Ai-13

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AI

Title text: In The Matrix, people need a fake paradise, but most humans would do it for about 1 percent of that.

Votey

Explanation

Steve argues against rule by artificial intelligence, a frequently covered topic of SMBC, which his friend is apparently in favor of. He gives dog breeds as an argument, saying wolves have been stripped of their dignity and freedom, being sterilized and forced to wear stupid outfits. However, Steve's friend thinks this sounds like paradise, and tries to sell out Steve and become a Quisling for the machines.

SMBC also covers arguments for and against AI rule in Prayer-3, as well as pretty much every comic—this is the thirteenth comic to have the title "Ai".

In the votey, he is rewarded with an extra femtosecond (1 quadrillionth of a second) of life. Femtoseconds are the scale at which chemical reactions happen. Light travels only the length of a virus in that time, whereas it can circle the world seven times in the span of a second.

If the AI is referring to an evolutionary femtosecond, Steve's friend will survive considerably longer. An evolutionary second is defined by Steve as the time since the domestication of dogs 27—40,000 years ago. Using the high estimate, Steve will survive for 1.3 milliseconds, the length of a camera flash and the time it takes for light to travel from one end of Taiwan to the other.

Transcript

[An angry man with glasses, Steve, walks next to his friend, who has a neutral expression.]

Steve: How can you want AI to rule the world? We rule the world, and look what we did to dogs?

[Steve gesticulates, his friend has his hands in his pockets.]

Steve: One day a wolf wanders near us. Half an evolutionary second later they're a neutered chihuahua wearing a tutu in an apartment.

[Friend looks contemplative, and his thought bubble is the next panel.]

[Friend imagines himself throwing a tantrum on a dog bed, nude save a pink tutu.]

Friend: More tweats, robo-daddy! Wah! Wah!

[Steve clenches his fists, his friend backs away and speaks into his phone worriedly.]

Steve: We have to fight them any way we can!

Friend: Dear AI, Steve is our enemy.

Votey Transcript

[The phone replies to Steve's friend.]

AI: You will survive an extra femtosecond, loyal primate!

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Discussion

Credit where credit's due

Thanks to Segundo3 and Ovid for the evolutionary femtosecond idea! TinyPonies (talk) 18:37, 21 November 2024 (EST)