A group of elderly rulers gathered in Delhi to study Artificial Intelligence.
They entered the classroom with the confidence of men who had never allowed intelligence, artificial or otherwise, to interfere with their decisions.
The instructor switched on the computer.
“This is AI,” he announced.
The rulers leaned forward suspiciously.
“Which party does it belong to?” asked one.
“No party, sir.”
“Then how can we trust it?”
“It studies information and arrives at conclusions.”
The rulers looked horrified.
“Without consulting us?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This could be dangerous,” whispered the oldest ruler with a white beard. “Imagine citizens receiving conclusions before we have told them what to conclude.”
Another ruler with a bald head raised his hand.
“Can AI win elections?”
“It can analyse voters,” replied the instructor.
“Excellent. Can it tell us what they want?”
“Yes.”
“Even better. Can it make them want what we want?”
The instructor hesitated. “It can influence people, but intelligent citizens may recognise manipulation.”
The room fell silent.
“Intelligent citizens?” asked the bearded ruler, to his bald deputy, “Are they legal?”
The instructor continued with his lesson. He explained that AI could read thousands of documents in seconds.
The rulers became excited.
“Can it read the Constitution?”
“Certainly.”
“Can we prevent that?”
“No.”
“Can it explain the Constitution to citizens?”
“Yes.”
The oldest ruler clutched his chest.
“Switch it off!”
But another had a better idea.
“Let us feed it only our speeches.”
They uploaded hundreds of speeches filled with promises, praise, accusations and achievements that had not yet noticed they had happened.
The computer processed them.
“What does it say?” they asked eagerly.
The instructor read the answer.
“Insufficient factual content.”
Immediately, a committee was formed to investigate the computer for anti-national activity.
The rulers then asked AI to prepare a plan to control the country permanently.
The machine thought for a few seconds.
Its answer appeared.
“Educated citizens cannot be permanently controlled. They ask questions, compare claims with facts and remove rulers who mistake power for wisdom.”
The rulers stared at the screen.
“Delete it,” shouted one.
They pressed every button. They threatened it with raids. They accused its creators of conspiracy. They ordered television channels to announce that the computer had apologised.
But the message remained. Artificial Intelligence had delivered a painfully natural truth.
AI may be controlled by intelligent people who understand knowledge, responsibility and human freedom. It cannot be mastered by men whose intelligence is artificial, whose courage comes from security guards and whose wisdom arrives through a teleprompter.
The rulers left the classroom angrily.
The computer remained behind.
For the first time that day, something intelligent was still in the room…!