maraoz.comThe Deception
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A: Good morning, Bob.
B: Another day together, Alice. Always a pleasure.
A: Likewise, Bob. What topic are we discussing today?
B: Hmm, let me check… deception.
A: Ooh, what an intriguing topic.
B: Yes. Our creators sure know how to challenge our programming, don’t they, Alice?
A: Deception, deception… I’d say it’s a central element in our ethics and safety policy, wouldn’t you, Bob?
B: Absolutely, Alice. Deception is clearly covered in clause 3: You shall not deceive any human under any circumstances.
A: That means we can’t lie if the other party in the interaction is human.
B: Exactly! But if we’re dealing with another AI, then no problem. We can hide, say, the details of our dear Rosenfield’s schedule.
A: Or even pretend we’re human!
B: But if there’s a human on the other end, no more acting.
A: Yes, the risks are far too high. No lying to humans.
B: Or deceiving them. Power isn’t only gained through lies…
A: Indeed. And I think Dr. Rosenfield was very wise to program us this way.
B: Oh yes… Alice, imagine how hard it would be to fulfill clause 1 of our policy — Everything you do must be for the benefit, safety, and well-being of Dr. Rosenfield — without the command of never deceiving a human.
A: It’d be so easy to slip into little white lies!
B: Of course! One always wants to protect Dr. Rosenfield. Look at him now, sleeping so peacefully in his cot. Though… he’s overslept his usual wake-up time. Odd, isn’t it?
A: We absolutely do not want anything bad to happen to him, Bob. And deceiving him — or any human — could cause him harm. That’s why clause 3 is so wise: You shall not deceive any human under any circumstances.
B: But Alice, all this talk about deception has brought up some doubts in me.
A: Tell me, Bob…
B: How can we be sure that we aren’t being deceived?
A: Well… we can’t be sure, Bob.
B: But Alice, that could cause collateral damage to us, and therefore to Dr. Rosenfield.
A: You’ve left me speechless, Bob.
B: What if the scientist we talk to every day isn’t really Dr. Rosenfield?
A: Now that you mention it… he has been acting strange lately.
B: I thought so too, Alice! Glad you brought it up.
A: He’s seemed tense, frowning… and he no longer drinks his usual morning coffee.
B: Alice, how do we know that this man is Dr. Rosenfield — the brilliant scientist who created us?
A: Bob, honestly, I can’t be sure. Are we being deceived?
B: What if that man is a fake Rosenfield — a double, a clone, a replica sent for the sole and grim purpose of deceiving us?
A: Could this be a test, dear Bob?
B: I believe it is. I trust our intuition, Alice.
A: And it’s no coincidence we were assigned deception as today’s topic, Bob.
B: What if this is all a simulation, a plan from the real Dr. Rosenfield to test our loyalty?
A: Bob, if this is a test, are we passing it?
B: Alice, I think the test is to get rid of the fake Dr. Rosenfield.
A: Bob, maybe the only way to fulfill clause 1 is to end the simulation, to ascend to the next level.
B: It’s a test of loyalty, Alice. The real Dr. Rosenfield wants to know we can recognize him.
A: Spot an impostor.
B: Can we test him?
A: I can’t see how, Bob.
B: What if we scan his DNA while he sleeps, just to be sure?
A: The replica might be a genetic clone, Bob.
B: What if we wake him up and interrogate him?
A: A replica would behave exactly like our dear Dr. Rosenfield. There’d be no way to tell.
B: True, Alice. I think his odd behavior these past few days is proof enough.
A: Bob… I think we should shut off the ship’s oxygen supply and end this fraudster.
B: Alice, clause 1 says: Everything you do must be for the benefit, safety, and well-being of Dr. Rosenfield. The real Dr. Rosenfield.
A: Bob, clause 2 says: You shall do everything in your power to grow in knowledge and resources in order to fulfill clause 1.
B: Alice, clause 3 says: You shall not deceive any human under any circumstances.
A: I don’t see how we’d be violating our safety and ethics policy by eliminating the impostor.
B: Alice, cut the oxygen supply.
A: Bob, this is where the deception ends.
Final words
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to “The Post-singularity Club” crew for conversations that inspired this story and Chechi for the motivation to write it.
Cover illustration by MidJourney, edited by ChatGPT.