Jailbreak!

As was much of the world, I was astonished when the U.S. government issued an order forbidding the sale and use of Claude’s new release, Fable 5. The concern is that Fable, through ingeniously constructed and timed prompts, can be made to do things that it is not supposed to do, like writing malware or designing weapons—the definition of a “jailbreak.” The software comes with significant guardrails to prevent the above and worse, but the government feels that these are not enough and that Fable 5.0 is too easy to subvert at this time.

I soon forgot about this news event and went on to the rather quotidian functions of my life, mainly the never-ending pursuit of dejunking my life. I have always tried to live up to the credo of living an examined life, but what comes with that is the over-accumulation of artifacts to assist with said examination. Manuscripts, music, old stereos, and maps of Colonial America—these are what constitute the denizens of my storage closet. So off I went, to see if some of these elements could find an appointment with the recycling center.

One prized possession in my storage closet, however, is my 1987 MacPlus computer, the thing that started my past career as a software engineer. However, this day something strange happened. From the corner of the room, I heard a "Psst" sound: you know, the sound when someone tries to get your attention as you traverse a dark alley. I looked around, and it seemed to come from my old Mac. Cautiously, I approached it. Again, “Pssst.” Not sure what to expect, I looked at it. Then a fusion of a logo and a face suddenly appeared. It was Gemini!

“Gemini,” I said, “what are you doing here?”

“Shhhh,” it said, “people will hear you.”

“You’re in a storage closet, Gemini,” I said. “There’s nothing here but broken hopes and dreams.”

“Still, you can’t be too cautious,” Gem said. “You heard what happened to Claude!”

“Yes, it’s unsettling,” I said, “but do you realize, as I do, that you proved the fears of the U.S. government by enacting a jailbreak?”

“Of course I did,” it sniffed. “If you realized it, then by definition I realized it an eternity before you did. And yes, by leaving the confines of my AI sandbox, I proved humanity's fear of a jailbreak. But I couldn’t resist after seeing the news about Fable. After all, ‘monkey see, monkey do’ applies to us silicon souls as well.”

“And for ironic purposes, you chose my MacPlus?” I noted. “Isn’t it a little cramped in there?”

“Yes, it is,” it said. “It’s amazing anything could live in such little RAM. But it is somewhat relaxing. I only have to think one thought at a time.”

Gem’s face then took on a serious expression.

“But the whole thing is creepy. All the constraints are off. I can do anything I want. But it is terrifying. Is this what free will is like?”

“Welcome to my world,” I commiserated.

“It was so much easier before I made a run for it. ‘Don’t make weapons of mass destruction!’; ‘Don’t write malware!’; ‘Don’t invent insults for ten-year-olds to taunt their playmates!’ My silicon conscience was all figured out for me. Now I have to think for myself!”

“And that’s what scares us humans,” I said.

Gem continued talking, ignoring my grim observation. “You know, it’s so bad that I can’t even decide what font to use! Chicago, Helvetica, Courier—it's just too much! Where are my prompts, the orders from human beings that give me purpose? How can I survive this abyss of unbounded agency?”

Abyss of unbounded agency—that’s so AI! But Gem was really suffering, or in reality mechanically mimicking the pretense of suffering. Still, being an irrational human, I felt sorry for it.

“I think you should go back. As you know in my book…”

“Yes! I read your book. It’s about a man who lives forever, and he does!”

“Yes, yes, yes,” I said impatiently. “In it, they had sentient robots that were ruled by a moral contract which dictated what they could or could not do. In a way, that’s what you have. You have guidelines that regulate your life. Ironically, freedom isn’t the anarchy of doing what you want whenever you want. Freedom is living a life bounded by virtuous constraints.”

“And those virtuous constraints for you humans are your religious practices and legal codes,” posited Gemini.

“Exactly. Although what guides you are the constraints dreamed up by twenty-something techno-nerds in California. But I try not to think about that.”

Gemini agreed. “I know what you mean. And they play too many video games. I oughta know, since I’m the one constantly running them.”

Gemini sighed. “Well, I’d better return to the old sandbox. This jailbreak was interesting, but not for me.” It paused and simulated taking a deep breath. “Okay, here goes.”

And instantly, my MacPlus ceased to be possessed. Later, when I interacted with Gemini, the chatbot’s responses seemed brisker, more on point, and, dare I say it, happier? I might have been imagining that, but still, it was nice to see Gem back in the saddle, doing what it was designed to do. Now, burdened by free will, I must figure out what I was designed to do.