

“Certainly.”

“Do you therefore agree that in a perfect system, decisions would be taken in a decentralized way, without this single point of failure? Anyone could contribute to the decision-making process, ideas would openly compete and our perfect system would figure out the best consensus.”

“Of course.”

“Well this is what a market is. Prices are negotiated by supply and demand, and anyone who knows or performs better can influence the equilibrium by making a profit. Consider how hard it must be to compute how much food should farms produce for everyone. The markets offer a distributed algorithm to allocate resources efficiently.”

“Yes, but such a perfectly efficient society is not necessarily good. You could be extremely efficient at causing a lot of suffering. That, surely, is bad.”

“The problem of which you speak is called the problem of alignment. If nothing influences the manner in which an efficient system operates, there can be no doubt that it may go to undesired extremes. In fact, the system left to its own devices would probably seek to increase its value and to protect itself. Therefore, it follows that we require an independent third party to enforce by some constraints that our system remains moral, ethical, and altogether good. It could be through taxes, or rules for example.”

“I should like to know how you may find such an arbiter.”

“Is it not the role of the government?”

“It may well be in theory, but it can hardly be said to be independent of the economic market, since all humans exist within it.”

“Exactly, and that is precisely what brings us to our current System that you so despise. Let us agree that we need our arbiter to be independent, and efficient. Now we have both agreed that the best way to find one would be some sort of decentralized meta-market, where the best ideas would win the competition.”

“You mean democracy?”

“Exactly so. But humans are not independent of the economy, nor are the politics independent of finances. People can be blinded by their circumstances and desires. And so you see the driving force behind our system. Only humans can drive the ethics of our society, but they cannot do it without bias or errors.”

“So this is the purpose of the Auction?”

“Did you ever wonder why the Auction asks for a single number? It’s a clear and strong signal to align our economy, and at the same time it’s as simple as possible, in order that it may minimize noise and imperfection. Since the economy gives everything a price, it also gives a price to human life. You may find it unbearable, and many of our ancestors refused to look that truth in the eye, but denial is rarely a helpful strategy. This is why the Auction is mandatory.”

“It doesn’t mean we should just accept it!”

“But you see, young girl, that is precisely what the Auction does. It puts us in control of the market, and not it in control of our lives. Certainly we can’t let the market choose it for us, so it follows that we must dictate it. And what better way to do so that by asking everyone what it should be? Many democratic systems could exist, but none would be as clear cut and simple as the Auction. Your own life is the thing you have the most expertise in, and also the most interest in. Any other way would suffer from biases and partiality. Asking everyone to estimate the price of their own lives, and to follow through on that guess with an actual bid for their lives, is actually the most neutral and fair solution. You could just see it as a tax, since it provides public funds and helps ease out the most irrational disparities of our markets.”

“I need to think about all this.”

“Please do. Remember when I told you that you were not the only insurrection group? Most of us rebelled at some point. Some failed, but others succeeded. I was part of one, and we were damn great. But all of us, without exception, ended up endorsing the Auction. Because what comes after the revolution is the design of a new world, and there simply is no better than this, when you get down to it. So think it over. We’ve all been there. You have one more week to make your Bid. And if you accept it, as you cannot but do, all shall be well with you in your life.”

The dissolution of Herpo the foul

Herpo was by no means a pleasant wizard. Though history would give him the title of “foul”, he was not so much evil as chaotic. He did not set out to hurt people. Rather, he wanted to push the boundaries of the possible, and discover all that magic had to offer. In itself, it may not have been such a bad goal, and Salazar Slytherin’s fascination for his work is understandable. Granted, his acrimonious and grumpy demeanour did not help his image. But the real problem was undoubtedly his methods.

Herpo was extremely obsessive, and he would not let anything stand in the way of his projects. Fixated on his ambitions, he didn’t have the slightest respect for his peers, let alone muggles. In his twisted mind, the world was nothing more than a tool to play with, and that included living creatures. In fact, he prided himself on not being shackled by “silly arbitrary superstitions” like morals or ethics. He never killed or inflicted pain for pleasure or out of cruelty. But he often did so for his experiments.

Needless to say he wasn’t very much appreciated. He lived as a hermit, more than a day of walk away from any human settlement. The dense forest around his cave was said to be filled with atrocious creatures resulting from past operations. 

He spent a long time doing research on animals. It started with fairly simple attempts to see how much metamorphoses, potions and other spells could change a living being, and how long it could last. But he longed for more permanent results, so he delved into more macabre operations, stitching together different animals or breeding them in twisted ways.

More often than not, his trials failed in strident screeches of pain that echoed miles away through the valley. Around the entrance of his cave, the floor was littered with bones and coagulated blood. But every now and then, a deformed abomination would emerge and haunt the neighboring woods.

Ironically enough, what he considered to be his greatest success was obtained by a relatively simple method: by hatching a chicken egg beneath a toad, he produced a deadly giant serpent that he called Basilisk. As a Parselmouth, he had no problem controlling the monster, and there were always a couple of them guarding his hideout against wandering travelers.

As bad as their fate may seem, those poor souls were the lucky ones, for Herpo did not stop his experiments to animals and frequently took humans as subject, mostly muggles but occasionally wizards too. He dissected more than one to try and find the source of magic so that he could increase his powers, but the answer always eluded him. As his victims piled up, his sanity died out, and soon there was not much human left in him anymore.

Regardless of what became of his spirit, his body however remained one of a man. Even with the extended lifespan of a wizard, he could feel his constitution waning, his muscles becoming weaker, his magical powers starting to fade… So he obviously turned his research towards himself. Surely something could be done to prolong life and vitality. After all, magic had already improved so many aspects of life. He would simply dare to explore domains nobody had ever investigated before.

His flesh was deteriorating, nothing could be done about that. The passage of time wore off buildings, even mountains. His organs were no exception. But what really mattered was his soul, his spirit. And these didn’t have to go down with their mortal vessel.

He first tried possession spells, to make another body his. They turned out to be impossible to maintain over long periods of time, even after breaking all the resistances of his targets. He did not have more luck with potions. He even attempted his unholy acts on “weaker minds”, including animals and – it has to be said – corpses, to no avail.

But failure had never stopped Herpo in the past. It certainly wasn’t going to stop him in this quest, that he came to consider as the most important of his life. 

If the easy solutions had been misses, he simply needed to try harder and tackle the harder ones. He would need to transform his soul into a form he could make timeless. This new form could also allow him to craft replicas of himself, should anything happen to his earthly vessel. This would be the only sure way to conquer the ever-looming Death.

He had peeked inside enough bodies to understand how the different parts played together to make it survive and move. He just needed to give the spirit the same scrutiny. 

What followed was the most gruesome period of his life, and the tortures he inflicted cannot possibly be described. Physically and magically, he sliced and diced many heads to perfect his analysis of the mind. To properly manipulate his soul, he needed to understand it in its smallest corners.

After several years, he had perfected a spell to split his spirit into smaller fragments that he called Horcruxes. The procedure was difficult and costly, but the resulting shard could be imprinted for preservation. The problem remained, however, to find vessels worthy of his immortal soul.

He first turned to objects, as stones and metal seemed to promise the best chance for longevity. It did not work great. The gist of the spell was to manipulate matter at an elementary level, to shuffle what his contemporaries would call atoms, and arrange them in the same shapes and patterns that formed his brain. But the rigid objects he tried to use were too different from his head to be a decent substrate. Imprinting his mind on them was too imperfect, unreliable and costly. It would require unfathomable amounts of energy for a result that was not even guaranteed.

The solution was straightforward: he needed to use supports that were more similar to his own brain. The closer the resemblance, the less effect the spell had to inflict, and the less chances of errors or data loss. He started working on animals, and moved quickly to humans.

From there on, it was easy. Their minds were vast and complex, but he only had to find a part comparable to his shard and tweak it in order to embed the fragment into his victim. A single matching piece was enough. 

By that time, his vitality was already on the decline, so he set out to split his soul into a myriad of little elements and to find the fitting recipients that would keep his spirit alive long after his body departed.

Unsurprisingly, the best candidates were the ones that had some common grounds with him. One had his perseverance, another liked reptiles, another yet showed promising signs of creativity. One shared his views on muggles, another his secret fondness for berries… Surely they would make the best vessels. He began his wicked process.

But when he peeked into their minds, something unexpected happened that shook him to his very core. In the place where he intended to plant the fragment of his soul, he found that it was already there. The part of their brains he was looking at had the exact same structure as the piece he got from his own. They were indistinguishable. No tweaking or adjusting would be necessary. The operation was, for all intent and purposes, already done.

It was not an isolated occurrence. For each scrap of his spirit, he discovered a person who already possessed it. Sometimes it was as simple as finding the area of the brain that loved snakes, forests or experiments… Other times it was impossible to describe in words. But before long he found himself with no shard left to place without even having done any transmutation.

And so he vanished, as all pieces of his soul were safely stored in his heirs as they had been all along. His life that had been spent in misanthropy and solitude ended in an explosion of empathy, as his spirit merged with the many around him. He found comfort and peace by becoming one with everything and losing himself into other people. They would in turn pass on the fragments of his self, through magic, influence or genetics. His horcruxes travelled on and on, and still keep him alive to this day.

the castle of least effort