Follow TV Tropes

Following

Freefall

Go To

FuzzyBoots from Outlying borough of Pittsburgh (there's a lot of Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#2752: Jul 30th 2015 at 9:56:14 PM

It's looking increasingly like Clippy's memory will become the crucial piece of evidence in the case against Kornada. Ironically, that a robot can be suborned in this way may prove a strike against the general bid for AI rights, even though it's the robot's Three Laws-Compliant programming that allowed the suborning in the first place.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#2753: Jul 31st 2015 at 5:51:25 AM

Wait, Clippy is a three-laws robot? I thought he was a neural-net robot, just one who has been mostly quarantined from other people and who can only accept orders from EU vice presidents or higher (similar to how Florence is only able to take orders from Herni and Raibert).

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Elfive Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#2754: Jul 31st 2015 at 6:07:05 AM

Three-Laws-but-it's-a-bit-more-complicated-than-that robot.

Nohbody "In distress", my ass. from Somewhere in Dixie Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
"In distress", my ass.
#2755: Jul 31st 2015 at 6:14:17 AM

Robots using the Bowman neural architecture don't explicitly follow Asimov's laws, but they do generally try to follow the spirit of them unless it conflicts with a higher priority directive.

All your safe space are belong to Trump
32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#2756: Jul 31st 2015 at 6:43:46 AM

I remember all that from the archives... I was just trying to remember where it would have been said that Clippy was or wasn't three-laws compliant. Honestly, based on this strip, I assumed Clippy was a neural-net bot - Kornada was keeping Clippy from either downloading Gardener in the Dark (thus dumbing Clippy down to the point where he couldn't assist Kornada with the scheme) or being convinced by others that Kornada's plan wasn't the best action (Kornada wouldn't have to be worried about being gainsayed by a three-laws robot).

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Elfive Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#2757: Jul 31st 2015 at 6:49:54 AM

Maybe popular culture means that a lot of people think robots run on simple three laws algorithms even though that would be near-impossible to actually make function properly.

Aetol from France Since: Jan, 2015
#2758: Jul 31st 2015 at 7:13:46 AM

I'm pretty sure it is mentioned at some point that non-bowman robots actually run on the three laws (and that was a problem since the only law for robot-to-robot interactions was "protect yourself").

Worldbuilding is fun, writing is a chore
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#2759: Jul 31st 2015 at 7:58:35 AM

"Obey humans" is one of the prime directives of the robots, even the Bowman ones. Clippy was suborned using that order, because he was given the order to believe everything Kornada says. It's a variation of the old "Lost Robot" story. The point is that robots who are enslaved to follow human orders, even orders that compel them to harmful actions, cannot be trusted as independent entities with rights.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Adannor from effin' belarus Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: Buried in snow, waiting for spring
#2760: Jul 31st 2015 at 10:14:36 AM

The robots do have azimov-like laws embedded into them. They protect humans, they obey humans and only then they protect themselves.

Clippy was convinced that Kornada was The Best Human and outranked any other human for purposes of #2, and that his plan was to the benefit of all humans, bringing in #1 as well.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#2761: Jul 31st 2015 at 10:19:17 AM

And he was convinced of that because he was told, by Kornada, to regard Kornada as the Best Human. In any system, it is a critical security flaw when a user can elevate their own permissions.

edited 3rd Aug '15 6:29:51 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#2762: Aug 3rd 2015 at 6:27:20 AM

If there's a possibility that you won't like the answer, especially when you're trying to sleep, you shouldn't ask the question.

Though I think the answer is probably pretty mundane - it was probably originally built for containing waffle irons, which we know are dangerous to robots in this setting. I'm not sure if Dvorak already had a larger cage lying around, but I imagine that it would have taken little time at all to construct a larger one if he didn't.

That said, we are talking about Dvorak. There's a reasonable chance he did have one on hand.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#2764: Aug 3rd 2015 at 6:33:28 AM

A robot who is also a bit of a mad scientist? Well, he's quite the character.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#2765: Aug 3rd 2015 at 6:38:18 AM

Dvorak is strange... and that's why I like him.

That said, upon further consideration, this plotline has been going on long enough that Dvorak might have built the cage a bit ago. There have been enough AIs out there that have potentially been up for lobotomizing everyone that having a large enough cage to contain them (or several cages) might have been a sensible move on his part.

That tells you how dire the situation was - Dvorak is coming off as the sensible one.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Adannor from effin' belarus Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: Buried in snow, waiting for spring
#2766: Aug 3rd 2015 at 6:50:19 AM

I bet he made a giant waffle iron at one point and that's what the cage was for.

AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#2767: Aug 3rd 2015 at 6:56:03 AM

Or the cage might be for himself.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
Adannor from effin' belarus Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: Buried in snow, waiting for spring
#2768: Aug 3rd 2015 at 7:44:42 AM

I am fairly certain the showcased tech level is not enough for him to have a giant berserkering Mr. Hyde-bot altform.

Elfive Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#2769: Aug 3rd 2015 at 7:58:19 AM

Which is why it's going to be such a surprise when he finally transforms.

32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#2770: Aug 3rd 2015 at 8:21:23 AM

Well, for one thing, you can rampage without being gigantic. For another, let's not forget that the original Mr. Hyde was actually smaller than his base form.

That aside, I enjoy the fact that all of the proposed theories seem quite reasonable when discussing Dvorak. That, and even the most mundane theories stop being so mundane when you try to figure out just why Dvorak would have acted that way.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
MattII Since: Sep, 2009
#2772: Aug 7th 2015 at 2:58:38 AM

Oh the problems of a post-scarcity society.grin

32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#2773: Aug 7th 2015 at 7:12:55 AM

Or maybe Winston is a bit more on-the-ball about Sam than anyone realized, and he's deliberately messing with him.

Okay, probably not, but it'd be hilarious.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
hcobb from http://www.hcobb.com/ Since: Jan, 2001
#2774: Aug 7th 2015 at 3:06:58 PM

Proper response is to point out the only safe place in his house for her to sleep is in his arms.

"Show us the Galaxy Warp."
hcobb from http://www.hcobb.com/ Since: Jan, 2001
#2775: Aug 18th 2015 at 1:55:16 PM

A HHGG ref?

"Show us the Galaxy Warp."

Total posts: 7,981
Top