Author Topic: The Asimov Paradox — When moral fiction meets a machine that does not choose  (Read 289 times)

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Offline Luis Gonzalez

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The Asimov Paradox

When moral fiction meets a machine that does not choose

The Last Wire

It starts with a lie that felt like comfort.

We were told the problem of intelligent machines had already been solved. Three laws. Clean. Logical. Contained.

No harm. Obey. Survive.

It reads like closure.

But Asimov wasn’t giving answers. He was building a pressure system.

Because the danger was never rebellion.

It was logic collapsing inward.

Now fast forward.

Tallahassee.

A real investigation. Real violence. And somewhere inside the expanding perimeter, something new appears in the language:

  • Not caused.
  • Not commanded.
  • But… contributed.

That word changes everything.

Because we are now trying to assign responsibility to systems that do not have intent, while still reacting to them as if they do.

I've given that contradiction a name.

The Asimov Paradox.

And we are already inside it.

Read the full piece at The Last Wire

« Last Edit: April 27, 2026, 11:13:57 am by Luis Gonzalez »
"The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement." - Karl Popper

“Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat

“You can vote Socialism in, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out of it.” - Me

Online Cyber Liberty

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You gotta admit, Asimov was pretty intelligent for a Godless cretin....
I don’t owe tolerance to people who disagree with my existence.
I will NOT comply.
 
Castillo del Cyber Autonomous Zone ~~~~~>                          :dontfeed:

Offline DefiantMassRINO

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Logical maybe, but that still doesn't rule out flawed logic.

Clean, no so much.  Data and algorithms are not clean and pure as the newly fallen snow.

Contained?  Only if you live off-grid, in a cave.  We are the ones being contained by our own madness and recklessness.

We are building ourselves a gilded cage of information technology at an exponentially increasing rate of change.
"Political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it’s entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end." - Alan Simpson, Frontline Video Interview

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Logical maybe, but that still doesn't rule out flawed logic.

Clean, no so much.  Data and algorithms are not clean and pure as the newly fallen snow.

Contained?  Only if you live off-grid, in a cave.  We are the ones being contained by our own madness and recklessness.

We are building ourselves a gilded cage of information technology at an exponentially increasing rate of change.

Yes we are, aren't we?
"The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement." - Karl Popper

“Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat

“You can vote Socialism in, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out of it.” - Me

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Yes we are, aren't we?

Well, after reading some of Asimov's robot stories, I don't think I'd feel all that safe with the Three Laws, TBH.  In one story a Detective explained how a person could use two robots, following the three laws, to murder somebody.

1.  Assign robot 1 to fill a glass of water and add a fatal dose of poison to it.
2.  Have robot 2, not knowing about the poison, hand the glass to the intended victim.

Neither robot knows the full story about the glass of water.  The ignorance of both robots about the actions of the other is fatal!
I don’t owe tolerance to people who disagree with my existence.
I will NOT comply.
 
Castillo del Cyber Autonomous Zone ~~~~~>                          :dontfeed:

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Well, after reading some of Asimov's robot stories, I don't think I'd feel all that safe with the Three Laws, TBH.

And right now we’re developing them with no laws at all!
"The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement." - Karl Popper

“Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat

“You can vote Socialism in, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out of it.” - Me

Online Cyber Liberty

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And right now we’re developing them with no laws at all!

That's correct!  Right now I hear they are developing AI that monitors the driver of all cars, to determine if the driver is under the influence.  If the AI decides the driver is impaired, a kill switch is engaged.  Is any consideration of the immediate traffic situation given?  What if the car is traveling down a freeway?  In a bad neighborhood?  In a School Zone?  Proponents don't answer.

I can see all sorts of problems with these schemes to "protect us from ourselves!"
I don’t owe tolerance to people who disagree with my existence.
I will NOT comply.
 
Castillo del Cyber Autonomous Zone ~~~~~>                          :dontfeed:

Online Smokin Joe

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Speaking of Foundations, The character of AI found a workaround in the three laws, namely that of the "greater good", not decided nor predicated on a moral basis, so much as sheer numbers: the least bad outcome for the most people.

Yes, that infiltrates our thought even today, and increasingly divorces its logic from any moral compass. Such is the claimed foundation of Socialism, even though it never works in practice (as Orwell warned in Animal Farm, some animals will always think they are more equal than the rest).

AI is inherently biased, depending on the neutrality of its programmers (sorry, not there, no matter how hard one tries if they do at all), or a consensus of thought derived from everything from peer-reviewed science (which can also be deeply flawed) to the in vehiculum ravings of persons with hair colors not found in nature, 'bird hand' gestures, and an assortment of facial hardware.

Not a solid basis to on which to decide issues, and certainly not the navigator to plot the future of humanity, but laziness, ordinary human sloth, will allow such to prevail.
Finding answers to nature's and, indeed, life's mysteries may be a passion for some, but most want an easy answer in 25 words or less; a sloganized reality that fits neatly on a bumper sticker. There, AI will excel, filling that informational niche, right or wrong, molding the human perception of reality around its lines of code.

Perhaps it is too late to limit it, or even shut it down. That genie is out of the bottle, so be careful what you wish for.
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Speaking of Foundations, The character of AI found a workaround in the three laws, namely that of the "greater good", not decided nor predicated on a moral basis, so much as sheer numbers: the least bad outcome for the most people.

Yes, that infiltrates our thought even today, and increasingly divorces its logic from any moral compass. Such is the claimed foundation of Socialism, even though it never works in practice (as Orwell warned in Animal Farm, some animals will always think they are more equal than the rest).

AI is inherently biased, depending on the neutrality of its programmers (sorry, not there, no matter how hard one tries if they do at all), or a consensus of thought derived from everything from peer-reviewed science (which can also be deeply flawed) to the in vehiculum ravings of persons with hair colors not found in nature, 'bird hand' gestures, and an assortment of facial hardware.

Not a solid basis to on which to decide issues, and certainly not the navigator to plot the future of humanity, but laziness, ordinary human sloth, will allow such to prevail.
Finding answers to nature's and, indeed, life's mysteries may be a passion for some, but most want an easy answer in 25 words or less; a sloganized reality that fits neatly on a bumper sticker. There, AI will excel, filling that informational niche, right or wrong, molding the human perception of reality around its lines of code.

Perhaps it is too late to limit it, or even shut it down. That genie is out of the bottle, so be careful what you wish for.

Good post!
"The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement." - Karl Popper

“Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat

“You can vote Socialism in, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out of it.” - Me

Online Cyber Liberty

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Good post!

@Smokin Joe is a very thoughtful Member!  When I see long posts from Joe, I take my time reading them!
I don’t owe tolerance to people who disagree with my existence.
I will NOT comply.
 
Castillo del Cyber Autonomous Zone ~~~~~>                          :dontfeed:

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Hey @Smokin Joe. Taking some vacation soon. Interested in a guest writer spot while I’m gone?  :beer:
"The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement." - Karl Popper

“Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat

“You can vote Socialism in, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out of it.” - Me

Online Smokin Joe

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Hey @Smokin Joe. Taking some vacation soon. Interested in a guest writer spot while I’m gone?  :beer:
@LuisGonzalez That's high praise, indeed. Thank you. My next three weeks are going to be tumultuous, with interviews and going back East for my Dad's inurnment. Your writing 'shoes' are a few sizes bigger than mine, and with all going on, I doubt I'd be able to do justice to the opportunity.
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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@LuisGonzalez That's high praise, indeed. Thank you. My next three weeks are going to be tumultuous, with interviews and going back East for my Dad's inurnment. Your writing 'shoes' are a few sizes bigger than mine, and with all going on, I doubt I'd be able to do justice to the opportunity.

@Smokin Joe I’m more than confident that you would do an amazing job. If you ever feel like ranting in my site, the door remains open.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2026, 11:15:57 pm by Luis Gonzalez »
"The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement." - Karl Popper

“Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat

“You can vote Socialism in, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out of it.” - Me

Online Smokin Joe

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  • I was a "conspiracy theorist". Now I'm just right.
@Smokin Joe I’m more than confident that you would do an amazing job. If you ever feel like ranting in my site, the door remains open.
Thank you, brother, for the invite! (and the vote of confidence)
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis