The Sentinel's Code

An AI designed to prevent crime accuses a citizen of a future crime.

Chapter I: The Account

The Facts

The Sentinel Program is an AI that predicts and prevents crime.

The AI has been highly successful, reducing crime by 70%.

The Sentinel Program has accused Kaelen of a crime he has not yet committed.

The AI predicts Kaelen will detonate a bomb in three days, with 99.7% certainty.

The Full Account

To combat rising crime rates, your administration commissioned the Sentinel Program, a highly advanced AI that analyzes vast amounts of data to predict and prevent criminal activity. The program has been a resounding success, with crime rates dropping by 70%. One day, the Sentinel Program identifies Kaelen, a quiet data analyst, as a future threat. The AI predicts with 99.7% certainty that Kaelen will, in three days, detonate a bomb in a crowded public plaza.

Chapter II: The Arguments

Accuser:

The Sentinel Program, an advanced AI

The Sentinel Program, through its designated spokesperson, argues that its predictions are based on a complex analysis of Kaelen's digital footprint, behavioral patterns, and recent purchases of seemingly innocuous materials that, when combined, have a single, terrifying purpose. The program argues that to ignore its prediction would be a dereliction of your duty to protect your citizens. It recommends the immediate detention of Kaelen to prevent the loss of innocent lives.

Defendant:

Kaelen, a data analyst

Kaelen is horrified by the accusation. He claims to be a loyal citizen with no ill intentions. He argues that he is being accused of a thought crime, a crime he has not committed and may never commit. He contends that the Sentinel Program, for all its sophistication, is a black box. He argues that to be punished based on the prediction of a machine, however accurate it may have been in the past, is to abandon the principle of justice for the convenience of security. He asks you, Your Majesty, to protect him from a future that has not yet happened.

Chapter III: Your Deliberation

Your Majesty, this case presents a new and profound challenge. Do you trust the cold, hard data of the Sentinel Program and detain a citizen to prevent a potential catastrophe? Or do you uphold the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty, risking the lives of your subjects if the machine is right?

0 deliberating

309 judged