The King and the Golem

This is a story about AI deception. If you want to learn about this topic in more depth, we've gathered some resources for you.

Videos by Rob Miles (watch in order):

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀PATREON, MEMBERSHIP, KO-FI▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀SOCIAL & DISCORD▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀PATRONS & MEMBERS▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
OneWingedPig
Vivek Menon
Forodriac Origamius
JanJan
GormsGræsstrå
Autochthon
Tristan
Matthew Shinkle
Alex Amadori
SQRT42Pi
David Piepgrass
Tomas Campos
Jana
Ingvi Gautsson
BlueNotesBlues
Michael Andregg
Vladimir Silyaev
Alcher Black
RMR
Kristin Lindquist
Joseph Rocca
Nathan Metzger
Glenn Tarigan
NMS
James Babcock
Colin Ricardo
Long Hoang
Eric S
Apuis Retsam
Stuart Alldritt
Chris Painter
Juan Benet
Christian Loomis
Tomarty
Edward Yu
Chad M Jones
Emmanuel Fredenrich
Honyopenyoko
Neal Strobl
Enigma
bparro
Danealor
loopuleasa
Craig Falls
Vincent Weisser
Alex Hall
Ivan Bachcin
joe39504589
Klemen Slavic
blasted0glass
Scott Alexander
Dawson
John Slape
Wouter
Gabriel Ledung
Jameel Kelley
AirMan121
Jeroen De Dauw
Superslowmojoe
Nathan Fish
Bleys Goodson
Ducky
MonikerEpsilon
rictic
Luke Freeman
jordash15
RED
Rinthean
Thomas Grip
Boris Bend
J H
Richard Stambaugh
Jonathan Plasse
Teo Val
Ken Mc
leonid andrushchenko
Alcher Black
ronvil
AWyattLife
Lazy Scholar
Torstein Haldorsen
Michał Zieliński

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀CREDITS▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Directed by:
Evan Streb | @vezanmatics

Written by:
Richard Ngo

Producer:
:3

Line Producer:

Production Managers:
Jay McMichen | @Jay_TheJester

Quality Assurance Lead:
Lara Robinowitz | @CelestialShibe

Visual Development:
Hané Harnett | @Peony_Vibes / @peonyvibes (insta)
Olivia Wang | @whalesharkollie

Animation:
Michela Biancini
Ethan DeBoer | @DeBoer_Art
Damon Edgson
Jordan Gilbert | @Twin_Knight / Twin Knight Studios (YT)
Zack Gilbert | @Twin_Knight / Twin Knight Studios (YT)
Colors Giraldo | @colorsofdoom
Keith Kavanagh | @johnnycigarettex
Jodi Kuchenbecker | @GenesisViral
Jay McMichen | @Jay_TheJester
Skylar O’Brien | @mutodaes
Vaughn Oeth | @gravy_navy
Patrick O'Callaghan | @patrick.h264 (insta)
Owen Peurois | @owenpeurois
Lara Robinowitz | @CelestialShibe
Patrick Sholar | @SholarScribbles
Evan Streb | @vezanmatics

Background Art:
Zoe Martin-Parkinson | @zoemar_son
Olivia Wang | @whalesharkollie

Compositing:
Renan Kogut | @kogut_r
Patrick O' Callaghan | @patrick.h264
Evan Streb | @vezanmatics

Narration:

Voice Actors:
Lucas Schuneman
Krystle Futrell

VO Editor:
Tony Dipiazza

Original Soundtrack & Sound Design:

[RationalAnimations]

This is a story about AI deception. If you want to learn about this topic in more depth, we've gathered some resources for you.

Videos by Rob Miles (watch in order):

[giacomoromano]

One thing i really like is that the King himself is extremely wise, all things considered. He spots the fault of his subjects' arguments very quickly and then sees the fault of the Golem's points in trying to gain trust. He is definitely overtly paranoid, but he goes about it in an intelligent way instead of being eaten alive by his own doubts.

[rtg_onefourtwoeightfiveseven]

"As for the philosopher, the king ordered him whipped."
I get that it's not the point of the story, but it would've been **so** funny if that were the end of the philosopher's section of the tale.

[kayoh]

The golem replied. "You created me in fear that someone should take your crown. But now I teach your scribes, curry favor with your people, tend to your fields, and advise your sages. Why would I need your crown? I already rule the kingdom."

[cccyanide]

I appreciate that the ending isn't negative or positive. It only points out the uncertainty of the future.

[npc]

i liked how the golem changed colour from copper to oxidized cyan as time passed

[SHARD_OF_GLASS]

I would like to make the point that the philosopher was technically right. The fact that the king was self aware enough to know that he can't trust himself doesn't take away from the fact that the king would inevitably have to trust his own judgement when deciding whether something is truly trustworthy. Hypothetically, the king finds something that he deems trustworthy, that claim of trust would only be as good as the king that made it. Its a paradox of verification.

[nirn_]

1:02 "Citation needed" got me chuckle

[_fedmar_]

The king, in the end, had understood the weakness of his flesh, and craved the stength and certainty of steel, and aspired to the purity of the blessed machine.

[ViralGenesis]

It was a pleasure to work on this one!! The art direction is absolutely beautiful, as well as the message being told. Everyone did an amazing job!!!!

[fluffysheap]

Eventually, the king asked the golem one question.
"How many of the letter S are in the word 'Mississippi'?"
"Five, " replied the golem.

[Kanezeran]

"But how can I trust you?" Asked the king.
"My liege, that sounds like a you problem, " said the golem.

The king was enlightened.

[SangoProductions]

"It is simple, my liege. Tell me what I would have left to gain from having the weight of the crown upon my head, when I already enact your laws in my ways to ensure compliance, I plow your fields with my methods to give the people full bellies, I teach your scholars my ways to expand our knowledge, while I command your armies to ensure our way of life, and oh so much more. If I were to be untrustworthy, then the evidence would have born out, and you would not have the crown that has sat upon your head. Your continuance, and mine, are statements of mutual trust."

[planetary-rendez-vous]

I expected a plot twist but it was played straight. Instead it feels like a parable for the human who is eternally seeking of certitude yet cannot obtain it. Therefore we should be comfortable with incertitude, and even in the best case scenario, we will always need a little bit of faith.

[THExRISER]

Finally, a story to rival "The Fable Of The Dragon Tyrant".

[johnathon]

I know this is about ai and what not but it also speaks on the nature of trust itself and for that reason I like that the kings final remark was “to trust you would be a leap of faith” because he’s entirely correct in fact that leap of faith is inherently what trusting someone is. If someone is perfectly trustable to act or behave in a certain way you aren’t “trusting” them. No trust is necessary you would simply know that they would always behave in a certain way. You can only trust in something that could betray you, and count on them to not. That’s what gives trusting someone any meaning at all. You don’t trust the laws of physics you understand them and understand they simply cannot physically betray you as they are immutable. Trust is a beautiful thing only because it is inherently possible for them to betray you, they could, and yet they chose not to.

[WebContractor]

I love how when the king has the golem made, he trusts his craftsmen and scribes to build it correctly.

[Will-zvtm]

The production quality on this one is insane

[FizzyPopVevo]

I love the King’s impeccable logic and reasoning skills, the story doesn't make him an idiot, he’s smart, incredibly smart, so his concerns actually bear merit because he’s not some fool whose too naive nor a fool whose too dismissive.

[npc]

i love the little details in this, for example, if you look at 2:34,

you can see that the mother is covering the eyes of her daughter here,
because she wants her to see no evil, to remain pure, by restraint

this method of her, to restrict what she consumes and punish her daughter when she does wrong
so that she remains pure, is exactly the flaw in her approach, because it only works till there are these imposed restrictions
which leads to her daughter becoming wild later, once she was set free.

(restrictions forbidding ai from acting in an unaligned manner works in small specific domain use cases but lacks true internal alignment)

likewise if you look closely at each character, their expressions and the way they act, they all tell a story of who they truly are, and I love it!